“Quarter to Three” was an iconic rock and roll song released by Gary U.S. Bonds in 1961. The song was recorded with rough sound quality, but producer Frank Guida admitted that they intentionally wanted that type of sound, which featured distorted instruments, muffled vocals, and fake crowd chatter.
“Quarter to Three” became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for two weeks. It was also listed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.”
Although this was arguably his biggest song, Bonds went on to have an illustrious career. When recording his 1981 album, Dedication, and his 1982 album, On the Line, he collaborated with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. In his memoir, By U.S. Bonds: That’s My Story, he told the story of meeting Springsteen in 1976.
“I had no idea who Bruce Springsteen was,” he revealed. “I was doing the ‘Holiday Inn Tour.’ Whoever had a lounge, that’s where I’d be playing. I wasn’t listening to a lot of radio. I was too busy learning what I had to do to make the crowd happy in whatever city I was in. What old songs do they like? I didn’t hear the new guys. I knew Bob Dylan, but I didn’t like him. One of Bruce’s friends came up to me at this hotel lounge stage and said, ‘I’ve got a friend who really likes your music–he’d like to come up and do a song.’ It was cool to have anybody come up and give me a chance to go to the bar and have a beer! I said, ‘Here’s a friend of mine, he’d like to sing a song: Mr. Bruce Springsteen!’ And the crowd went wild. I’m going, ‘Who the hell IS this guy?’”
Related: 1962 Pop Rock Classic From One of the ‘Greatest TV Stars’ Came Out 23 Years Before His Tragic Death
Bonds continued, “Dead serious, I brought him up by asking the crowd to welcome ‘a local talent,’ as if he had just won a high school singing competition. My band members knew who he was, as did the crowd, and except for me, he did not need an introduction. I was also unaware that Bruce had been doing ‘Quarter to Three’ during many of his encores. We found him a guitar, and we shared a microphone and did 40 minutes of my biggest hits. He was familiar with them all.”
Bonds is also known for the hits “New Orleans” and “School Is Out.” He is now 87.
Leave a Reply