1. Sonny Rhodes was born in Smithville, Texas on November 3,1940, as the son of Emma Mauldin.
16 Facts About Sonny Rhodes
1. 2.
Sonny Rhodes was orphaned as a baby and was adopted by sharecroppers Leroy and Julia Smith.
3.
Sonny Rhodes received his first guitar at the age of eight as a Christmas present and became serious about playing the blues at age 12.
4.
Sonny Rhodes credited his uncle as his source of inspiration.
5.
Sonny Rhodes began performing around Smithville and nearby Austin in the late 1950s, while still in his teens.
6.
Sonny Rhodes listened a lot to T-Bone Walker when he was young.
7.
Sonny Rhodes recorded a single, "I'll Never Let You Go When Something Is Wrong", for Domino Records in Austin in 1958.
8.
Sonny Rhodes played bass accompanying the guitarists Freddie King and Albert Collins.
9.
Sonny Rhodes recorded a single, "I Don't Love You No More", in 1966 and another single for Galaxy in 1967, changing his stage name from Clarence Smith to Sonny Rhodes at that time.
10.
Sonny Rhodes toured Europe in 1976 and released numerous recordings on European labels, including I Don't Want My Blues Colored Bright and the live album In Europe.
11.
Sonny Rhodes later moved to Kingsnake Records, releasing several albums including The Blues Is My Best Friend and Out of Control, and touring widely in the US, Canada and Europe.
12.
Sonny Rhodes died on December 14,2021, at the age of 81.
13.
Sonny Rhodes recorded "The Ballad of Serenity", the theme music for the television series Firefly, which was written by Joss Whedon, the creator of the series.
14.
Sonny Rhodes played at the San Francisco Blues Festival six times.
15.
In 1993, Sonny Rhodes was the best man in the onstage wedding of Mike and Laura Harrelson at the Sacramento Blues Festival.
16.
Sonny Rhodes played at the Musicamdo Jazz and Blues Festival in Italy in 2005 and the Fresno Blues Festival in 2007.