Karla Bonoff got her start as a songwriter, writing hits for Linda Ronstadt, Wynonna Judd and Bonnie Raitt before venturing out on her own. She had a modest solo career in the late ’70s until scoring a Top 20 hit with 1982’s “Personally” off her album Wild Heart of the Young. Bonoff also enjoyed success with movie soundtracks, landing songs in Footloose, About Last Night and others. She has continued to record her own material, including 2019’s Carry Me Home.
Born and raised in Southern California, Karla Bonoff was a songwriter by the age of fifteen. She and her sister Lisa were writing songs and playing as a duo titled The Daughters of Chester P, named after their father, Dr. Chester Paul Bonoff. She had already fallen in love with the guitar and studied with Frank Hamilton of the famous folk group, The Weavers. By 16, Karla and her sister Lisa auditioned for Elektra Records. An 11-song demo was recorded but no deal came of this first effort. Three songs of hers made it onto Linda Ronstadt’s classic Hasten Down the Wind, and subsequently Bonoff was signed to Columbia Records. Her self-titled debut record came out in 1978 and included the radio hit “I Can’t Hold On.”
Two subsequent albums, Restless Nights [released in 1979] and Wild Heart of the Young [released in 1982], established Karla as one of LA’s major artists and songwriters. Musicians such as Russ Kunkel, Joe Walsh, Danny Kortchmar, Don Henley, Peter Frampton, Bill Payne, J.D. Souther, and Kenny Edwards (among many others) all participated in the making of these wonderful records.
Bonoff continued performing and recording on and off over the last several years, and in 2019 released the acclaimed comeback record Carry Me Home. Just this winter Bonoff released her first holiday record Silent Night, which included a collaboration with the great Michael McDonald on “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”
