Search - Bonnie Guitar :: Dark Moon

Quality music doesn't always generate hits

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 07/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One reason why Bonnie Guitar wasn't more successful is that she was well into her thirties when she recorded Dark moon. Dot records obviously lacked faith in her, otherwise why did they want Gale Storm to record it? Having to compete with Gale's version didn't help. Although Gale's version did chart slightly higher, most of the promotional effort went into that version so it's remarkable that Bonnie's version charted at all. I'll say at this stage that I like both versions but prefer Bonnie's original to Gale's cover, but not by much.



Perhaps the reason for her later material not being available is due to licensing disagreements, or perhaps Bear Family feel that her country material is not worth releasing. I can't answer that. I'd like to hear her country music as I'm a big country fan as well as a big pop fan, but its probably best left to a separate release. A lot of people might only be interested in her pop music, although anybody who can't stand country should avoid this - although it is pop music, it has a definite country flavor as you would expect based on Dark moon.



So this CD doesn't contain much in the way of her own hits, but it is far superior to many hits collection. Some records miss the charts because they are not good enough. Some miss because they are badly marketed. Some miss because the radio stations refuse to play them. Some miss because they don't fit the fashion of the day. There are, indeed, any number of reasons why records miss the charts. Never mind, this music is pure magic and highly entertaining. Given it a listen."

A Nice Album - But Missing Too Many Hits

Peter Durward Harris | 08/04/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"One of the trivia questions dealing with Fifties music is, which label had two hits at the same time with the same song, but by different artists? The answer: Dot which had both Gale Storm AND Bonnie Guitar competing in the early summer of 1957 with Dark Moon. Storm won out - barely - taking the # 4 Billboard Top 100 position to Bonnie's # 6, although Bonnie did also gain the # 14 position on the Country charts.



For Bonnie however, who would later go on to a enjoy some success as a Country artist, the Pop charts eluded her for the most part. The problem with this compilation is that it only offers one more charted hit: Mister Fire Eyes which reach # 71 Hot 100 and # 15 Country in October 1957. So, unless you're willing to pay $25 for what is otherwise a nice but largely incomplete (as hits go) collection, you're far better off searching out her other hits on multi-artist compilations.



Born Bonnie Buckingham on March 25, 1923, in Seattle, the early part of her career was spent playing session guitar at the studios of Fabor, Abbott, and Radio Records - all owned by Fabor Robison - often appearing on records by people like Jim Reeves and Ferlin Husky. It was there that, at the suggestion of Robison, she adopted the name Bonnie Guitar, as she had been nicknamed by studio technicians.



Following the major success of Dark Moon {Dot had first dibs on all Fabor cuts), and the modest chart performance of Mister Fire Eyes, her next charter didn't come until December 1959 when Candy Apple Red (missing from this collection) struggled to make the Top 100, settling for a # 97 [although her guitar work was heard on Come Softly To Me by The Fleetwoods in 1959).



After returning to her hometown at the beginning of the Sixties, and cutting no records (other than as a session guitarist for Dolton) she re-signed with Dot in 1965 and, from 1966 to 1969, had eight Top 40 Country hits: I'm Living In Two Worlds (# 9 and # 99 Billboard Hot 100), Get Your Lie The Way You Want It (# 14), and The Tallest Tree (# 24) - all in 1966; You Can Steal Me (# 33) and A Woman In Love (# 4) - both in 1967; Stop The Sun (# 13) and I Believe In Love (# 10) in 1968; and in 1969 That See Me Later Look (# 36).



What we need now is a good compilation of ALL her pop/country charters."