A name you don’t hear much anymore, but Bonnie Guitar (whose real name was Bonnie Buckingham) was, not only a hit making artist, she was also a successful session musician as well as Label owner – having founded two labels that went on to become cornerstones in the history of Rock – Dolton Records (The Ventures – The Fleetwoods) and Jerden Records (The Kingsmen, as in “Louie Louie”). She established her reputation as a Country-Western Artist and scored a crossover hit in March of 1957 with Dark Moon, reaching #14 on the Billboard Country Charts.
Tonight’s track, Mister Fire Eyes, was the follow-up to Dark Moon, issued in July of 1957 – and although it was considered not as successful, it still shot to #15 in the Country charts, but #71 on the Pop Charts.
When Bonnie’s rendition of “Dark Moon” hit the country and pop charts in the Spring of 1957, she received recognition in the music business. Not only was she one of the few female country singers at the time, but she was also one of the few country singers that had a hit on the Country and Pop charts at the same time.
After her two notable crossover singles, Bonnie Guitar decided she would form her very own record label called Dolphin Records which she co-founded with refrigerator salesman Bob Reisdorff. When the pair decided to rename the label Dolton Records (they were forced to, due an already-existing Dolphin label name), many of Guitar’s singles like “Candy Apple Red” and “Born to Be With You” were released. In 1959, her own recording career was superseded by that of a high school trio called The Fleetwoods. The trio was signed to the Dolton label and soon had major Pop Music hits in the Spring and Summer of 1959, with two No. 1 hits, “Come Softly to Me” and “Mr. Blue”.
Soon another group called The Ventures were signed to Bonnie’s Dolton label. They too had a monster hit called “Walk Don’t Run”. However, Guitar thought it was time she would get her own music career back on foot. She soon left Dolton, and went back to Dot Records where she recorded a series of country albums throughout the 1960s.
It was in 1966 that she began a brief stint as one of the most successful female soloists in the country music field. “I’m Living in Two Worlds” became Guitar’s first Top 10 Country hit (the record also hit the pop Hot 100). She scored an even bigger country success in 1967 with the No. 4 hit “A Woman in Love”. That same year, she won the Academy of Country Music’s “Top Female Vocalist” award. In 1968, “I Believe in Love” was another Top 10 hit. Guitar teamed up with Buddy Killen, and together they had a minor hit duet with “A Truer Love You’ll Never Find (Than Mine)” which was issued in 1969 at a time when Guitar’s chart success was starting to fade.
In the 1970s, Bonnie Guitar recorded for Columbia Records and MCA Records and had occasional minor hit records. She charted for the first time in many years in 1980 with the single “Honey On the Moon”. In 1986, she recorded for the Tumbleweed label. She later continued performing and playing until she announced she was retiring in 1996.
Bonnie Guitar died in Soap Lake, Washington on January 12, 2019, at the age of 95.
Now you know – grab a seat and give a listen to Mister Fire Eyes from July 1957 via an honest-to-god Dot Records Jukebox 78.
