Karla Bonoff

Born and raised in Southern California, Karla Bonoff was a songwriter by the age of fifteen.  She had already fallen in love with the guitar and had studied with Frank Hamilton of the famous folk group, The Weavers.  When she was 16, she and her sister auditioned for Elektra Records and an 11 song demo had been produced, though nothing came of it.

In the 60’s, she became friends with other singer-songwriters who were creating their own unique sound.  “It was an amazing time” recalls Bonoff.  “Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Elton John were around the Troubadour in those days.”  The Troubadour, which Bonoff also frequented, was a breaking ground for many artists who went on to great success.

She met other artists there, including Kenny Edwards (who had started the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt) Wendy Waldman and Andrew Gold.  Something powerful in their combined sound brought them together and the band Bryndle, one of the early songwriter groups was born. 

Bryndle made an album for A & M, but they were a bit ahead of their time, and it was never released.  “I think they really didn’t know what to make of it” Bonoff says.  “This was before Crosby, Stills and Nash, and before Fleetwood Mac.  In the next few years, had we stayed together, I think we could have done well.”

Bryndle disbanded in 1971 and the four went on to develop their own careers. Kenny and Andrew joined Linda Ronstadt’s band.  Through that connection, Karla had three of her songs ("Someone To Lay Down Beside Me," "Lose Again," and "If He's Ever Near") cut by Linda Ronstadt on her 1976 “Hasten Down The Wind” album.

This led to Karla signing a solo deal with Columbia and putting out four records, “Karla Bonoff” (1977), “Restless Nights” (1979), “Wild Heart of the Young” (1982) and, almost a decade later, “New World” (1988) on Gold Castle Records.  The producer of the first three albums was her old friend and partner, Kenny Edwards, with the other Bryndle members also participating.  

From a solo tour to promote the first album, Bonoff went on to major tours, opening for James Taylor and Jackson Browne and a rave review in Time magazine.  Other tours followed.

In 1990, Linda Ronstadt again included three of Bonoff’s songs on an album, winning a Grammy for “All My Life.”  In 1993 Wynonna Judd chose Karla’s song “Tell Me Why” as the title of her album, with Karla on acoustic guitar and Bryndle members singing backup vocals.  It was a tremendous hit.

It was decided that it was time to put Bryndle together again.  With each of the members having experienced individual success, there was much more to bring to the Bryndle experience.  “We realized that one of the things that went wrong with it the first time was that we all wrote separately.  We thought it would be great to write together this time.  It was really fun to do that, the four of us” Bonoff says.  Twelve of the 14 songs on Bryndle’s CD, released in 1995 after four years of hard work, were written as a group.  Karla had some showstoppers on the CD and onstage as they toured Japan and the U. S.  “On the Wind,” “Under the Rainbow,” and “Daddy’s Little Girl” brought the house down no matter where Bryndle played. 

Enthusiasm for a “Bryndle 2” project began to build in 2001.  Regular sessions took place and in the first week of 2002 “House of Silence” was independently released.  There is a different feel to this recording when compared to the first, but it still reflects the unique sound these artists make when their talents merge.

In 2007, Karla finally released a live double CD, a project she had talked about for years. "I think many of these songs have improved with age and and I have never really documented what we do" she says.  Karla recorded all but one song of it at a small club in Santa Barbara with her long time touring band, Kenny Edwards and Nina Gerber, plus Scott Babcock on percussion.

Bonoff continues to perform all over America, content with going out on short tours with Kenny Edwards accompanying her onstage [on vocals, guitar, mandolin and bass] and at most shows, as he will in Norman, performing as her opening act.

Summer Breeze Concerts are presented by The Performing Arts Studio, a nonprofit organization located in the Norman Depot.  For additional information on PAS programs, visit phone 307-9320.  For additional information on Karla Bonoff, visit http://www.karlabonoff.com/.

Summer Breeze Concerts are made possible, in part, by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Sponsors include Michael Miller, Caring Pediatrics, Gingerbread Nursery School, and the Norman Smile Center.  Contributors include Avanti Skin Care, Fowler Mitsubishi and Republic Bank and Trust.  Friends are Ed & Sumya Adwon, American First Abstract, T. J. Campbell Construction Co., Cardinal Engineering, The Earth Natural Foods, David Fries Roofing, MDS Plumbing, Modern Wealth Management, Hal Smith Restaurant Group, and the Zoo Amphitheater.  Neighbors include The Montford Inn, Residence Inn of Norman, Norman Parks and Recreation, Gilliam Music, The University of Oklahoma and Norman Copy & Printing.