Thomas Harvey "Sean" Bonniwell (August 16, 1940 – December 20, 2011) was an American singer-songwriter/guitarist, who was known as the creative force behind the 1960s garage rock band,

The Music Machine The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed mus ...

. Bonniwell was quoted in

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

's 1998 book, ''Unknown Legends of Rock 'n' Roll'', as saying "Rock and roll was a teenager in the '60s, and I used that climate to express my confusion, my anger, at the injustice of the world."

Life and career

Early years to 1960s

Bonniwell was born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. During his teens, Bonniwell was inspired to form a high school vocal group after hearing the song " Only You" by

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

. After high school, Bonniwell's first serious musical incarnation was that of clean-cut pop-folk guitarist for the quartet The Wayfarers. The Wayfarers released three albums under the

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

label. As the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

craze died out, Bonniwell sought to create music with "fuzz and fangs". In 1965, he formed a trio called The Ragamuffins, which quickly grew into

. Adopting Beatles-style moptop hair and all-black outfits (and Bonniwell's signature single black

leather glove A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glov ...

), Music Machine churned out a diversified style of garage rock. After the band's debut album spawned the successful single "

Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles " Talk Talk" (1982), " It's My Life", and " ...

" (1966), the original line-up broke apart. Bonniwell continued on with Music Machine, now signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

and renamed The Bonniwell Music Machine (1967). Unhappy with the way things were going, Bonniwell sold the rights to the band name to his label to be released from their contract. In 1969, along with Mosaic Tweed and a duo consisting of Brad Truitt and Billy Woodruff, he was signed to the talent roster of Kevin Deverich and Associates run by Kevin Deverich. Also that year, Bonniwell released a solo album (''

Close Close may refer to: Music * ''Close'' (Kim Wilde album), 1988 * ''Close'' (Marvin Sapp album), 2017 * ''Close'' (Sean Bonniwell album), 1969 * "Close" (Sub Focus song), 2014 * "Close" (Nick Jonas song), 2016 * "Close" (Rae Sremmurd song), 201 ...

'') on Capitol Records. This recording marked a change in identity for Bonniwell, who not only chose to make gentle, sensitive music (contrasting that for which he was known), but also chose to record under the name of T.S. Bonniwell. The recording received minor label support and displeased Bonniwell enough that he left the music industry altogether. He entered a period of spiritual quest and internal soul-searching, grew a beard, sold everything he owned, and drove around the US in a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

bus.

1990s to 2000s

In 1996, Bonniwell self-published a memoir called ''Talk Talk,'' which was later revised and re-titled ''Beyond The Garage,'' published by the small press Christian Vision. Several years later,

Sundazed Records Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio ...

put out previously unreleased Music Machine material from the 1960s, along with demo recordings from The Ragamuffins. Bonniwell claimed to have written over 300 songs since 1970. In November 2004, Bonniwell embarked on his first European Tour, performing his hits with musicians from the US and Europe. In 2006, Bonniwell recorded his first new material in several years, as a guest musician appearing on a self-titled debut album by The Larksmen, a garage rock group from Los Angeles, California. He appeared on two songs entitled "Burn Like A Boy" (actually written back in 1967 for The Music Machine but never released) and "Out Of Darwin's Mind".

Death

Bonniwell died on December 20, 2011, in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, from lung cancer. He was 71 years old.

Discography

Singles

*"Bottom of the Soul" / "Astrologically Incompatible" (November 1967) *"Me-Myself, And I" / "Soul Love" (January 1968) *"In My Neighborhood" / "You'll Love Me Again" (April 1968) *"To the Light" / "You'll Love Me Again" (May 1968) *"Time Out (For a Daydream)" / "Tin Can Beach" (September 1968) *"Advise and Consent" / "Mother Nature, Father Earth" (March 1969) *"Where Am I to Go" / "Sleep" (June 1969) (as T.S. Bonniwell)

Albums

*'' The Bonniwell Music Machine'' WS 1732 / W 1732 (January 1968) *''

'' (as T.S. Bonniwell) Capitol LP ST-277 (August 1969) (Turn On) The Music Machine(album) by The Music Machine Original Sound label (1966)

References

External links

Official website
* Allmusic entrybr>Richie Unterberger interview with BonniwellBonniwell Music Machine: Bottom Of The Soul
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonniwell, Sean 1940 births 2011 deaths American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock songwriters Musicians from San Jose, California Protopunk musicians Deaths from lung cancer in California Writers from San Jose, California Singer-songwriters from California