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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE GARY U. S. BONDS IS BACK IN 20: NEW M.C. RECORDS ALBUM COMING JUNE 1ST FEATURES BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY, DICKEY BETTS AND PHOEBE SNOW AS SPECIAL GUESTS/ GARY & HIS BAND SET TO APPEAR AT SXSW IN AUSTIN MARCH 18 NEW YORK, NY – M.C. Records has announced a June 1st release date for Back In 20, the first new studio album from singer Gary U.S. Bonds in 20 years. Back In 20 features special guest appearances from such friends as Southside Johnny, Dickey Betts, Phoebe Snow and Bruce Springsteen, who helped re-launch Gary’s career in the ‘80s by writing and producing such hits for him as “This Little Girl Is Mine,” “Out of Work” and “Daddy’s Come Home”. Back In 20 continues Gary’s legacy as one of the premier “party singers” of all time, but also adds a definite element of the blues, which has been a main ingredient in his repertoire for many years. The album was recorded primarily in Gary’s New York home studio and includes his regular touring band, The Roadhouse Rockers, on all tracks. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar and adds backing vocals on “Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks,” which also showcases Southside Johnny on harmonica. Johnny also sings co-lead vocal and plays harp on the blues classic, “Fannie Mae” and adds his harp to the song “Take Me Back.” Legendary former Allman Brothers Band guitarist Dickey Betts lends his talents to two tracks: “She Just Wants to Dance” and “Bitch/Dumb Ass,” which also features a blistering duet by Bonds and Phoebe Snow. Other cover tunes on the new CD include Otis Redding’s “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,” Keb Mo’s “She Just Wants to Dance” and “Every Time I Roll the Dice,” a song that’s been previously recorded by Delbert McClinton. The rest of the songs are originals, written primarily by Gary, his musical director Mark Leimbach, and his daughter, Laurie “Li’l Mama” Anderson, who also co-produced the album. Gary and The Roadhouse Rockers will get a chance to strut their stuff for the people attending the upcoming South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin when the band closes the Thursday, March 18 show at the Cedar Street Courtyard with a 1:00 AM set. Gary U.S. Bonds is one of a few artists to transcend the decades by having hit singles in both the ‘60s and ‘80s, including nine Top 40 hits, topped by his signature party songs, “New Orleans” and “Quarter to Three” (which Gary co-wrote) in the early 1960s. Some of his early additional hits included “Dear Lady Twist” and two songs Gary wrote, “School is Out” and “School Is In.” A chance meeting with Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt, who had grown up on Bonds’ music, started a friendship that continues to this day and resulted in a musical collaboration on Gary’s Dedication and On The Line records in the 1980s, with Springsteen and Van Zandt both writing songs and producing the albums. Gary and his band are planning to tour extensively to support the release of Back In 20. |