Petrella Ann Bonner (1947–)

Hot Springs (Garland County) native Petrella Ann Bonner is an African American country music singer, songwriter, and music producer. Billed as the “First Lady of Country-Soul,” she has released eight studio albums and toured extensively. Bonner describes her music as a blend of country with blues and soul overtones, and a number of her songs have appeared on the Top 100 Country Singles chart. In 1994, she was named “Songwriter of the Year” by the Tennessee Songwriters Association.

Petrella Bonner was born on April 15, 1947, to Dorothy Bonner, who was a homemaker, and Herbert Bonner, a barber. Occasionally, her father waited tables at the Vapors, a popular nightspot in Hot Springs where stars such as Tony Bennett appeared. (Years later, Bonner headlined at the Vapors as a singer.) Bonner was close to her grandmother, Mamie Wilder, as well as her other grandparents, Myrtle and William Bonner, who also lived nearby. Growing up, Bonner sang at the historic Visitor’s Chapel AME Church in Hot Springs, where her family attended.

Bonner attended the segregated Goldstein Elementary School in Hot Springs, which was across the street from her home in a mixed-race neighborhood. She began formal training in voice under John Puckett at Goldstein Elementary, where she was noted for performing a Pearl Bailey tribute. Bonner took voice and piano lessons, but her father wanted her to focus on a future career in business.

In 1959, enrolled at Langston High School, which served Black children in Hot Springs. She sang in the school choir. In 1964, she started college at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, before transferring to what is now Philander Smith University in Little Rock (Pulaski County), becoming a member of its renowned choir. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1968.

Bonner went to work as a timekeeper for National Rejectors Industries, based in Hot Springs. The company was a major manufacturer of coin-handling devices for vending machines. In 1972, Bonner became the first African American administrator for Governor Dale Bumpers.

In 1976, she married Bob Pollefeyt; they had two children.

Bonner moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she was the first African American typist at Chrysler Defense, working primarily in accounting and as an administrative assistant. There, she worked on programs for the U.S. Army and received top secret clearance to work on the Hubble I telescope project. She also worked at the GAF Corporation and JC Penney until her talent as a singer was discovered by Nashville record producer Jack Gale in 1988. With Gale, she recorded her debut album, Petrella.

From that point, Bonner devoted herself to a career in the music industry, with her husband as her manager. As a songwriter, she became a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) in 1992, and she rereleased her debut album as Countryversial. Her single “I Found Somebody” spent fourteen weeks on the Top 100 Country Singles chart. She was named Top New Female Vocalist as well as being honored for Album of the Year in Nashville Tracker magazine in 1994.

Bonner’s eight studio albums include six country albums, one gospel album, and a Christmas album. They include Petrella (1988), rereleased as Countryversial (1992); Papa Did a Raindance (2000); Home for the Holidays (2003); Walk Around Heaven (2004); Dreams of the Heartland (2005); 100 Proof Woman (2007); Shine on Me, 25th Silver Anniversary Celebration (2013); and Songs of Many Colors (2021). In 2001, she recorded a two-song CD for the Arkansas Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.

In 2012, she filmed a video of her single “Working in the USA.” That same year, Bonner formed a band called Mixed Influence. They spent several years on tour, opening for such acts as the Spinners and Gladys Knight. The 2013 documentary Petrella: Shine on Me was screened at the twenty-second annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

Bonner donated memorabilia for a display at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock and shared items with the Arkansas State Archives. Some of her artifacts are also archived at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2012, she developed and performed in a one-woman show called 18 Reasons to Live, Laugh and Love, which premiered in 2012 at California’s Pasadena Playhouse.

In 2013, Bonner toured Arkansas to help raise money for “Every Child Is Ours,” a partnership focused on supporting foster families and alleviating poverty in the Arkansas Delta. She has also performed with students in the Philander Smith choir to raise money for the group. In 2016, along with such icons as Charley Pride, Bonner was named by Essence magazine as one of “18 Black Country Singers You Need To Know.” In 2025, Bonner was interviewed by the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville to be included in its archives of significant musicians. She was featured as part of the “Before Us, Beyond Us” exhibit at Little Rock’s Old State House Museum in 2026, showcasing  artifacts from 250 years of Arkansas history.

Among Bonner’s philanthropic work is an annual financial gift for music students at Philander Smith. In 1996, she created the Dreams of the Heartland Foundation, which has contributed to a variety of organizations along with establishing a paid minority internship program for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville.

In 2014, she donated her family property, located at the corner of Mound and Garden Streets, to the Garland County Habitat for Humanity in Hot Springs. Bonner said the people in the neighborhood had been influential in her life and career. Bonner and her husband reside in California.

For additional information:
Darrisaw, Michelle. “Black Singers Who Changed the Face of Country Music.” Oprah Daily, April 11, 2022. https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/a27182186/black-country-singers-lil-nas-x-old-town-road/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

“First Lady of Country Soul Shares Legacy with Habitat for Humanity.” Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, July 6, 2014. https://www.hotsr.com/news/2014/jul/06/first-lady-of-country-soul-shares-legac/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

Jared, George. “Petrella Bonner: ‘First Lady of Country Soul’ Clings to Arkansas Roots, Black Legacy in Country Music.” Arkansas Black Vitality, January 11, 2023. https://arkansasblackvitality.com/petrella-bonner-first-lady-of-country-soul-clings-to-arkansas-roots-black-legacy-in-country-music/  (accessed July 21, 2026).

O’Sullivan, Brandon. “A Guide to Black Country Music.” Shatter the Standards, March 22, 2024. https://www.shatterthestandards.com/p/a-guide-to-black-country-music (accessed July 21, 2026).

Petrella, First Lady of Country-Soul Welcomes You. https://www.petrellacountrysoul.com/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

“Petrella, ‘First Lady of Country Soul,’ Honored as 2018 History Maker.” Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, February 17, 2019. https://www.hotsr.com/news/2019/feb/17/petrella-first-lady-of-country-soul-hon/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

“Petrella Pollefeyt: First Lady of Country Soul.” Archives of African American Music and Culture 19 (2014–2015). https://aaamc.indiana.edu/liner-notes-pdfs/linernotes19.pdf (accessed July 21, 2026).

“Petrella Pollefeyt.” The HistoryMakers: The Digital Repository for the Black Experience. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/petrella-pollefeyt (accessed July 21, 2026).

“Petrella Releases Eighth CD.” Hot Springs Sentinel-Record, July 11, 2021. https://www.hotsr.com/news/2021/jul/11/petrella-releases-eighth-cd/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

Scott, Sydney. “18 Black Country Singers You Need To Know.” Essence, October 26, 2020. https://www.essence.com/entertainment/black-country-singers/ (accessed July 21, 2026).

Nancy Hendricks
Garland County Historical Society