ALLAN JOE RONDO
Born the son of a tool and die machinist in Detroit, Allan Joe Rondo's music is a gritty gospel message wrapped up in a slow burn rhythm and blues that reflects the struggles of every day working people. It's a fusion of Canadian folk lyrics and the Motown sound if you can imagine such a thing. On his eighteenth birthday he bought his own guitar, a thirty-two dollar "Silvertone" from the Sears catalog. Reminiscing on the those early days, he said, "The sound of the very first chord I played seemed to resonate right to my soul. I would fall asleep sometimes with the guitar across my chest."
Four years later after serving in Vietnam as an infantry rifleman Rondo had grown enough as a player to perform in small pubs. He recalls, "I loved to play and sing but to get paid as well? I knew music was what I wanted for my life."
Allan moved to the "Windy City" where he found himself surrounded by "Chicago Blues". That's when he began to compose his own songs. Places like the Gate of Horn, the Earl of Old Town, the It's Here and the Back Room had audiences that wanted to hear original material. He also began to meet other writers like Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Doc Watson, as well as performers like Bette Midler and Steve Martin. Whoever was in town would just drop in and sometimes even get up and do a few songs.
Wanting to get closer to the recording industry Allan felt invited by the "City of Angels", but an interesting thing happened on the way to L.A. He was reading a book about last generation prophecy surrounding the return of Christ. "The way current events matched up with these ancient prophecies astounded me." He was driving across country and by the time he got to Los Angeles he had read enough of the Old and New Testaments to be convinced of a salvation through Jesus Christ.
This event changed the way he thought about life and music. He arrived in L.A. with enough money for a hotel room and a meal. Two years later Rondo enrolled in California State University at Long Beach where he studied classical guitar, jazz and composition. Four years of attending classes during the day and playing clubs at night left very little time for writing and just plain living. It was time for a break.
So Allan moved to New York and took a job in a cabinet and furniture shop and learned wood working to pay the rent while he grew spiritually and wrote songs. When his enthusiasm for performing returned, he realized that his gospel tunes were much more powerful and relevant than his secular songs.
After building his own custom guitar utilizing his wood working skills, Rondo decided he was ready to record his first album "Children of the Light". This is a collection of songs that cover a variety of styles and topics yet there is a unity of purpose and arrangement that gives continuity to the over all sound.
His voice is rich and clear, and when he sings, each song sounds like a prayer. A prayer that those who are far off might draw near to the eternal life found through faith in Christ. His six feet four frame embraces his guitar as one might hold a child in a dance while singing together praises and petitions to the eternal living God. His years of performing experience give him a presence on stage that is dynamic and intense but without bravado or pretense. His delivery is deliberately aggressive with both the music....and the message.
"Blood Moon" is Allan Joe's latest CD and is produced in a simple but dynamic style. The tilte cut "Blood Moon" and the song "Return" are the the main over all theme of this his latest work, that Jesus Christ is coming again soon.
Track List:
1. To Gain the World
2. Divine Protection
3. Deeper Water
4. Blood Moon
5. Heads Up
6. Thank You Lord
7. Return
8. Shepherds
9. Three Songs & A Sermon
10. In My Weakness`
11. He Is Holy
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
Born the son of a tool and die machinist in Detroit, Allan Joe Rondo's music is a gritty gospel message wrapped up in a slow burn rhythm and blues that reflects the struggles of every day working people. It's a fusion of Canadian folk lyrics and the Motown sound if you can imagine such a thing. On his eighteenth birthday he bought his own guitar, a thirty-two dollar "Silvertone" from the Sears catalog. Reminiscing on the those early days, he said, "The sound of the very first chord I played seemed to resonate right to my soul. I would fall asleep sometimes with the guitar across my chest."
Four years later after serving in Vietnam as an infantry rifleman Rondo had grown enough as a player to perform in small pubs. He recalls, "I loved to play and sing but to get paid as well? I knew music was what I wanted for my life."
Allan moved to the "Windy City" where he found himself surrounded by "Chicago Blues". That's when he began to compose his own songs. Places like the Gate of Horn, the Earl of Old Town, the It's Here and the Back Room had audiences that wanted to hear original material. He also began to meet other writers like Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and Doc Watson, as well as performers like Bette Midler and Steve Martin. Whoever was in town would just drop in and sometimes even get up and do a few songs.
Wanting to get closer to the recording industry Allan felt invited by the "City of Angels", but an interesting thing happened on the way to L.A. He was reading a book about last generation prophecy surrounding the return of Christ. "The way current events matched up with these ancient prophecies astounded me." He was driving across country and by the time he got to Los Angeles he had read enough of the Old and New Testaments to be convinced of a salvation through Jesus Christ.
This event changed the way he thought about life and music. He arrived in L.A. with enough money for a hotel room and a meal. Two years later Rondo enrolled in California State University at Long Beach where he studied classical guitar, jazz and composition. Four years of attending classes during the day and playing clubs at night left very little time for writing and just plain living. It was time for a break.
So Allan moved to New York and took a job in a cabinet and furniture shop and learned wood working to pay the rent while he grew spiritually and wrote songs. When his enthusiasm for performing returned, he realized that his gospel tunes were much more powerful and relevant than his secular songs.
After building his own custom guitar utilizing his wood working skills, Rondo decided he was ready to record his first album "Children of the Light". This is a collection of songs that cover a variety of styles and topics yet there is a unity of purpose and arrangement that gives continuity to the over all sound.
His voice is rich and clear, and when he sings, each song sounds like a prayer. A prayer that those who are far off might draw near to the eternal life found through faith in Christ. His six feet four frame embraces his guitar as one might hold a child in a dance while singing together praises and petitions to the eternal living God. His years of performing experience give him a presence on stage that is dynamic and intense but without bravado or pretense. His delivery is deliberately aggressive with both the music....and the message.
"Blood Moon" is Allan Joe's latest CD and is produced in a simple but dynamic style. The tilte cut "Blood Moon" and the song "Return" are the the main over all theme of this his latest work, that Jesus Christ is coming again soon.
Track List:
1. To Gain the World
2. Divine Protection
3. Deeper Water
4. Blood Moon
5. Heads Up
6. Thank You Lord
7. Return
8. Shepherds
9. Three Songs & A Sermon
10. In My Weakness`
11. He Is Holy
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
- BLUES: Blues Vocals
- FOLK: Folk Blues
- CHRISTIAN