KARLA BONOFF TALKS TO ROCK JOURNALIST JOE VIGLIONE June 15, 2025
Performing June 26 at the Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center 82 Main St. Maynard
KARLA BONOFF TALKS TO ROCK JOURNALIST JOE VIGLIONE
June 15, 2025
https://thesomervillenewsweekly.blog/2025/06/17/karla-bonoff-talks-to-rock-journalist-joe-viglione/
Performing June 26 at the Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center 82 Main St. Maynard
JV Great to have you back on our interview series, Karla
You are going to be performing in Maynard on June 26 at the Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center 82 Main Street
It's a relatively new concert hall launched in 2019, which is pretty exciting for audiences - fresh and different places to see our favorite artists. Have you played at Sanctuary before?
KB No! This will be my first time.
JV Your bio on your website and Wikipedia do not have where you were born May we ask?
KB I was born in Santa Monica CA
JV You and your sister Lisa performed inThe Daughters of Chester P.
Interesting that Carly and Lucy Simon were also recording, And Alan Merrill of I Love Rock N Roll Fame, a sort of cousin to Laura Nyro on her demos for the record labels, were behind the scenes duos, sort of,people related kinda moving in an Everly Bros. direction.
Do you have tapes of The Daughters of Chester P.?
KB: We do! We did a demo recorded at Electra records live
Did your sister create more music over the years as well?
No, she went back to school and earned a PHD
JV Bruce Botnik was a terrific interview for me about his work behind the scenes when I wrote for Media Line. The Bruce Botnik / Karla Bonoff Demos, have they ever been released?
KB Those were the Daughter Of Chester P demos, never released!
JV Bryndle performances and studio tapes have appeared on YouTube and they are simply amazing. Such a supergroup deserved more attention. With the achievement all four musicians had, have you and Wendy Waldman considered a boxed set of live and studio recordings, beyond the two albums I've seen?
KB actually yes, Wendy is working on that and she has all the archives.
JV: Have Karla Bonoff and Wendy Waldman ever toured as a duo? And would you consider that for the future?
KB We have not! Maybe someday
JV: Carole King was such a giant as a songwriter, and despite It Might As Well Rain Until September, 1962, Tapestry was released on February 10, 1971, by Ode Records, 9 years with two albums prior that didn't quite click.
Did you reflect on Carole King, Laura Nyro and other female songwriters of the day? And did you see their struggles that came along with the triumphs?
KB Both of them were big influences on me. I don’t think any of us focused on other struggles until more present day when we look back at the time, we were also absorbed in our own challenges
JV: The show we saw in Boston with you and Livingston Taylor was so well done. Out of the hundreds - more like thousands - of concerts I've seen over the years the two artists on the bill presenting a show together was novel for me.
Have you put shows together like that one with other people you perform with?
KB that was the first time I had put together a totally integrated show, I had one about to start that was rehearsed and ready to go with JD Souther, but he unfortunately passed away.
JV: The first time I saw Livingston was opening for Jethro Tull in the early 70s in the Boston Garden, he was managed by the concert promoter, and seeing artists evolve through the decades gives us a different perspective on the music rather than just hearing them on audio. Your concerts have evolved as well. Does the reaction of the audience and your own ideas shape the current and future presentations you give?
KB Sure, but we always have to play the hits!
JV There's a wonderful Bonoff/JD Souther/Kenny Edwards track on YouTube. "The Water is Wide"
When I directed Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin Live at the Esplanade we utilized audience cameras fans donated to augment my camerawork. Other artists have been utilizing found audience tapes to create DVDs
Have you thought of bringing some of the best YouTube audio and video with new technology for any retrospective of your past work?
KB I have not, I will look into that.
JV:What Bryndle brought to the sound of the day, Eagles, James Taylor etc this critic felt was a more friendly pop and potentially radio accessible sound. In my mind it was elegant and more refined. Music Supervisors would be well advised to put this sound in upcoming films. Is anyone working the Bryndle catalog?
KB yes, we all have publishers pitching our music all the time, but it is incredibly competitive, and there is so much music out there to choose from it’s a little hard to rise to the top I have to say.
JV: I have many more questions, Karla, and maybe in a future interview for another show we can discuss more. Thank you for your time
From publicist: Karla is going to be performing in Maynard on June 26 at the Sanctuary Cultural Arts Center.
Karla Bonoff has been described as one of the finest singer/songwriters of her generation. That description is not hyperbole.
Bonoff has enjoyed critical acclaim, commercial success, enduring popularity, and the unwavering respect of her peers.
Karla has many stories about the L.A. scene in the 60s and 70s. It was an amazing time for Karla and many other artists. Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Elton John, and many other seminal artists were around the legendary Troubadour music club in those days. Artists like Glenn Fry, Wendy Waldman and other writer-singers became friends including Linda Ronstadt, whose recording of Karla songs helped define her early career success.
Karla, a prolific songwriter, has seen her songs become hits for classic artists including Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd, and Linda Ronstadt. Bonoff's songs include "Home," covered by Raitt, "Tell Me Why" by Wynonna, and "Isn't It Always Love" by Lynn Anderson.
Most notably, Ronstadt recorded several Bonoff songs, including three tracks on the 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind ("Someone To Lay Down Beside Me", "Lose Again" and "If He's Ever Near"), which introduced Bonoff to a mass audience, and "All My Life,” a 1989 duet with Ronstadt and Aaron Neville.
In 1982, Bonoff had a hit with her song, Personally, which charted at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Karla has continued to tour extensively, playing sold-out shows around the world. Hearing Karla’s moving vocals on her rich, expressive songs is a refreshing, exhilarating, restorative experience. Experiencing them live can be transformative.
In 2019, Karla released her first new album in over a decade, Carry Me Home, a 16-song set featuring brand new recordings of Karla’s classics along with new songs by Karla, Kenny Edwards, and a cover of a vintage Jackson Browne tune, “Something Fine,” which Karla performed on the 2015 compilation, Looking into You: A Tribute To Jackson Browne.
She was featured in the acclaimed Linda Ronstadt documentary: The Sound of My Voice, highlighting her friendship with Linda and as the writer of several of her biggest songs, including the Grammy Winner, “All My Life.”
Bob Lefsetz, a longtime fan, interviewed her for his popular music podcast and dug deep into her history as a pioneer of the Southern California singer-songwriter scene.
Trisha Yearwood’s 2019 album, Every Girl, includes a lovely rendition of Karla’s “Home,” Mary Sue Toohey of The Village on Sirius/XM hosted a performance & interview with Karla, and she was invited to sing on the longest-running radio program for acoustic music, Acoustic Café.
Fans and critics agree that Bonoff’s songs are timeless as are her recordings. Many prefer her versions live with instrumentation that is clean and spare, giving Bonoff’s voice room to work its emotional magic. As dynamic as ever in her solo shows, Karla also performs with various accomplished musical partners, including a holiday offering, “Home for the Holidays” with guitarist Sean McCue.
Please use the following links below to access information on Karla Bonoff:
Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/KarlaBonoffMusic
Website:
https://www.karlabonoff.com
Karla Bonoff – Links to videos:
Night Full of Rain Video
The Water is Wide Live Video
All My Life Live Video