By the Fireside-Velvet Lounge

An established star with the hit singles Dark Moon and Mister Fire Eyes to her credit, Bonnie Guitar was also a veteran of decades of playing and singing in pop and country bands around the Pacific Northwest. For several sessions in 1959, Bonnie and her friend, songwriter and producer Don Robertson, holed up in RCA Victor's Hollywood studios in an unusual experiment - recording Bonnie's voice with solo guitar accompaniment. The repertoire ranged from standards - some of which she'd been singing for years in clubs - to new originals, and a couple of Roberson's own classics. Why were these tracks recorded? Bonnie says they were master sessions, though such informality was virtually unprecedented in 1959 (even Johnny Mathis' Open Fire - Two Guitars had a second guitar and a bass). Bonnie's By The Fireside includes 15 of the songs Bonnie and Don recorded back then, which are available here for the first time. Todd Everett's liner notes include quotes from three recent interviews with the artist.