Bonnie Floyd (& The Original Untouchables)

[Roburt]

In his later years Bonnie Floyd stated that he had been born in 1947, though elsewhere it is written that he could have entered this world as early as 1939. Whichever date is correct, he was definitely born and brought up in Alabama where his love of music developed from listening to gospel songs and Sam Cooke tracks. Through his school years, he stuck with his studies and ended up graduating with decent results. After completing his schooling, he headed off up north to try to find a decent job. Having first tried Chicago and Cleveland, he moved onto Detroit in the mid 1960's in an endeavour to find employment in the auto industry. He wasn't that successful in his efforts and only managed to secure menial jobs. After work each day, he would head home down the same street. As he walked along, he would sing out load. A lady (sat on her porch) that he passed everyday eventually called out to him, saying he should sing for a living. He told her he was really looking for a decent job with one of the big local motor manufacturers, but she told him not to worry about that. She promptly entered him into a local TV station talent contest which he duly won. From that starting point, he never looked back and quickly set about establishing himself in the music business.

 

Bonnie moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana and hooked up with an established show band there; the Untouchables. They based their act around hit songs by Marvin Gaye, the Temptations and the Four Tops, so Bonnie fitted right in from day one. The group's then leader liked a drink but one night this led to him being cheated out of their $150 fee by a club owner. Bonnie didn't drink at all and so to prevent a similar incident happening again, he was appointed their new leader. The band, after adding a brass section, started to travel extensively. They were soon securing regular bookings in places such as Atlantic City, New York, all across New England and Canada. They had developed their stage act and Bonnie was becoming quite a showman, so much so that they landed a recording deal with Brooklyn based Clown Records. Thus the single by Bonnie Floyd & The Untouchables “Let Me Solve All Your Problems / Ram-Bunk-Shush” escaped around March / April 1966 (and even managed to get the group and “Ram-Bunk-Shush” a mention in Jet Magazine in May 66). The tracks on their 45 fully illustrated both Bonnie & the group's work at that time; “Let Me Solve All Your Problems” being a fine soul ballad that showcased Bonnie's vocal abilities with “Ram-Bunk-Shush” being a raucous sax led instrumental that perfectly demonstrated the band's musical skills.

 

By 1968, Bonnie was performing James Brown and Johnny Taylor songs in their live act and his performances were helping bring in lots of live work. So many of their bookings were in the New Haven area (65 miles east of New York) that Bonnie had relocated to Connecticut. In April 1967, they (the group now being known as the Original Untouchables) were holding down an engagement at the Ebony Lounge in New London (located at the east end of Long Island Sound; 125 miles from New York). By January 1968 they had moved on to Evelyn's Supper Club in Uncasville (just north of New London). Bonnie soon relocated again, this time moving to New London itself. Their live performances led to bigger labels showing an interest in them, Atlantic Records taking them into the studio for a session. Unfortunately none of their Atlantic cuts were ever to escape from the tape vaults. Their work at Atlantic did probably bring them some benefit. At the time, LA born guitarist Leland Hicks was working on sessions for various producers in Atlantic's studio and he got to know the guys. Lelan would later join the Original Untouchables and add an extra something to their work. Big labels were still talking to Bonnie about recording, but they wanted him to team with studio musicians for proposed sessions and he resisted these offers.

 

By April 1969, Bonnie and the group were securing top gigs as far away as Boston and this helped them catch the eye of a small Bridgeport based outfit; Big Yellow Productions. They were signed to a contract by the company and this fact was announced in Billboard magazine in June 1969. The uptempo “I’m Just A Poor Boy” formed the top side of the following Big Yellow Records single. On this track Bonnie was assisted by an uncredited singer and the end result is a cut that contains all the passion of a Sam & Dave record. On the 45's flip, Bonnie handled a ballad (“I’m So Lucky”) without any other vocal assistance. Big Yellow can't have had too much cash to splash around on their own releases as issue copies of the group's 45 (which feature “I’m So Lucky”) seem to be rare items. The scarcity of copies of the single obviously meant it didn't become a big seller.

 

Bonnie & the Original Untouchables returned to their live work. July 1970 saw them appearing on a big show in Hartford, supporting Junior Walker & the All Stars. In September 1970 they were playing the Talke of the Towne in Waterford (just outside New London). They made a trip up to Canada in August 1971 to play gigs at the Esquire Show Bar (on Stanley Street) in Montreal. Their last 45 together hit the shops around that time, thanks to Salvatore De Benedetto. Sal Bennett's Bridgeport based Bennett Records put out a single coupling “Ain’t No Getting Out” with “Mr Big Stuff” (an answer song to Jean Knight’s smash “Mr Big Stuff”). Around the same time, Leland Hicks then current group, Candy Coated People, also had a single out. However their “Roads c/w Time To Love”, released by New York Sound Company, failed to make any impact. As a result, Candy Coated People split up and so Lelan to the chance of teaming up with Bonnie, becoming the guitarist in the Original Untouchables. Lelan didn't stay with the Untouchables for too long though. Ron Schfrin, Phil Flower's manager, saw him performing with the group at the Copacabana in New York. Schfrin was so impressed with Leland's lead guitar work that he asked him, there and then, to join Phil Flowers band. Lelan took up the offer and eventually became Phil's band leader and got to record as a member of Phil Flowers & his United Family in 1973.

 

Bonnie & the Untouchables soldiered on, though personnel in the group came & went. In August 1974 they were performing at clubs such as Picardi's Allie Puma Cafe in Waterford. By the end of the 1970's it was becoming difficult to secure enough good paying gigs to sustain the group and Bonnie had some hard decisions to make. In 1980, he received some advice from a local lounge musician, Goldie Lewis. Goldie advised him to broaden the type of songs he was performing to also include white written pop songs. Bonnie took the advice and after going out as a solo artist (singing over pre-recorded backing tracks), he was soon getting bookings to play hotel lounges and supper clubs. Around 1983 he teamed up with (ex Arctic Records artist) Kenny Hamber and they worked the hotel lounge circuit together as a duo. Kenny would perform Teddy Pendergrass songs with Bonnie handling the more smooth stuff such as Lou Rawls' hits. Singing over backing tracks the pair made a good living for around two years, playing lots of Holiday Inns across the New England area. They eventually went their own ways and as time passed, Bonnie started to perform more and more jazz numbers. Work was picked up here and there through the 90's with a big show coming his way in late January 1995; the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society's Fourth Annual Heritage Weekend show held at the Westin Hotel, Providence.

 

By the end of the 1990's, Bonnie was operating his own studio in Ocean Beach, New London. At his Glory Studios in 1999, he laid down a mix of original songs and reworked classics with a view to putting out a CD album on himself. Though he was still based in New London, by the turn of the century, he was securing few local gigs. But singing over backing tapes, he still managed to pick up enough bookings in places like New Haven and Bridgeport (Connecticut) plus additional gigs in Rhode Island and across Massachusetts to make a living. One local venue he did play was the Moorehouse Lodge and his singing there helped him to land one big New London booking. The lady selecting acts for the New London Urban Music Festival worked across the road from the Moorehouse Lodge and as a result, got to hear Bonnie. Impressed by the veterans vocal qualities, she booked him to perform alongside all the young hip-hop, funk and urban acts already down to appear at the music festival. Bonnie had also started to work with other artists based in his home area. One such young guy that he helped school was Mack Odom. Mack was recruited in 1997 as the new lead singer of long established outfit Roomful of Blues. He handled lead vocal duties on the albums they released in 1997 and 1998 plus their live offering from 2001. Bonnie finally managed to get his CD released in 2003; 'I Never Had It So Good' coming out on the Jatwan label. It was to be to be the last major landmark in his long musical career as sadly, Bonnie passed away early in 2010. But along the way he had made a living from the music he loved for almost 45 years and he certainly left a few notable recordings for soul fans to remember him by.

 

Bonnie's big NS track ...............

Edited April 12, 2013 by Roburt

[Roburt]

Bonnie's answer record to Mr Big Stuff .............

[Roburt]

I wonder how Joe Jordan found the time to produce Bonnie's big track in 1969 while still holding down his strikers role with Morton FC.

I bet he still has a couple of copies of that Big Yellow 45 at home.

[boba]

I've been collecting that Bennett label since I found the Bonnie Floyd 45 when I was in New Haven. I have a 45 on the label by "Ready Willing and Able" and one by "Apollo VII". Any other known titles on the label?

[Roburt]

I'm sure that many people know that THIS Bennett label is different to the Bennett label based out of Huntington, New York.

It was the Huntington based label that had earlier put out the 45's by Kenny B(allard)  and Marjorie Ingram.

It seems strange (to me at least) that, though Bridgeport (where the 'Bonnie Floyd' label was based) and Huntington (where tuva label was located) face each other across Long Island Sound and are only 20 miles apart, Salvatore De Benedetto would choose to use Bennett Records as his label's name ........ even with him using Sal Bennett as his 'music biz' name.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Roburt

[Roburt]

I've been collecting that Bennett label since I found the Bonnie Floyd 45 when I was in New Haven. I have a 45 on the label by "Ready Willing and Able" and one by "Apollo VII". Any other known titles on the label?

Don't know those 45's at all Bob. Whats the Ready Willing & Able 45 like ??

Guess the guys behind that single, Dave Spinozza (a top studio session player) & Angelo Lovallo were fellow Italian-Americans that knew Salvatore De Benedetto.

Spinozza must have come to the UK in 1971 as he played on B B King's version of "Ain't Nobody Home" and much of that album ('B B King In London') was cut at Abbey Road, Olympic & Command studios. 

In fact, he worked on quite a few soul sessions (Jean Wells, Donald Height, Howard Tate, Black Heat, Ray Dahrouge, Damaris, etc) ...... see here ....

..... https://www.discogs.com/artist/David+Spinozza#t=Credits_Writing-Arrangement&q=&p=1

Edited April 12, 2013 by Roburt

[Roburt]

One of the projects that Dave Spinozza (producer & arranger of the above Bennett 45 cuts) was involved with was the 1984 Columbia album made by Damaris Carbaugh .......

....... https://www.discogs.com/Damaris-Carbaugh-Damaris/release/3014254

Damaris & that LP always intrigued me ....... it was obviously a big budget New York based project (loads of top musicians, singers, producers, arrangers involved) and some attention also went into picking the songs recorded. "What About My Love" did well as the 1st 45 lifted from the LP ........ the track selected as the top side of the 2nd single was even written & arranged by LVD .... and yet the lady sank without trace (apart from her later gospel recordings) straight after the buzz surrounding the LP died down. 

She had done loads of jingle work (which is probably how she knew LVD) but didn't do any more (released) recordings for a few years after her album & when she did she'd gone back to gospel.

I know she had an unconventional upbringing in a very strongly religious family (NY born but brought up in Cuba & Puerto Rico) but after such a strong start in the 'pop world' why disappear almost immediately ?

Anyone have any idea if she was a reluctant soul singer who really just wanted to make gospel tracks ?

She's still cutting gospel today though I haven't heard any of her recentish stuff to check if it would appeal to me.

 

[Roburt]

Phil Crook, a member of current group Primal Funk, used to play with Bonnie ....

https://www.primalfunk.com/meet-the-band.html