Sonny Rhodes
Sonny Rhodes | |
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, Greater Planet Entertainment, Need To Know Music |
Clarence Smith (born Clarence Edward Mauldin; November 3, 1940 – December 14, 2021), known as Sonny Rhodes, was an American
Life and career
Rhodes was born in
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
Rhodes toured Europe in 1976 and released numerous recordings on European labels, including I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and the live album In Europe. In 1985, he released Just Blues on Rhodes-Way. In the late 1980s, he recorded Disciple of the Blues, released by Ichiban Records in 1991, and Living Too Close to the Edge, released in 1992.[6] He later moved to Kingsnake Records, releasing several albums including The Blues Is My Best Friend (1994) and Out of Control (1995),[1] and touring widely in the US, Canada and Europe. In 2008, he released I'm Back Again.[7] His current release, The Essential Sonny Rhodes – Songs & Stories,[8] on Need To Know Music is a retrospective of his career to date, featuring Rich Kirch, Barry Goldberg, Frank Howard Swart and Dawn Richardson. The record was produced by Brian Brinkerhoff and Swart.[9]
He died on December 14, 2021, at the age of 81.[10]
Other work
Television
Rhodes recorded "The Ballad of Serenity", the theme music for the television series Firefly, which was written by Joss Whedon, the creator of the series.[11]
Festivals
Rhodes played at the San Francisco Blues Festival six times. In 1993, Sonny was the best man in the onstage wedding of Mike and Laura Harrelson at the Sacramento Blues Festival. He also played at the Musicamdo Jazz and Blues Festival in Italy in 2005 and the Fresno Blues Festival in 2007.
Selected discography
1977 | I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright | Texas blues | Blossom Studios |
1991 | Disciple Of The Blues | Texas blues | Ichiban Records |
1992 | Won't Rain in California | Contemporary blues | EPM Musique |
1992 | Livin' Too Close To The Edge | Texas blues | Ichiban Records |
1995 | Just Blues | Contemporary blues | Evidence
|
1994 | The Blues Is My Best Friend | Texas blues | Kingsnake |
1996 | Out of Control | Delta blues | Kingsnake |
1997 | Born to Be Blue | Delta blues | Kingsnake |
1999 | Blue Diamond | Blues | Stony Plain Music |
2001 | A Good Day to Play the Blues | Traditional blues | Stony Plain Music |
2003 | Texas Fender Bender (Live) | Texas blues | Great Planet Entertainment |
2008 | I'm Back Again | Delta blues | EPM Musique |
2016 | Then & Now | Texas blues | Blues Express Records |
2017 | The Essential Sonny Rhodes – Songs & Stories | Traditional blues | Need To Know Music |
References
- ^ a b c d Skelly, Richard. "Sonny Rhodes". AllMusic. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Entertainment Columns & Blogs | FresnoBee.com & Fresno Bee". Fresno Famous. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ "Awards Search > Sonny Rhodes". Blues.org. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ Rhodes, Sonny (2009). "Sonny Rhodes MySpace". MySpace website. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
- ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ a b "Sonny Rhodes | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "The Essential Sonny Rhodes – Songs and Stories – CD". Needtoknowmusic.com. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- ^ "The Essential Sonny Rhodes: Songs & Stories - Sonny Rhodes | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ "Sonny Rhodes (1940-2021)". SoulBag website. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
- IMDb
External links
- Sonny Rhodes MySpace
- Sonny Rhodes
- Reverbnation article
- Sonny Rhodes discography at Discogs
- Sonny Rhodes at IMDb