We went to see singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff perform at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis this past Thursday evening. Her site is here. Her upcoming tour dates are here. When the Dakota announced the show we jumped on the tickets and snagged seats at Table 150, directly in front of Bonoff. I took the photo below from our table during her first number.
Bonoff performed with Nina Gerber supporting her on electric guitar. Gerber has played with artists such as Kate Wolf, Nanci Griffith, and other folk-oriented artists whom I esteem. Her playing is tasteful and melodic. The two of them make beautiful music together.
I only knew Bonoff as a songwriter with one top 40 hit under her own name (a number she didn’t write), but that was enough for me. Linda Ronstadt has recorded some of her songs and, perhaps most notably, so has Wynonna Judd. During the show Bonoff gracefully placed several of the songs she performed in the context of her career. Her gratitude to Linda Ronstadt, expressed several times, was most moving. Ronstadt put her on the map.
Word has somehow gotten out about Bonoff in the Twin Cities. She has lots of fans here. The Dakota was packed for her show. It looked like a group night out from a nearby nursing home, so we fit right in. It was a privilege to see her last week and I hope she’ll be back some time soon. I thought it might be worthwhile to bring her to the attention of readers who may not have heard of her.
Bonoff grew up in Los Angeles and came up as a teenage music fan at the Troubador, where she performed publicly on Monday open mic nights along with Jackson Browne from the time she was 16 and he was 19. She said that Browne was a big inspiration for her.
By the end of the decade Bonoff had teamed up with Wendy Waldman, Kenny Edwards, and Andrew Gold in the group Bryndle. They were signed to A&M and recorded an album that was produced by Lou Adler. A&M released the single “Woke Up This Morning” in 1970 and sat on the album when the single flopped. Both sides of the single are available on YouTube. Here is “Woke Up This Morning,” written by Bonoff — let’s say for its historical interest.
However, that was not the end of the Bryndle story. The band reunited for a self-titled album in 1995 and for House of Silence in 2002. Just to give you some idea of what was going on with the group, check out “Under the Rainbow” from the first of the two albums. They had learned a thing or two over the preceding 25 years.
In 1970, however, the band members went their separate ways — fortunately for Bonoff. The guys moved on to support Linda Ronstadt in the studio and on the road. One of them brought Bonoff’s work to Ronstadt’s attention. Ronstadt recorded three of Bonoff’s numbers on Hasten Down the Wind in 1976. Indeed, Ronstadt opened the album with Bonoff’s “Lose Again” and closed it with Bonoff’s “Someone To Lay Down Beside Me.”
Ronstadt’s approval must have opened some doors for Bonoff. Her self-titled debut album appeared on Columbia the following year and both those numbers were on it. On Thursday evening Karla performed “Home” and “Falling Star” from her debut album. I love the understated production by Kenny Edwards on the recording of “Falling Star.”
She wrote “Trouble Again” with Kenny Edwards and recorded it for Restless Nights (1979). She explained that it was inspired by a succession of bad boyfriends during the decade.
Karla included a little number she called “Tell Me Why” on New World (1988). It was a highlight of her set on Thursday night.
It wasn’t long before someone on Wynonna’s team gave her a call and told her “Wy” wanted to record it. She was cordially invited to Nashville to play acoustic guitar and sing backup on the track for her. Let’s give it another spin courtesy of Wynonna. It was the title track of her smash 1993 disc.
Along with “Tell Me Why,” Karla’s New World also had “All My Life.” Linda Ronstadt picked it up for a duet with Aaron Neville on Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind the next year. This recording was a huge hit for them. With Bonoff in the background there is a lot of talent on display here.
In her set Karla also paid tribute to Jackson Browne with her version of “Something Fine.” Apart from the one hit song with which she opened her encore and the folk song with which she closed it, “Something Fine” was the only song in her set written by another artist. She included a recording of it on Carry Me Home (2019). She also expressed gratitude to Browne for having her open for him and introducing her to his large audiences on his Running On Empty tour.
Karla saved her one hit for the encore. To introduce the song she mentioned that her friend Glenn Frey collected obscure recordings of R&B numbers. One night he played “Personally” by Jackie Moore for her. Karla said she couldn’t believe the single hadn’t been a hit for Moore. Frey said he should send it over to Bonnie Raitt. Karla discouraged that idea. She thought it would work nicely for her. Written by Paul Kelly, it got to number 3 on one of the Billboard charts for her in 1982. Recordings of the song by Kelly and Moore are also available on YouTube.
Karla closed her show with the folk song “The Water Is Wide.” She recalled that she took guitar lessons from Frank Hamilton, who had played with Pete Seeger in the Weavers. Hamilton taught her at Barney Kessel’s Music World in Hollywood. She expressed gratitude for his help in the arrangement of the songs she was writing. I gather that Bonoff’s recording reflects Hamilton’s or the Weavers’ arrangement. James Taylor, J.D. Souther, and Todd Phillips come in on the harmony parts. This was a most beautiful sendoff for us on Thursday night.
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