Sonny Rhodes is an accomplished showman with the depth and mileage one needs to truly be called "A Bluesman"
He was honored for his cultural contribution to the arts by the Smithsonian Institute in 1976 during the 200th Anniversary of United States of America.
He has been nominated numerous times for a W.C. Handy Award.
He was one of the major forces in establishing the San Francisco Blues Festival. Sonny Rhodes is one of the blues world's great original characters. For the past four decades he has garnered well deserved accolades from his contemporaries, peers, and fans worldwide. His natural talent as a blues guitarist is reminiscent of Texas Bluesman Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones. His devout lap steel playing which conjures up visions of Hop Wilson, Leon McAuliffe, Elmore James, L.C. "Good Rockin" Robinson and Fred Roulette playing all at once. His extraordinary voice and exceptional vocal stylings that ooze the pure essence of the blues.
Born Clarence Edward Smith, November 3, 1940 in Smithville, Texas (about 40 miles outside of Austin). The name Sonny Rhodes was a nickname given to him as a boy. He picked cotton in the fields of Texas in his youth and first heard the steel guitar via Leon McAuliffe who played western swing music with "Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys".
Sonny talked to me about how McAuliffe's steel guitar playing left it's impression on him from an early age.
He received his first guitar in 1948 and showed a true interest in music from that moment on. Sonny tells this story so well it almost made me cry. "We had a bad crop that year. Santa missed our place and us kids didn't receive any Christmas presents. I was the youngest of six children and the fella we were picking cotton for heard me crying my eys out. He went and got this old guitar he had in his barn and gave to me". Sonny went to school in Austin, and when he graduated high school in 1957 his mother gave him his first Fender electric guitar and amplifier. He had been playing bass guitar with Albert Collins for about two years. Frankie Lee was the singer in Albert's band at that time. Sonny was also playing bass guitar with Freddy King's around that time period too. He even spent a year at Texas Southern University.
Sonny Rhodes, Albert Collins, and Johnny Clyde Copeland were young teenagers growing up in Texas in the mid 1950's. They formed a friendship that has lasted through the last four decades. The three of them would hang out at the clubs in Austin and Houston studying the styles of Little Junior Parker, Hop Wilson, Fenton Robinson, Gatemouth Brown and many other great blues artists. All three decided then and there that they would be part of the next wave of Bluesmen to pick up the torch and light the fires of The Blues.
"Clarence Smith and The Daylighters" (C.E. Smith:Guitar and Vocals, Mack Moore: Keyboards, Willie Cephas: guitar, George Underwood: Bass, and Iry Littlefield Jr: Drums). Sonny's group recorded one 45 rpm. record for the Austin based Domino Records in late 1961 or early 1962.
Side A-What's wrong with me Side B-Something is wrong In late 1963 he moved from Texas to Fresno, California and quickly established himself on the local scene. In 1964 he recorded and released another 45 rpm record as Clarence Smith on the Fresno based Bose Records.
Side-A What's Wrong With Me Side-B Forever And A Day In 1965-66 he sent a tape off to Galaxy Records in San Francisco. They signed him. Sonny then moved to Oakland, California. Galaxy released three 45 rpm singles from 1967-68. The first session was recorded with The Ray Shanklin's Orchestra and released under the name Clarence Smith.
#1 Side-A All night Long They Play The Blues Side-B I Don't Love You Anymore "The Birth Of Sonny Rhodes" Sonny thought Clarence Smith was not a name that people would remember. The next two singles for Galaxy were released under his childhood nickname Sonny Rhodes. #2 Side-A You Better Stop Side-B One Of These Days #3 Side-A I Was Kidding Side-B Country Boy In 1969 the Galaxy record people and Sonny became involved in a bitter dispute over Galaxy not promoting him or his records properly. Many of these were Sonny's original songs and they would not let him out of his contract. Sonny decided to wait until the contract had expired and then he would be free to do his own thing.
In 1969 Estobud Record's (owned by Mr. DuBose, Estobud spelled backwards) out of San Francisco released a Sonny Rhodes 45 rpm record.
Side A Forever and a day Side B What's wrong with us (* A note of interest to some: Sonny spent eight years in the U.S. Navy through these years.)
The following years saw Sonny work as an advertising clerk with the Oakland Tribune, run his own night club in Berkley called "Sonny Rhodes House of Blue Lights"(1972-74), play guitar in Jimmy McCracklin's band (1974) and front his own bands. It was around this time that Sonny started to woodshed with the lap steel guitar.
In 1976 Screwboy Cleve's Cherry Records released a single by Sonny Rhodes
Side-A Finding Out For Myself Side-B Half Smart Woman Through late 1976 and early 1977 he recorded 10 tracks in the Blossom studios in San Francisco which included five of Sonny's original compositions. These recordings also featured Sonny's old friend J.J. Malone on piano and he sings the lead on three cuts. It was first released by Amigo Musik out of Stockholm, Sweden in 1977 as a 331/3 LP with a black and white jacket, titled "Sonny Rhodes San Francisco Bluesman". Then in 1978 with a colour jacket and retitled "Sonny Rhodes- I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright" by Advent Records out of La Habra, California. This was Sonny's first solo LP and is a fine album still to this day. A CD was reissued in 1994 by the Black Magic label out of Holland.
"THE AYATOLLAH of ROCK and ROLLA" The trademarked turban you often see Sonny wearing was his way of handling an age old problem among men. As his hair turned grey and then started going away, he took to wearing hats and eventually settled on the turban for his look.
There is a video out there somewhere called "Cigarette Blues". Released in 1982, produced by Allan Governor and filmed by Les Blank. They used footage of Sonny Rhodes and the Texas Twisters live at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland. The title song was written by Sonny.
In 1985 Sonny Rhodes and the Texas Twisters released an album titled "Just Blues" on Sonny's own Rhodesway label.
He left the bay area about eight years ago and now calls New Jersey his home. His recent recordings with Ichiban and Kingsnake Records showcase his skills as a songwriter, singer and musician.
Available from Ichiban Records Disciple of the Blues 1991 "Livin' Too Close to the Edge" 1992 Available On Kingsnake Records "The Blues is My Best Friend" 1994 Sonny dedicated this CD to Albert Collins, who had passed away from cancer at the time of these recordings "Out of Control"1996
Sonny's release "Blue Diamond" on Kingsnake/Stony Plain is a sure fire winner, and his second release "A Good Day To Play The Blues" proves once again The Disciple of the Blues is alive and well preaching the blues. Very special thanks to Steve Roberts for the photographs of Sonny Rhodes which were scanned from the Out of Control CD. I would also like to thank Sonny for the great stories and wisdom he has shared with me over the many years we have known each other.
 V-Links |
 Send V-Mail |
Johnny V's Webhouse by Blow Your Top Productions. Calgary, Alberta. Canada ©1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
