“All I’ve wanted to be in my life is a cowboy and a singer.” – Georgie Bonds

Born and raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Georgie Bonds did not grow up listening to the blues or riding horses.

While R&B records fed his musical inspiration since childhood, watching people ride in the park near his home sparked an interest in horses, and led him to buy his first horse at the age of twenty-one. This equine fascination led him to a livelihood in blacksmithing, a skill he trained for in Martinsville, Virginia. For fifteen years, he shod horses and continued to sing, while strumming on a guitar, making up songs for his own entertainment.

Georgie Bonds got his first taste of delta blues when a friend loaned him a Robert Johnson tape. There was something about the music that grabbed a hold of him and wouldn’t let go. At that point he knew that the blues was what he needed. One night in the early 1990′s, he stepped onto the stage of an open mic blues jam at The Barbery, took a deep breath, and belted out Stormy Monday, the only blues song he knew. Fortunately, blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was hosting that night, took a liking to Georgie Bonds and became his mentor. Sonny Rhodes introduced Georgie Bonds to more musicians, and taught him how to be a performer, not just a singer. Georgie Bonds’ blues career was then well on its way.

“Georgie Bonds, a man who’s voice has the power to shake the walls – without a microphone – yet also has the smooth gentle warmth characteristic of the finest balladeer’s. Singing is his life, and anyone who has heard Georgie instantly understands why.” – S.P. Clyde Boger