R.I.P. : EDDIE BOND passed away

Rockabilly Hall-of-Famer Eddie Bond died in his home in Bolivar early Wednesday morning due to complications from
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Not only was Bond a rockabilly legend, he was also, among many other things, a successful radio deejay, station owner, TV
star, and a loving father and husband.

“We stayed in his room for three days together just telling him we loved him and him telling us he loved us,” said Lisa Sea­
wright, one of Bond’s daughters.

His two daughters, Sea­wright and Becky Collins, said on Wednesday that Bond was a devoted father who always put his
family before his career.

“He was a wonderful father. He was all about family,” Collins said.

In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Bond was also a wrestling promoter, nightclub impresario, record label head and
even a police chief.

The Commercial Appeal on Wednesday described Bond as “an old-time showman and promoter in the truest sense: Part P.T.
Barnum, part hillbilly oracle.”

Seawright said that Bond had opportunities to make his country music career even bigger but chose not to in order to keep
his family close.

“He took great care of us. His family and kids came first,” she said. “He stayed local and wanted to stay with his family. He
taught us the meaning of family.”

During Bond’s shows, the family would help sell steaks, popcorn and other concessions. He often would make his shows and
career a “family thing,” especially in the last 15 years, Seawright said.

She also mentioned on Wednesday that Bond had a great sense of humor. She said the family was making funeral
arrangements Wednesday and if Bond was there, he would have tried to make the situation better through laughter.

“He was always cracking us up. He would make any bad situation better,” she said. “He would be making jokes about (the
funeral arrangements) and making it funny.”

Bond also purchased a country club, which Sea­wright said was a family place. She and Collins would run the concessions and
the door. They’d often line dance at the club and listen to the music Bond brought in together.

“We all ran (the country club),” she said.

She also said that Bond was a good Christian who for the last 10 years was very active in the church. He was a member of
the Parrans Chapel Baptist Church in Bolivar.

“He was my life,” Sea­wright said. “We’re all going to stay together and take care of Mom.”

Bond and his wife, Gladys, would have been married 60 years this year, Seawright said.


Bond's career


Todd Pulse, a longtime family friend and member of the “Eddie Bond Show,” worked with Bond for about 20 years.

“We’ve lost a great entertainer,” Pulse said. “He helped a lot of country music artists through his radio and TV show.”

Pulse explained that Bond would help book performances for a countless number of country music artists throughout West Tennessee.

“He helped people with their careers,” Pulse said.

According to an article by The Commercial Appeal, Bond gave career boosts to Travis Wammack and Reggie Young, whom he
discovered as kids.

Pulse said that Bond traveled and toured with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley.

Bond had many jobs throughout his career. He formed his original band, the Stompers, in the early 1950s, playing hot
country swing music in local bars for several years. In the mid-1950s, he got a deal with Ekko Records out of Hollywood and
Mercury Records quickly signed him after his first single.

Bond also worked as a disc jockey on Memphis’ K-WAM. The Commercial Appeal reported that Bond stayed with K-WAM for
17 years, became the manager and used the radio station for his show-business activities.

In the 1960s, Bond became a nightclub entrepreneur. He ran The Little Black Book, The Eddie Bond Ranch, The Diplomat and
the Southern Frontier, all in Memphis, according to The Commercial Appeal.

The Commercial Appeal also reported that Bond would promote and emcee wrestling matches. Through that, he met aspiring
artist and wrestling fan Jerry Lawler, who was 17 at the time. They became close friends and Lawler would join Bond when
taping his TV variety show.

“When I first met him, I was a kid and I didn’t know what the term meant, but Eddie Bond was a ‘Renaissance man,’” Lawler
told The Commercial Appeal. “There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do, or that he wasn’t involved in. He worked hard at
everything, had a great eye for talent and a big heart. Once he found somebody, he helped them really get on the map. He
was a wonderful guy and a good friend.

“Looking back, if it hadn’t been for Eddie, I might not ever have gotten into wrestling; I might’ve had a whole different life. He
really gave me a shot and opened my eyes to a lot of things about life and business,” Lawler told The Commercial Appeal.

In the 1970s, Bond made his next great discovery, Buford Pusser, who was an ex-wrestler turned sheriff.

Pusser was McNairy County’s sheriff from 1964 to 1970 and helped clean up a lot of the illegal things going on, including
moonshine production, prostitution and gambling.

Bond’s song “The Legend of Buford Pusser” was inspired by the story of how Pusser crawled away from the car in which he
and his wife were shot, managed to reach a hospital and recovered after many operations.

Bond recorded an album of Pusser-inspired songs for Stax’s Enterprise label. Hollywood decided to make a film about the
sheriff called “Walking Tall,” which became a huge success.


Funeral

Bond’s funeral, which will be a graveside service, will be held at 11 a.m. today at the Grand Junction City Cemetery in Grand Junction.

According to The Commercial Appeal, Bond was preceded in death by his son, Eddie Jr. He is survived by his wife Gladys;
children Lisa Seawright and Rebecca Louise Collins; grandchildren Jenny Riley, Ryan Seawright, and Alexis Bond; and great-
grandchildren, Gina Riley and Gary Lee Riley III.


SOURCE ==> HERE

Et oui,Eddie Bond a laissé se monde,vraiment un mois de Mars horrible,Gunter nous a laissé aussi.

et oui ENCORE UNE PERTE , jamais été rancunier contre EDDIE , il na pas eu le nez fin sur ELVIS ca arrive ....

c'était quelqu'un de très sympathique, vraiment accessible lors de ses tournées en Europe dans les années 80.

On n'etait pas au courant... Comme dit Chris.. Il etait tres sympathique et accessible.. nous l'avions vu 2 fois.
On ne savait pas qu'il avait la maladie d'Alzheimer...
Triste...

Merci pour les videos!
R.I.P Eddie