John Bunzow
John Bunzow | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 2, 1951 Portland, Oregon |
| Genres | Americana |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Liberty, ZoDog, Sideburn |
| Website | www |
John Bunzow (born May 2, 1951[1]) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Bunzow was signed to Liberty Records and charted one single on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Career[edit]
Bunzow was signed to Liberty Records (which was then the name of the Nashville subsidiary of Capitol Records) and released his debut single, "Easy as One, Two, Three", in 1995.[2] Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave the song a favorable review, writing that "Bunzow plays it simple, but keeps things interesting by throwing in some nifty chord-change curves."[3] It peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1] Liberty planned to release Bunzow's album, Stories of the Years, on May 23, 1995.[4] Pemberton Roach of AllMusic gave the album three stars out of five, calling it "a refreshingly direct, no-nonsense country record that had more in common with Steve Earle's best work than with any dance-club pretty boys."[5] Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A grade, writing that Bunzow blends "an amiable tenor with economy of language and the minimalistic production of Dwight Yoakam collaborator Pete Anderson."[6] After Jimmy Bowen left Liberty Records in March 1995 and the label returned to its Capitol Nashville name, the album was shelved and Bunzow was dropped.[7][8]
Bunzow continued writing and performing.[7] A compilation of material Bunzow wrote for publishing companies in Nashville, Off the Shelf, was released by ZoDog Records in 2000.[9] In 2002, Bunzow recorded an album, Darkness and Light, which was released by independent label Sideburn Records.[7] Bob Gottlieb of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, calling it "a strong disc that rips into each new song with a strong ferocity that brings the song home."[10] Bunzow also released a live album, Alive at O'Connor's, in 2004.[9]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Off the Shelf |
|
| Darkness and Light |
|
| Alive at O'Connor's |
|
Singles[edit]
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 1995 | "Easy as One, Two, Three" | 69 | Stories of the Years (unreleased) |
Music videos[edit]
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Easy as One, Two, Three" | Chris Lovett |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Hurst, Jack (April 9, 1995). "Getting Personal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Price, Deborah Evans (March 11, 1995). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ "Stories of the Years – John Bunzow". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Roach, Pemberton. "Stories of the Years review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Nash, Alanna (August 25, 1995). "Stories of the Years Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ a b c Griffith, Paul (November 2002). "John Bunzow – Liberated from the dark". No Depression. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Cox, Pasti Bale (May 28, 2009). The Garth Factor: The Career Behind Country's Big Boom. Hachette Digital, Inc. ISBN 978-1-599-95275-8.
- ^ a b Cullivan, Rob (December 23, 2008). "Bunzow: Will play for food". Portland Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ Gottlieb, Bob. "Darkness and Light review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.