Bonnie Bramlett
American singer and former Ikette known for Delaney & Bonnie.
via Wikipedia: Bonnie Bramlett · see source
Bonnie Bramlett (born Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell, November 8, 1944) is an American singer and occasional actress. She is known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie, and continues to sing as a solo artist.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 8 November 1944
- Birthplace
- Granite City, Illinois, U.S.
- Birth name
- Bonnie Lynn O'Farrell
- Years active
- 1965–present
- Associated acts
- Delaney Bramlett
- the Ikettes
- Ike & Tina Turner
- Rita Coolidge
- Occupation
- Singer
- Also known as
- Bonnie Sheridan
Facts from the source article.
Life and career
Bonnie O'Farrell was born in Granite City, Illinois, the daughter of a steelworker. Her parents divorced and remarried other spouses, and she was raised with four half- and step-siblings. She began singing as a child, performing "Beautiful Golden Harbor" at the family church at age five. At fifteen she started singing around St. Louis, working as a backup singer for blues musicians Albert King and Little Milton, and R&B singer Fontella Bass.
Inspired by Tina Turner after seeing Ike & Tina Turner perform in East St. Louis, she became the first white Ikette in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, filling in for Jessie Smith. Bramlett recalled wearing a dark wig and Man Tan to help out for three days before her mother made her stop. She later moved to Los Angeles to escape abuse by her father and stepfather. In 1967 she met musician Delaney Bramlett at the opening of a bowling alley, where he performed with the Shindogs.
They married a week later, signed with Stax Records as Delaney & Bonnie, and toured Europe with Eric Clapton. With frequent drop-in performances by Duane Allman, George Harrison, and Dave Mason, the group became Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. Their album On Tour with Eric Clapton reached number 29 on the Billboard 200, and between 1970 and 1972 they had seven Hot 100 singles, including "Never Ending Song of Love" at number 13 and a cover of "Only You Know and I Know" at number 20.
Personal life
Bramlett met Delaney Bramlett in 1967 during a gig at the opening of a bowling alley, and they married a week later. Their first daughter, Rebekka, was born in 1968. The marriage was marred by violence due to their cocaine addictions; Bramlett told People they fought heavily and engaged in physical abuse. She divorced Delaney in 1972, leaving him and his mother with her daughters Suzanne and Rebekka, as well as Delaney's daughters Michelle and Mikkol.
She later rebuilt her relationship with her daughters; Rebekka became a singer known as Bekka Bramlett and joined Fleetwood Mac in 1993. Bramlett began dating Danny Sheridan in 1983, married him in 1988, and later divorced; she credited him for saving her from her addictions and friend Roseanne Barr for giving her work. She began using cocaine during her marriage, and after its end suffered from depression. In December 1976, while visiting Gregg Allman's farmland in Juliette, Georgia, she planned suicide with a shotgun but instead shot into the air and called the hospital.
She continued struggling with addictions to cocaine, pills, and alcohol, and underwent unsuccessful hospital treatment in 1982.
More in Capricorn Records Artists
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced