Johnny Bond
b. Cyrus Whitfield Bond, 1 June 1915, Enville, Oklahoma, USA, d. 29 June 1978, Burbank, California, USA. Born into a poor farming family, Bond taught himself to play ukelele and guitar and played at local dances In 1934 he moved to Oklahoma and worked on radio, appearing as Cyrus Whitfield, Johnny Whitfield and then Johnny Bond. In 1937, he worked with Jimmy Wakely and Scotty Harrel as the Singing Cowboy Trio and then the Bell Boys. They appeared with Roy Rogers in the film, SAGA OF DEATH VALLEY, and then became regulars on Gene Autry's radio series MELODY RANCH as the Jimmy Wakely Trio. Bond wrote the standard Cimarron in 1938 and toured, performed and made films with Autry after his own trio had broken up. He subsequently did the same for Tex Ritter by forming the Red River Valley Boys to back him. He also appeared in the western, DUEL IN THE SUN, alongside Gregory Peck. During his 17 years with the US Columbia label, he wrote and recorded classics such as I Wonder Where You Are Tonight, Your Old Love Letters and I'll Step Aside. His novelty, Hot Rod Lincoln, for Autry's Republic label was subsequently revived by Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen. With Starday Records, he scored with the humorous Ten Little Bottles and its sequel, The Morning After. Their success prompted Bond to record numerous other songs about drinking: see the album titles below. He wrote scripts for, and performed in, a revamped MELODY RANCH from 1964-70. In failing health, he wrote THE TEX RITTER STORY, and a biography of Gene Autry which remains unpublished. In 1976 he made his only British tour and, following a heart attack, died in June 1978. His daughter manages his vast catalogue of hundreds of songs.