Most of you know Joe as a thirty-year member of the American music group The Oak Ridge Boys (http://www.oakridgeboys.com).
He is the energetic one on the end, singing the high harmonies and lead vocals on such songs as Elvira, I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometime, Love Song, as well as other Oaks’ standards such as Fall To Fly, My Son, and Dancin’ The Night Away.
Many of you have come to know Joe as a successful author. His critically acclaimed Molly The Cat book series, as well as his many published articles have established him as a talented and appreciated author, Joseph S. Bonsall. (Continues below)
From My Perspective, a collection of commentaries from Oaks' vocalist and onstage spokesman, Joe Bonsall was released late last year and is available now. The 250-page book is packed with Joe’s entertaining reflections on life—service, worship, patriotism, nature, family, and God. As always, Joe’s commentaries are sometimes witty, sometimes sentimental, and always inspirational.
Journey Press is an imprint of Sheaf House Publishing. Click on photo at right for additional information.
FEATURED REVIEW
In "From My Perspective," Joe writes about everything from banjos and barn swallows to our magnificent veterans. Mostly, this is a collection of slice-of-life reflections from an instrospective man who also shares a body with that crazy cat who sprints across the stage during each Oaks performance.- Jim Fletcher / WorldNetDaily
NEW: The Singing, Writing, Half-Baked Banjo Player . . . Turns 65
Here is the video of the song that is quickly becoming an Internet phenomenon, G. I. Joe and Lille by The Oak Ridge Boys.
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Now available on Kindle from Amazon
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Here at josephsbonsall.com you will learn all about…
• G.I. Joe and Lillie. His brand new novel G. I. Joe and Lillie, published by New Leaf Press (http://www.newleafpress.net) is one of the most anticipated books of 2003. Click here for more...
• On this site you can read articles, essays, editorials, narratives and song lyrics written by Bonsall, as well as his constantly updated opinion and commentaries. Click here...
• In the Molly section, you can read parts of the original Molly manuscripts before any rewrites and catch up on the cats today. Click here...
• Christmas Miracles,  Joe Bonsall loves to write about the "magic" of Christmas, and this series of seven short stories and commentaries - plus a dramatic version of Little Jerry's Christmas - will warm your heart with the many miracles of the season. There are three NEW stories/commentaries in this updated 2012 edition. Soft cover. |
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 • The Oak Ridge Boys: An American Journey, written by Joe. A 144-page memoir capturing 30 years on the road. The book is an up close and personal insight into the humor, the heartbreak, and the hopes of America’s premier music group. Over 150 photos! Out in October 2004.Click here to read a preview... |
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 An Inconvenient ChristmasJoe Bonsall of The Oak Ridge Boys has written a unique Christmas story for all ages, inspired by The Oak Ridge Boys hit song, An Inconvenient Christmas, written by Kyle Matthews. Click here for more information... |
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Click here...
Thanks, Joe Bonsall
Supporting Our Men & Women In Uniform
Joseph S Bonsall
Click here for information...
And find out how to book Joseph for possible speaking engagements.
Click here...
So, enjoy your visit, stay a while, pull up a comfy chair. Let us know what you think of our site.
E-mail the webmaster@josephsbonsall.com or
Joseph at JosephSBonsall@aol.com
More on Ban-Joey...
G.I. Joe and Lillie
An American Love Story
So I can live
In the Land Of Free
Raise my kids
Live my dreams
There’s a price
For liberty
(Excerpt from “Sacrifice (For Me),” words and music by Joe Bonsall, © 2003, B’s In The Trees Music (Adm. by Heavy Harmony). All Rights Reserved.)
Joseph Bonsall, known the world over as the sparkplug of the Oak Ridge Boys, set aside his fame and took snippets of time, when he could, to write a tribute to his parents, who are simply known throughout the book, as G.I. Joe and Lillie. The book small in size, compared to most bestsellers, is well-written, easy to read and can be handled by most readers in a leisurely evening. Joe definitely did his research before tackling such a monumental task. I am certain the author had many emotionally rough times writing the book when telling of the trials and tribulations of post, as well as pre-WWII, the aging of his parents and his own personal growth. Joe used third person dialect to describe the events that shaped his parents into who they were and how he was honed into the Oak Ridge Boy we all know today. Describing one’s own life in third person is a difficult feat, even for the most seasoned writer. Joe handled it well and one can follow with ease, not only his parent’s transition through life, but, as well, his own personal growth.
The book is a moving, living saga of the author’s parents from their ancestral lineage, to their birth, growth and ultimately, their deaths and final interment in Arlington. I did not know G.I. Joe and Lillie, but after reading the book, I feel I have always known them. The tale of their lives makes us reflect on our life and the lives we have known and loved. I was no exception. The names and the circumstances were and will be different for each of us, but the story is basically the same. Life, love, happiness, sadness, hope, aspirations, births, drama, comedy, deaths and all the other emotions and events that shape us, our families and those we love. All are contained in this book and we, human as we are, use the author’s family, to identify our own.
Someday they’ll rest in Arlington
Neath’ the Red, the White and Blue
Safe in the arms of Jesus
When their journey here is through
An American love story
Not unlike a lot of others
Except that G.I. Joe and Lillie
Is my father and my mother
(Excerpt from “G.I. Joe and Lillie,” words and music by Joe Bonsall, © 1999, B’s In The Trees Music (Adm. by Heavy Harmony); Mal ‘n Al Music (Adm. by Gaither Copyright Mgmt.), Pete Green / ASCAP. All Rights Reserved.)
Every veteran in America, indeed, every person in America, should pick up a copy of G.I. Joe & Lillie and spend an afternoon or evening, getting to know Joseph Sloan Bonsall Sr., Lillie Maude Collins Bonsall, and of the legacies and freedoms they left for us all. All our lives are so much richer because of the Bonsalls, their generation, known as the greatest generation, and the second greatest generation they created and left behind. So far, to date, this book is required reading in at least five school districts with more districts expected to follow suit.
Joe Bonsall, entertainer, author, son, husband and father is proud of his parents as well he should be. I, after reading his book, am proud for Joe. There is much more to Joe Bonsall than meets the eye. Joe is a very deep and complex person who was shaped by two very loving, involved and complicated people.
G.I. Joe & Lillie, an American Love Story, can be purchased at most noted bookstores. The author may be contacted at: josephsbonsall@aol.com.
Kurt L. Moore
Branson Daily Independent
Gampy's Gang Productions, INC.
