Gary U.S. Bonds

Born in Jacksonville, Florida Gary Levone Anderson is an American R&B and rock and roll singer and songwriter. He began singing publicly in church with a group known as The Turks. At first, he chose to use the name U.S. Bonds and produced three singles and an album “Dance ‘Til Quarter to Three” by the second album he had changed the name to Gary U.S. Bonds.

Among the first hits were “New Orleans” which hit number 6 on the U.S. Charts, “Not Me” and finally one of his biggest hits “Quarter to Three” in 1961. This single sold a million copies and earned a gold disc. This song is also featured on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list. Other hits were “School is Out”, “Dear Lady Twist” and “Twist, Twist, Senora”. Gary U.S. Bonds toured Europe in 1963 and headlined above The Beatles. His hits featured solos by Gene Barge on the saxophone.

In the early 1980s, Gary came out with two albums Dedication and On the Line in collaboration with Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, and the E Street Band. At this time he had the following hits “This Little Girl”, “Jole Blon”, and “Out of Work”. Gary continues to tour and perform.

Even though Gary was known for his R&B and rock and roll music one of his songs “She’s All I Got” was nominated for the Country Music Association’s “Song of the Year” in 1972. This song was a big hit for Johnny Paycheck. Gary is also an honoree of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and as an avid golfer plays celebrity PGA Tour events. In October of 2006, he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.