The Marbles

Long before he rose to prominence in hard rock circles through Rainbow and Alcatrazz, Graham Bonnet joined forces with his cousin Trevor Gordon to perform current pop material under the name the Marbles. A native of Lincolnshire, England, Bonnet had previously sung in a blues ensemble and a jazz trio before linking up once more with Gordon, whose résumé already included work alongside the Bee Gees. The duo’s efforts soon attracted the notice of media executive Robert Stigwood at RSO Records. Their opening single, the Gibb brothers composition “Only One Woman,” enjoyed strong reception in both the U.K. and Australia. A second Gibbs number, “The Walls Fell Down,” likewise earned radio exposure, yet the Marbles dissolved without warning. Brief associations of this kind would recur throughout Bonnet’s career. Despite the split, the self-titled Marbles album still appeared in 1970.