Sonny Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Sonny Rhodes is an American
blues singer and lap steel guitar
player. He has recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Disciple of the Blues!" said Rhodes about his years playing and singing for fans of blues around the world. He has been nominated fifteen times for the Blues Music Awards, and won the Instrumentalist-Other category in 2011.
, he was the sixth and last child of Le Roy and Julia Smith, who were sharecroppers. He received his first guitar at the age of eight as a Christmas
present and really became serious about the blues at age 12. He credits his uncle as his source of inspiration. Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late 1950s, while still in his teens. Rhodes listened to a lot of T-Bone Walker
's music when he was young, and other guitarists he credits as being influences include L. C. Robinson
, Percy Mayfield
, Pee Wee Crayton
and B. B. King
. Rhodes's first band, Clarence Smith and the Daylighters, played the Austin area blues clubs before Rhodes joined the Navy
after high school graduation.
In the Navy, he was stationed in California
, where he worked for a while as a radio man and closed-circuit Navy ship disc jockey
, telling off-color jokes in between the country
and blues records
he would spin for the entertainment of the sailors. Rhodes recorded a single for Domino Records in Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong" in 1958, and also learned to play the bass guitar
. He played bass behind Freddie King
and his friend Albert Collins
. After his stint in the Navy, Rhodes returned to California while in his mid-20s, and lived in Fresno, California
for a few years before signing a recording contract
with Galaxy Records
in Oakland, California
. In 1966, he recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More" and another single for Galaxy in 1967 and then in 1978, out of total frustration with the San Francisco Bay Area record companies, he recorded "Cigarette Blues" on his own label, Rhodesway Records in 1978.
Rhodes toured Europe
in 1976, opening the European market to him, and he recorded with several European labels, but without much success. His European recordings included I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and a live album
, In Europe. In 1985, Just Blues, appeared on his own Rhodesway label. In the late 1980s, he began recording first for Ichiban Records
and later for Kingsnake. His albums for Ichiban included Disciple of the Blues (1991) and Living Too Close to the Edge (1992). Aside from his self-produced 1985 release Just Blues, later releases included The Blues Is My Best Friend and Out of Control (1996).
for the Firefly
television series, "The Ballad of Serenity", which was written by the series' creator, Joss Whedon
.
six times; Italy
's Musicamdo Jazz and Blues Festival in 2005; and the Fresno Blues Festival in 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues singer and lap steel guitar
Lap steel guitar
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard....
player. He has recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Disciple of the Blues!" said Rhodes about his years playing and singing for fans of blues around the world. He has been nominated fifteen times for the Blues Music Awards, and won the Instrumentalist-Other category in 2011.
Influences
Rhodes was born in Smithville, TexasSmithville, Texas
Smithville is a city in Bastrop County, Texas, United States, near the Colorado River. The population was 3,901 at the 2000 census. The population grew to an estimated 4,339 for 2004.-History:...
, he was the sixth and last child of Le Roy and Julia Smith, who were sharecroppers. He received his first guitar at the age of eight as a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
present and really became serious about the blues at age 12. He credits his uncle as his source of inspiration. Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late 1950s, while still in his teens. Rhodes listened to a lot of T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Walker
Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker was a critically acclaimed American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, who was one of the most influential pioneers and innovators of the jump blues and electric blues sound. He is the first musician recorded playing blues with the...
's music when he was young, and other guitarists he credits as being influences include L. C. Robinson
L. C. Robinson
L. C. Robinson was an American blues singer, guitarist, and fiddle player. He played a stand-mounted, solid-body, electric steel guitar, the sort often heard in Western Swing bands...
, Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield
Percy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
, Pee Wee Crayton
Pee Wee Crayton
Connie Curtis Crayton , known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer.-Career:...
and B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
. Rhodes's first band, Clarence Smith and the Daylighters, played the Austin area blues clubs before Rhodes joined the Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
after high school graduation.
In the Navy, he was stationed in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he worked for a while as a radio man and closed-circuit Navy ship disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, telling off-color jokes in between the country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and blues records
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
he would spin for the entertainment of the sailors. Rhodes recorded a single for Domino Records in Austin, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong" in 1958, and also learned to play the bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. He played bass behind Freddie King
Freddie King
Freddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
and his friend Albert Collins
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
. After his stint in the Navy, Rhodes returned to California while in his mid-20s, and lived in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
for a few years before signing a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Galaxy Records
Galaxy Records
Galaxy Records was a subsidiary of Fantasy Records. It was established in 1951 and has been reactivated several times. Its first incarnation was as a 1950s jazz label. It was revived again in 1961 as a gospel and R&B label. It was last active from 1978 until the mid eighties.-Circa late...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. In 1966, he recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More" and another single for Galaxy in 1967 and then in 1978, out of total frustration with the San Francisco Bay Area record companies, he recorded "Cigarette Blues" on his own label, Rhodesway Records in 1978.
Rhodes toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1976, opening the European market to him, and he recorded with several European labels, but without much success. His European recordings included I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, In Europe. In 1985, Just Blues, appeared on his own Rhodesway label. In the late 1980s, he began recording first for Ichiban Records
Ichiban Records
Ichiban Records was a hip hop record label founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1985. Wrap Records and Nastymix Records were some of its subsidiary labels. Urgent! Records was distributed by Ichiban. Most of its discography is now out of print. Besides hip hop groups, Ichiban also released albums by...
and later for Kingsnake. His albums for Ichiban included Disciple of the Blues (1991) and Living Too Close to the Edge (1992). Aside from his self-produced 1985 release Just Blues, later releases included The Blues Is My Best Friend and Out of Control (1996).
Television
Rhodes additionally recorded the theme musicTheme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the Firefly
Firefly (TV series)
Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
television series, "The Ballad of Serenity", which was written by the series' creator, Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
.
Festivals
Rhodes has played at the San Francisco Blues FestivalSan Francisco Blues Festival
Debuting in 1973, the San Francisco Blues Festival is the longest running blues festival in the United States. Tom Mazzolini, the event's producer, founded the blues festival to educate the public about the history and evolution of the blues...
six times; Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Musicamdo Jazz and Blues Festival in 2005; and the Fresno Blues Festival in 2007.
Selected discography
| Year | Title | Genre | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Just Blues | Contemporary Blues | Evidence |
| 1996 | Won't Rain in California | Contemporary Blues | EPM Musique |
| 1996 | Out of Control | Delta Blues | Kingsnake |
| 1997 | Born To Be Blue | Delta Blues | Kingsnake |
| 1999 | Blue Diamond | Traditional Blues | Stony Plain Music |
| 2001 | Good Day to Sing & Play the Blues | Traditional Blues | Stony Plain Music |