Ghetto Poet

by Juke Boy Bonner

Overview

Texas bluesman Weldon "Juke Boy" Bonner was a virtual one-man band with his stripped-down electric guitar playing, his constantly stomping foot, and the swampy sound of his racked harmonica, elements that made him sound like a cross between Jimmy Reed and Slim Harpo. Bonner's carefully considered lyrics are what set him apart from any other bluesman, however, and the best of his songs have a kind of weary emotional balance that show why the blues is capable of being a great vernacular art form. The opening track on this disc of previously unreleased material, "Daylight Won't Catch Me Here," is a perfect example of Bonner's craft, as it teeters between defeat and resolve, all with a relentless, driving rhythm. Other highlights here include the desperate humor of "Rainin' in My Room" and the brilliant album closer "It's Enough." Woefully underappreciated during his lifetime, Bonner ended up with a last-chance job loading crates of factory-raised chickens into the processing plant that would end their lives. This collection is drawn largely from a session on May 5, 1969. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	10/21/2003
Label:	Arhoolie
UPC:	0096297904022
Rank:	137949

Tracks

1. Daylight Won't Catch Me Here
2. The Animal Gap
3. Time to Say Goodbye
4. Blues for Elmo
5. If I Sound Lowdown
6. Sportsman's Luck
7. California Here I Come
8. Zodico Jump
9. Getting Up from the Ground
10. Houston Beat
11. What Will I Tell the Children
12. All the Lonely Days
13. Childhood Dreams
14. Settin' the Record Straight
15. Rainin' in My Room
16. Let Me Run It Down to You
17. I Don't Go for Games
18. It's Enough

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Juke Boy Bonner   Primary Artist
Alvin J. Simon   Drums

Technical Credits

Al Jolson   Composer
Buddy DeSylva   Composer
Chris Strachwitz   Producer,Photography,Liner Notes
Erik Keilholtz   Editing
Morgan K. Dodge   Graphic Design
Weldon Bonner   Composer
Joseph Meyer   Composer