Jimmy Ponder -

Jimmy Ponder (May 10, 1946 — Sept. 16, 2013) was an American jazz guitarist from Pittsburgh who emerged through organ-combo work with Charles Earland and backed Lou Donaldson, John Patton, Stanley Turrentine, and Donald Byrd. He launched his solo discography with the Cadet album While My Guitar Gently Weeps and remained active as a leader and sideman across soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and post-bop settings.

Background

Jimmy Ponder was born James Willis Ponder on May 10, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ponder grew up in Beltzhoover and first sang in a junior-high R&B group. He took up guitar in 1960 after his brother joined the Marines and left an instrument at the family home. Ponder learned largely by ear and played with Pittsburgh doo-wop and R&B groups as a teenager. He won citywide talent contests at Knoxville Junior High School and Schenley High School, then graduated from South Hills High School.

Ponder moved toward jazz in his mid-teens and joined Sam Pearson in Sam P. and the Players. He also sat in with the Bobby Jones Trio and Jimmy McGriff Trio at Pittsburgh clubs. Ponder met organist Charles Earland at the Hurricane in 1963, where club owner Birdie Dunlap let him sit in with Earland’s trio.

Earland heard Ponder reproduce the guitar part from the “Daily Dozen” single and offered him a place in the band after high school. Ponder remained in Pittsburgh at the insistence of his mother and finished school before Earland returned in 1965. He then moved to Philadelphia with Earland and worked the organ-trio circuit through clubs in Boston, New Haven, Atlanta, Newark, and other cities.

Early Credits

Ponder first recorded with Earland at Van Gelder Studio circa 1966 on sessions for Boss Organ and the material later issued as Soul Crib. Lou Donaldson added Ponder to the Oct. 27, 1967 Blue Note session for Mr. Shing-A-Ling.

In 1968, Ponder appeared on albums by John Patton (That Certain Feeling) and Stanley Turrentine (Common Touch). Donald Byrd added Ponder to the May and June 1969 sessions for Fancy Free. Ponder continued on 1971 albums by Lonnie Smith (Mama Wailer) and Rusty Bryant (Wildfire), followed by 1972 credits behind Joe Thomas (Joy of Cookin’ ) and Shirley Scott (Superstition). Producer Esmond Edwards then brought Ponder to Cadet for his first album as a leader, While My Guitar Gently Weeps.