Interview: John Wisniewski
Photos credit: Jared Fix
Graham Bonnet stands as one of hard rock’s most distinctive and powerful vocalists, with a career spanning over five decades. Born on December 23, 1947, in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England, Bonnet first achieved chart success in 1968 with the duo The Marbles, scoring a UK Top 5 hit with “Only One Woman” (written by the Bee Gees). However, it was his work with legendary hard rock and heavy metal bands that cemented his place in rock history.
Bonnet’s breakthrough into the heavy music scene came in 1979 when he joined Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, replacing Ronnie James Dio. His powerful voice and unconventional rock star appearance—often described as a cross between Don Johnson and James Dean—brought a unique energy to the band. With Rainbow, he recorded the classic “Down to Earth” album, featuring the massive hit “Since You’ve Been Gone,” which became one of the band’s most recognizable songs.
Following his departure from Rainbow in 1980, Bonnet continued his journey through rock’s elite circles, joining the Michael Schenker Group and later forming Alcatrazz in 1983. Alcatrazz became a launching pad for guitar virtuosos, featuring a young Yngwie Malmsteen on their debut album “No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll,” followed by Steve Vai on “Disturbing the Peace.” The band’s combination of Bonnet’s soaring vocals and neo-classical guitar pyrotechnics influenced countless metal acts that followed.
Throughout his career, Bonnet has also worked with Chris Impellitteri’s band Impellitteri and maintained an active solo career. In 2015, Bonnet formed the Graham Bonnet Band, touring extensively and releasing three studio albums: “The Book” (2016), “Meanwhile, Back In The Garage” (2018), and “Day Out In Nowhere” (2022).
Recent years have seen Bonnet remaining remarkably active despite being in his mid-seventies. He recently collaborated with the Taz Taylor Band, creating an album called “Welcome to America” and has been touring extensively. Currently, Bonnet has multiple tour dates scheduled across 2025-2026, including upcoming shows in Los Angeles and various UK venues.
Known for his self-proclaimed “very loud” singing style and claiming to be entirely self-taught with “no discipline for lessons,” Bonnet continues to deliver powerful performances of his classic repertoire spanning Rainbow, Alcatrazz, MSG, and his solo work. At 77 years old, he remains one of hard rock’s most enduring and distinctive voices, maintaining the same vocal power that made him a legend decades ago.
We caught up with Graham for a quick chat….
MGM: Graham, how is the tour going? What is it like performing live again?
Graham Bonnet: Well, we’re in between tours at the moment; we finished a US tour 10 days ago and leave at the weekend for a tour in Finland. I’ve been consistently touring with my band, the Graham Bonnet Band, for the past 13 years, except for a brief period at the beginning of the pandemic.
MGM: How did you meet the other members of Rainbow? How were you asked to join?
Graham Bonnet: I met the members of Rainbow when they asked me to audition for the band. They offered me (over the 80 other people that had auditioned) the job on the spot.
MGM: Tell us about recording “Since You’ve Been Gone” written by Russ Ballard. It was a hit for Rainbow.
Graham Bonnet: When our manager Bruce Paine brought the song to us, everyone in the band didn’t want to do it. We felt it wasn’t indicative of what Rainbow was about. Bruce talked us into it and the rest is history.
MGM: What was it like recording your solo album “Line Up”? Who joined you on the album?
Graham Bonnet: It was fantastic, the best time I’d had in a long time. All my friends were there with me including Mickey Moody on guitar, Jon Lord and Don Airey on keyboards, of course Cozy Powell on drums, Dave Marquis on bass. Some of the guys from Status Quo joined us as well and we had a great time.
MGM: Do you perform Rainbow classics when playing live?
Graham Bonnet: Yes, we perform at least 5 songs from the Down to Earth album.
MGM: When and how did you join The Michael Schenker Group? What was that like?
Graham Bonnet: When I quit Rainbow and finished doing the Line-Up album, Cozy approached me to join him in MSG. I was very surprised to join and didn’t understand why they would want to replace Gary Bardon when he had done such a great job but Cozy explained that the band wanted me.
MGM: What was it like working with these legendary guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore, Schenker and Impelitteri?
Graham Bonnet: They’ve all been different and fantastic.
MGM: Any future plans and projects, Graham?
Graham Bonnet: I’ve never been happier than I am now with my own band. We have a live DVD being released any day and we are in the midst of a 4th studio album that will arrive at the beginning of the New Year.
facebook.com/grahambonnetmusic
instagram.com/
instagram.com/
instagram.com/conradopesinato
youtube.com/user/
About Author
