Macon, Ga. (WGXA) — The music community is reeling from the death of Arthur “Bo” Ponder, who passed away Saturday at 77. Ponder had a career in music spanning 61 years as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist.
He started at 16 with Johnny Jenkins & the Pine Toppers after Otis Redding left. His signature 1969 smash “Dr. Strange Love” was recorded for Phil Walden’s Capricorn imprint, and he scored again with “My Love,” “Sexy Lady,” and “Baby I’m For Real.” He formed and fronted the unit Sideshow in 1985
Beloved Singer Arthur ‘Bo’ Ponder Passes away at 77
Alan Walden of Capricorn Records described him as a guy with a great voice and character. He went on to say that L.C. was one committed and gifted person. 1987 found Ponder representing his town, Macon, by singing Otis Redding’s music in Madison, Wisconsin, and got awards from the Governor of Wisconsin, an experience he has mentioned when talking about his life in the ‘Ebony Speaks’ show.
Ponder’s legacy includes a Georgia Music Hall of Fame Museum exhibit since January 1995. He was with the “Do You Like Soul Music” Revue and opened for Little Richard at the grand opening of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He headlined at Macon’s Cherry Blossom Festival three times: one in 2008, another in 2010, and a third in 2023.
Ponder’s blindness, inherited from his father, did not stop him from making music. He was still a force in music with his 2010 smash “Second Chance” and now this year with his recent release titled “Midnight Lady.” His latest recording, “I See With My Heart,” was cut at Muscadine Studios and is slated for release.
A public memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church in Macon.
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