The Steel Guitar Forum

The book is out of print, and I can't link it, but google - bonvillian jazz of the south west, and text from the book will be available, which if you don't already own a copy will probably find entertaining and more than brief, and the book in total is excellant reading. It's the only time I've ever heard of Bonvillian, he's certainly THE 'lost great'.
Has he passed on?

His radio broadcasts from New Orleans were a big early influence on Tom Morrell. JB owned a music store in New Orleans for many years and was still behind the counter ten or twelve years back.

Finding recordings of those old radio shows w/JB would be astounding. Anyone have an idea what station and name it was under?
If the guy was still alive, he should get some recognition.

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=bonvillian+jaz ... south+west

leads to

Google Books preview of "The Jazz of the Southwest"

Here's a link to another discussion of Mr. Bonvillian on the SGF.

I was able to buy a copy of the book through Amazon.com for $10. Thanks for the information!

As far as I know, he is still alive; the pic below with John Hughey is from 2007, I think. If he was in his mid 70s in the pic, he must have been quite young when Tom Morrell was listening to him. I assume he still plays to some extent, but I have never knowingly heard him.

I'd say this could lead to a worthwhile effort to get some more light shed on this 'unfamous' if not infamous steeler that we need to know more about, and what a coup it would be to get some 1st or 2nd hand dialog happening with Johnny. His story needs to be told.

Would love to hear some recordings. Anybody know where one could be found?

I would start here.

Bonvillain's Music Discounts
(504) 367-0945
1416 Lafayette St, Gretna, LA 70053

I wonder if I may have met him and didn't know it.

Somewhere between 1971 and 1973, I was in a great record store in Gretna that had obviously been around for 20 years or more at that time. I bought some 1950s rockabilly and remember seeing store stock copies of Elmore James Meteor 78s (among other rarities) sitting right there in the open shelves where they had sat since their early 50s release.

I can't remember the proprietor, but how many record stores or music shops in Gretna would fit that description?? I wouldn't have known the name Johnny Bonvillian from Adam in 1972.

As I recall, it was a single rectangular room, probably at least 20 by 50, with considerable age on it at that time, as you would expect of a typical business that had been around for 20 years or so.

Brad Bechtel wrote:I would start here.
Bonvillain's Music Discounts
(504) 367-0945
1416 Lafayette St, Gretna, LA 70053

Dang, Brad, you be da man!

10 or 12 years ago I was at a convention in New Orleans and had his phone number. I was gonna call him for a lesson but I didn't have a car and I guess I got cold feet. Another lost opportunity. Sure would like to hear him play steel.

I spent a couple of hours with him at his music store.
Everything you have ever heard is true.I asked him to play different standards, and he would do a version as if someone had transplanted Joaquins brain into him.
Then he would do it as if it was Noel Boggs.
He was Staggering.
Lee

I have a cassette tape of Johnny Bonvillian playing with a group called "Bill Cason's Arkansas Troopers in 1952 & 1953. The tape was given to me by Jay Riley at the Western Swing Society in June of 2006. I beleive Jay is a member of the forum. The tape was of live playing of the band somewhere. There are about 22 songs & instrumentals on the tape all in the Western Swing Genre of the early 50's. Johnny was a terrific player.

Billy were you about to say something profound ?

According to http://tinyurl.com/dcn693, Bonvillian played steel on 3 tracks by Werly Fairburn circa 1951 or 1952. Nothing that really let's him work out, but you get an idea. He may well play on other tracks on this CD, but I can't confirm it. I assume the linked info came from the liner notes to the Fairburn CD, which I have, but it is stored away. Here are links to the 3 songs, so take a whiff on me.


Baby He's A Wolf


Love Spelled Backwards Is Evol


Good Deal, Lucille


The search for more goes on.


Billy, you should get that tape transferred to CD if possible and then upload the material so we can all hear it.

I first met Johnny in the early 50's in Breaux Bridges, La at a joint called Mulates (Moo--Lots). He was playing with a Werly Fairburn, one heck of a singer in the original Hank Williams Style. If you listen at the Good Deal Lucille song posted above you will have the exact sound going at that time. Notice how much like Williams, Fairburn sounds. We really could never believe this guy didn't go to the top but he didn't. I think he eventually ended up in California, and came back to New Orleans. He died in the mid 80's I believe.

I just got off the phone with Johnny Jr. Senior is still alive and in good health, and still teaching some in the music store. He is 1 year older than me at 77 years. This guy has the most contagious smile you'll ever see.

Johnny Jr is putting Senior's old '56 Stringmaster back together to surprise Senior and he needs a couple of pickups and the covers. He asked that if you would have some to sell contact him at bonmusic@bellsouth.net.

I am sending him the url for this thread and maybe we can get them to sign up. They are great folks. I'm so glad that Johnny Sr. is still healthy and looking forward to seeing him again. Thanks to everyone for this thread. I would never have thought of him after over 50 years. You've made an old man's heart glad.

phred

Thanx for making the move to contact and invite Jr. & Sr. to join us here. That would be another gold star moment for the forum.

I remember a few years back when Vance Terry made contact with the SGF thru a friend, posting and inviting correspondence, and was virtually ignored..., same with Marion Hall, not much interest.
Let's not repeat that mistake should we be honored with the presence of the Bonvillian's.

Mitch, another thanx, for posting those rare trax.
Sound's like Johnny (naturally) took from the biggies of the day, Murph, Byrd, and Helms, adding himself into the mix and playing some tight stuff.

Bear Family has put out a Werly Fairburn cd years back, I don't have it myself so I'm not sure if there's cuts with Johnny on it. But it's worth checking out anyway, good stuff!

I will get together with my buddy "Joe Baker" in Lake Elsinore, Ca. and have him put the cassette on a CD. Joe has the equipment to do this. Then I will see how to get it on the Forum.

If that can be accomplished for Mitch and the rest of us, I'm sure it will be greatly appreciated by all.
I know I can't wait!

Billy:

I assume that tape is one or possibly 2 live performances, rather than a bunch of single songs such as you would typically find on a retail CD.

If that is the case, your man in Lake Elsinore should probably chop it into individual songs so each song can be accessed or played individually on a CD or on a computer.

The alternative is to leave it as one single real long song--the CD would just have track 1 or maybe track 2 if there are two live performances on it. Each track might be 30 or 40 minutes long.


Nothing inherently wrong with leaving it as just one or two long tracks, but the resulting files will be very large--perhaps too large for the typical ISP to host for you if you want to put it on the forum. For instance, my ISP limits me to 10 megabytes.

Those 3 Werly Fairburn tracks I put up earlier in this thread took over 6 megabytes and they are 128k bit rate mp3 files.

CDs are typically made of WAV files which are much larger than MP3 files.

If you distribute the material by uploading somewhere, you are probably going to have to convert the songs to mp3 format.

An alternative is to leave the songs as WAV files, put them on a CD, and then make additional copies of the CD and send them out by mail for a few bucks to recover your expenses. That way you wouldn't have to upload anything.

Mitch Drumm wrote:An alternative is to leave the songs as WAV files, put them on a CD, and then make additional copies of the CD and send them out by mail for a few bucks to recover your expenses. That way you wouldn't have to upload anything.

That may be the most labor intensive way to do it, but Billy should make a bit of beer money on top of just the 'costs' for his effort and I know I'd be willing to pony up some coinage for this unique recording. I hope something happens, whatever it is.

I finally listened to the whole tape today and at the end of the tape Bill Cason signed off and told everyone to listen in again. It was a radio broadcast from a studio I assume on a local station. The band sounded like it was a five piece with Steel, Standard Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass, and possibly a Rythm Guitar. After each song there was some band chatter and some applause. However there were no commercials. Perhaps they edited them out.

Billy:

From your description, it sounds like maybe you could have the songs made into individual tracks when you take it to Lake Elsinore. Hope it works out well.

I am posting the picture below in hopes you can ID the two guys on the right. This was taken in 1947, most likely in Los Angeles.

That is Curley Cochran on the far left. I am virtually positive Billy Hughes is second from left and that this is probably a Billy Hughes band shot. The pic came from Curley's son, he could ID only Curley. The two guys on the right are a mystery and are quite possibly a bass player and a guitar player. The guy on the far right looks familiar, but I can't place him.

Recognize anyone?

Those Bonvillian cuts with Werly Fairburn are included in this collection:

http://www.copaceticcomics.com/cds/show/37