Musician/Songwriter: Thomas Harvey "Sean" Bonniwell, leader of musical group The Music Machine, (later The Bonniwell Music Machine), active between 1965-1969. He was instrumental in leading rock music into what he termed art rock, which contrasted sharply with the lighter folk inspired fare that often typified the era. They hit Top 10 in L.A. ib 1966 with "Talk Talk" (Top 15 nationally) and also produced original, well crafted and mature albums with moody lyrics and instrumentation that influenced a change of direction in late 1960's rock. The band's darker than average stage presence presented the group in black attire, black hair, with one black glove worn by each member, cutting a stark, bold image that fit the music perfectly with a tougher, harder hitting (and later much imitated) approach. Having previously recorded with groups The Wayfarers and The Ragamuffins, Bonniwell retained interest in his career in later decades, relocating to Central California, where he wrote an extensive autobiography entitled "Beyond the Garage" covering his career, the era and his later spiritual conversion to Christianity. He continued to manage his recorded output, also performing live in Europe and the USA in the 2000's. He passed away from lung cancer in Visalia. Hailed as "The Dark Prince of Garage Rock" by Rolling Stone Magazine in January 2012, the Music Machine material has been remastered on Sundazed Records, the "Nuggets" compilation and other reissues which he had detailed on his website.
Musician/Songwriter: Thomas Harvey "Sean" Bonniwell, leader of musical group The Music Machine, (later The Bonniwell Music Machine), active between 1965-1969. He was instrumental in leading rock music into what he termed art rock, which contrasted sharply with the lighter folk inspired fare that often typified the era. They hit Top 10 in L.A. ib 1966 with "Talk Talk" (Top 15 nationally) and also produced original, well crafted and mature albums with moody lyrics and instrumentation that influenced a change of direction in late 1960's rock. The band's darker than average stage presence presented the group in black attire, black hair, with one black glove worn by each member, cutting a stark, bold image that fit the music perfectly with a tougher, harder hitting (and later much imitated) approach. Having previously recorded with groups The Wayfarers and The Ragamuffins, Bonniwell retained interest in his career in later decades, relocating to Central California, where he wrote an extensive autobiography entitled "Beyond the Garage" covering his career, the era and his later spiritual conversion to Christianity. He continued to manage his recorded output, also performing live in Europe and the USA in the 2000's. He passed away from lung cancer in Visalia. Hailed as "The Dark Prince of Garage Rock" by Rolling Stone Magazine in January 2012, the Music Machine material has been remastered on Sundazed Records, the "Nuggets" compilation and other reissues which he had detailed on his website.
