Bonnie is a singer and a compelling songwriter… and she is a Texan and, yes, all that insinuates. Brassy, original, soulful, with a whole lot of attitude; her music and her personality are one in the same. She wails effortlessly, with the style and confidence of a woman who knows her power lies in the ability to make the audience want MORE, not less, and commands attention by swooping to the depths of her range, wooing the listener with her whispery ballads, rich and full of emotion. With a t...
Bonnie is a singer and a compelling songwriter… and she is a Texan and, yes, all that insinuates. Brassy, original, soulful, with a whole lot of attitude; her music and her personality are one in the same. She wails effortlessly, with the style and confidence of a woman who knows her power lies in the ability to make the audience want MORE, not less, and commands attention by swooping to the depths of her range, wooing the listener with her whispery ballads, rich and full of emotion. With a trademark rasp, her voice is a sound that is both spiritual and sensual, both soothing and painful. In the words of Will Kimbrough, “Bonnie knocks me out, helps me up, then knocks me back out again. She has soul for days....”
From an early age, Bonnie was taught an appreciation for classic soul singers like Otis Redding and Etta James, and furthered her education by immersing herself in the diverse local music scene while attending the University of Texas. It wasn’t until the end of college that she discovered she had a knack for songwriting and began penning original tunes, and it’s no surprise, given Austin’s legacy of turning out renegade artists, that she decided to follow in the footsteps of her musical predecessors and put a band together. She spent the next several years booking herself all along the well-known club circuit in Texas and playing everything from rock rooms to dance halls, where her name stood out on the marquees as one of very few female artists who found success in the male-dominated scene. She released two studio albums and one live album between 2004 and 2007 and saw great success on both the Texas Music and Americana Charts by logging over 100,000 miles visiting radio stations statewide in order to promote her music.
She expanded her tour base to include the Southeast and East Coast regions, and it was during this time that she caught the attention of legendary singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen. The two sparked up a close friendship and Bonnie soon became a regular opener, which introduced her to a whole new (and much larger) audience across the country. She taught herself to play guitar and piano over the course of a year, and also began making frequent trips to Nashville to collaborate with some of the top songwriters in the industry. Upon signing a writing deal with Writer’s Den Music Group, she relocated to Music City and, in 2009, recorded and released her latest album “Things I Know” with well-respected indie guitar player and songwriter Will Kimbrough. Where other producers failed to find a harmonious blend between the singer's Joplin-esque vocals and her sensitive writing style, Kimbrough nailed it by artfully surrounding her raspy voice with soulful rhythms and his own masterfully played guitar parts. The result is a cohesive collection of rock and blues influenced original songs that truly highlight what Bonnie does best. “Things I Know” received critical Americana acclaim nationwide and debuted at the top of Americana radio charts in the Fall of 2009. Houston Chronicle named it #2 Album of the Year for 2009, calling it “smart, specific, and striking”, and the album’s title track was later nominated for Vocal Performance of the Year at the Lone Star Music Awards.
When she’s not touring, Bonnie spends her time in Nashville focusing on her burgeoning songwriting career. Since moving to town, she has paired with such accomplished songwriters as Al Anderson, Jim Femino, Lee Roy Parnell, and Pat McLaughlin, all of whom have helped build her reputation in town as one of the hottest upcoming Nashville writers. Currently she is busy recording her fifth album, a pop record, as part of a new project she calls “The Modern Day Prophets.” It is expected to release sometime this Spring.
Management and Booking: Austen Adams 615.525.7194
Licensing and Publishing: Bobby Rymer 615.244.6363
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