What
happens when you take the Vashon Island-born son of two
beat-generation hipsters, school him in Seattle's ethnically
diverse Central Area, move to Nigeria, West Africa, let
him roam the streets of Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra,
Ghana, and hang out 'til the wee hours with the international
crowd? If that son is Dan Bonow, he would put together his
first band, The Bushmen, and play on Nigerian TV,
and at schools and nightclubs. What if the teenager talks
his way into a brief stay at an Air Force school outside
of Paris on the way back to Seattle? I'd bet that young
man would buy a fat guitar and start singing on the streets
of Barcelona. That was the summer of 1965. So by the time
DB returned to Seattle, that boy was on a ROLL!
What if you help pay for musical instruments and encourage
him and his brother to practice their band, Jack Horner
and the Plums (aka The Famous Plums) in the
basement? I'd bet those lads would win the 1966 Northwest
Teen Fair Battle of the Bands. They did just that, winning
a recording session with the infamous Jerden Records. In
fact, those two sides continue to be re-released on Northwest
Battle of the Bands, Vol.2 (Big Beat CDWIKD 207) Who
Do You Love?, & Vol. 4 (Big Beat CDWIKD
243), Everybody Needs Somebody to Love. In an era
of cookie-cutter-uniformed top 40 bands (pre-psychedelia),
Dan's quirky "Plums" were destined to be blackballed
by none other that nemisis to musical creativity, Pat "Funny
Car" O'Day, the godfather of the Northwest dancehall
circuit. Not a big deal, Danny boy is getting practice in
landing on his feet; he then joined the The Bandits and Emergency Exit, playing the same circuit. Dan
also wrote a music column for The UW Daily during
this period.
The next band DB founded was the seminal psycha-funk band The Juggernaut, with his brother Tim Bonow on drums,
Pernell Alexander on guitar, and Ranleigh "Butch"
Snipes on bass. This revolutionary combo rocked and shocked
the West Coast, playing festivals, concerts, clubs and schools,
never quite fitting into a genre (something of a DB hallmark)
but warming up for many of the icons of the late 60s, including The Doors, Pink Floyd, Sly and the Family Stone, The
Mothers of Invention and Janis Joplin. In fact, Jimi
Hendrix was so moved by The Juggernaut (he was
friends with Pernell and Butch-- they were like his big
cousins), that he dedicated a song to The Juggernaut at his 1968 Seattle Center Colisseum show and changed his
approach to include organ and black players (Band of
Gypsies). He told The Juggernaut, "Don't
sign anything 'til I get back"...he died soon after. Juggernaut recordings will be available, along
with other archival pearls, through REAL ROLL Records' archival
division...for music fans more than for audiophiles! In
fact, some are available now on Dan's website www.danbonow.com.
Dan and Tim continued as a duo, The Stars, after
the implosion of The Juggernaut, garnering the
attention of David Geffen, whose offer Dan declined, again
choosing to do things "his way."
Dan then formed the horn band ROTOR International,
recording and playing in the Northwest. Dan was also lucky
to have backed up Blues icon Albert Collins during the 70s.
Dan then put VIZZION together, and played more
original funky stuff in concerts and clubs around the Northwest. VIZZION was another idiom-smashing band, warming
up for Blondie during their prime and playing punk
clubs, where they were branded Disco, and Top 40 venues
where they were branded Punk. This band worked through the
90s.
Dan toured the Northwest with Reggae great Apple Gabriel
in the 90s, and hid-out in Eugene, Oregon, working with
regional African and Reggae bands as well as his own unit, Wyatt Izz. In 1997, DB was invited back to Nigeria,
where he recorded two of the tunes on WISH: Have
Love Will Travel, a classic Richard "Louie Louie"
Berry rocker that Dan has played on practically every gig,
and his own tune, Big City, Small Small World, written in-and-about the sprawling giant, Lagos. Dan met
the musical revolutionary Fela Kuti and his son Femi shortly
before Fela's death. Dan played clubs, concerts, did a movie
and appeared on radio and TV shows while in Nigeria.
In 1999 DB moved to Kauai, Hawaii, where he works with Reggae
bands and gigs under the nom de plume UNCO FUNKI.
What happens when a charismatic crooner finally ponies-up
and produces his own CD? He likes it! Take a listen; it's
all over the map, out of the box, off the hook....you WILL
like SOMETHING!!
