Delaney & Bonnie

The husband-and-wife duo of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett created some of the most distinctive and unique music of the early '70s, but their alchemical sound -- equal parts blue-eyed soul, blues, country, and gospel -- was often marginalized by the attention instead paid to the contributions of their famous "friends," including rock icons like Eric Clapton, Duane Allman and George Harrison.



Delaney Bramlett was born July 1, 1939 in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, later befriending fellow aspiring musicians Leon Russell and J.j. Cale. On their recommendation he relocated to Los Angeles, briefly landing with The Champs before he was hired to play guitar with The Shindogs, the house band on the popular ABC television variety series Shindig. Bonnie Lynn O'farrell, meanwhile, was born November 8, 1944 in Acton, Illinois and raised in nearby East St. Louis; as a teen she backed blues acts including Albert King and Little Milton, before signing on as the first-ever white Ikette behind Ike & Tina Turner. She eventually migrated to Los Angeles as well, and met Delaney while The Shindogs were moonlighting at a local bowling alley. Within a week, the couple were married.

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