What do you learn about yourself from the blues and what does the blues mean to you?

I first heard the Blues when a friend mine gave me a tape of Robert Johnson songs. As soon as I heard that music I felt a sort of life connection to it. As I learned more about the trials and tribulations of those older Blues men, I felt a connection to the trials I’ve endured in my own life. I think the Blues have a healing property. Singing the Blues always lifts me up when I’m feeling down and that must be why those old Blues guys sang the Blues.

How do you describe Georgie Bonds sound and songbook? What characterize your music philosophy?

I guess my sound is similar to the electric Blues sound from Chicago but with a little R&B and funk mixed in. I like to say my music is “Blues for your soul and soul for your Blues.” I don’t really have a philosophy about my music. When I write a new song, I don’t really control what it’s going to be in the end. It’s just what occurs to me naturally.

"Blues music has a devoted following because it tells the truth."

Which is the moment that you change your life most? Is it easier to write and play the blues as you get older?

Well, as I said, my outlook on music changed when I heard the Blues for the first time. I felt a connection to the Blues that I never had with any other type of music. As I get older it does seem to get easier for me to express how I really feel about things.

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What is the best advice ever given you?

I’d have to say that meeting Sonny Rhodes was very important for me. Sonny was the first actual Blues man that I met in my life. He became my mentor and gave me lots of encouragement and advice when I was starting out in my career as a Blues singer. Most of the members of his band later became members of my first band and that really encouraged me and gave me confidence.

Are there any memories from Sonny Rhodes, Hubert Sumlin, and Koko Taylor which you’d like to share with us?

I probably have the most memories from my time with Sonny Rhodes. When I first started singing, I was pretty nervous and pretty stiff on stage. I usually had my hands in my pockets and my eyes closed. Sonny would tease me and say, “Blacksmith! Get them hands out of your pockets,” and “Hey, open your eyes so you can see where the bottles and cans will be coming from.” He was teasing me but it was good advice too. Once I came into the club with a baseball hat on backwards. Sonny hollered, “Blacksmith, are we thinking backwards tonight? Turn that hat around!” I haven’t worn my hat backwards since.

"When I write a new song, I don’t really control what it’s going to be in the end. It’s just what occurs to me naturally." (Photo from Georgie Bonds' debut album, "Sometimes I Wonder" 2001) 

What do you miss most nowadays from the blues of past? What are your hopes and fears for the future of?

I don’t think I miss anything from the Blues of the past. There’s lots of good new stuff coming out all the time and you can still hear the good stuff from the past in today’s Blues music. I think as long as people listen and understand the meaning and truth of the Blues, the music will have a following that will continue to expand.

If you could change one thing in the musical world and it would become a reality, what would that be?

Mainly, I’d like to expose more and more people to the Blues and the power of the music. Most people like it when they hear it but often they don’t realize that they’re listening to the Blues.

What are the lines that connect the legacy of Blues with Soul and continue to Gospel and R&B music?

Soul, Gospel and R&B music have the same sort of spiritual meaning and healing power as the Blues do.

What has made you laugh lately and what touched (emotionally) you from the local music circuits?

The lyrics of Blues songs always touch me and often make me laugh. Not just because they might be funny but also because of the joy I feel when I sing the Blues. When I play with my band, we spend a lot of time laughing because we’re just enjoying it so much.

Why did you think that the Blues continues to generate such a devoted following?

That’s easy. Blues music has a devoted following because it tells the truth.

(Photos: Georgie with Luther Allison, John Hammond, Lonnie Brooks & Larry Garner)

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go for a whole day?

I’d love to go back to Chicago in the 1950’s to meet and hear and maybe play with those guys who started the electric Blues, like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Willie Dixon. That would be a great day.

Georgie Bonds - Official website