BT Being Released to Honor Benny Turner’s 85th Birthday and the Close of Year-Long Celebration of Nola Blue Records’ Ten Year Anniversary
Nola Blue Records proudly announces the October 18 release of BT, a musical walk down memory lane with
Benny Turner, one of the last living links to Chicago’s gospel and electric blues scene in the mid-fifties and beyond. Turner revisits his special musical connections through the years, including tunes from Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Dee Clark, Hank Ballard, and more. Special guests include Billy Davis (last original member of Ballard’s Midnighters band), Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport and Sax Gordon. Three originals complete this soulful salute to his remarkable musical journey. "There is something very endearing about BT,” notes Grammy-winning engineer John Porter, who mastered the album. It is Turner's fifth release on Nola Blue Records since 2014 when he joined the label with their inaugural release: his Journey album.
"I had a great time working on this album with some of my favorite musicians and reminiscing about my musical history, from picking up the guitar again to revisiting my gospel roots, to finally recording some of my favorites," says Turner. "Including the songs 'Born In This Time' and 'Who Sang It First' are a very important reminder of the history of slavery and the roots of the blues that should never be forgotten."
“BT has been a long time coming: recording began on July 23, 2018, at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and continued, intermittently, through the final session on August 12, 2024 at Right Coast Recording in Columbia, Pennsylvania,” says Nola Blue President Sallie Bengtson . “With stops, starts and detours including Cash McCall’s terminal illness (Benny put this project on pause so that he and Cash could have the opportunity to record Going Back Home together and brighten Cash’s final days), COVID lockdown, the devastation to his New Orleans home from Hurricane Ida, and ultimately a move to the Northeast, this album is truly a testament to tenacity, determination, and most especially endurance! Thankfully, we couldn’t have planned a better time to cross the finish line than now, as we release BT in honor of Benny’s 85th birthday and as we close the year-long celebration of Nola Blue Records’ ten year anniversary. Bursting with equal, if not more, pride than when launching the Nola Blue label in October, 2014, with Benny’s Journey album in celebration of his 75th birthday. You’re invited to savor the sounds of this vastly experienced and deeply soulful man who has claimed his well-earned place in the annals of blues history. “
Born in Gilmer, Texas, in 1939, Benny Turner and his older brother, Freddie King, learned to play guitar from their mother, Ella Mae (King) Turner. Although best known for his role as bassist for the Freddie King band, he later played with Mighty Joe Young and then with “Blues Queen of New Orleans” Marva Wright. Turner's earliest musical endeavors include work as a recording artist for the M-Pac! and One-Derful! labels. He also appears on gospel recordings with The Kindly Shepherds and Otis Clay, including co-producing Clay’s hit, “When The Gates Swing Open” (he also played guitar, bass, and sung tenor and bass). Benny toured with Dee Clark and the Soul Stirrers in 1961. Turner's award-winning utobiography, Survivor-The Benny Turner Story, was published in 2017. A Blues Music Award nominee (instrumentalist - bass), Turner is also an inductee into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
An album release celebration will be held on Turner’s 85th birthday, Sunday, October 27, at The Philadelphia Blues Society Launch Party at Jamey’s House of Music in Lansdowne, PA. He is also performing with the Nola Blue Revue, a showcase of blues veterans on the label who celebrate their shared roots in the down home blues tradition. Upcoming performances include the Lancaster Roots and Blues Festival (Lancaster, PA) on September 27 and The Lucerne Blues Festival (Luzern, Switzerland) in November. Benny will also be performing at the King Biscuit Festival (Helena, AR) on October 12.
Album preorders begin September 27. For additional information, visit facebook.com/bennyturnerbass and bennyturner.com/.
Benny Turner – BT Album Track Listing and Credits
- Bump Miss Susie 2:52 - Rudolph Toombs; Unichappell Music, Inc.
Lead Vocals - Benny Turner;
Background Vocals - Charlie Burnett, Bobby Gentilo, Paul Murr, Nate Young
Guitar - Bobby Gentilo
Upright Bass - Charlie Burnett
Piano, B3 - Nate Young
Drums - Paul Murr
- Going Down Slow 5:35 - James Oden; Universal-MCA Music Publishing Division of Universal Music Corp.
Lead and Background Vocals - Benny Turner
Guitar - Will McFarlane
Harmonica - Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport
Bass - Benny Turner
Keys, B3 - Clayton Ivey
Drums - Justin Holder
- The Walk 4:01- Jimmy McCracklin; Arc/Conrad o/b/o Arc Music, Inc.
Vocals - Benny Turner
Guitar - Derwin “Big D” Perkins
Horns - Sax Gordon
Bass - Benny Turner
Piano, B3 - Shawn Allen
Clavinet - Bobby Gentilo
Drums - Jeffery “Jellybean” Alexander
- When I Call On You 4:12 - Dee Clark; Arc/Conrad o/b/o Conrad Music
Lead Vocals - Benny Turner
Background Vocals - Tiffany Pollack, Bobby Gentilo
Guitar - Will McFarlane
Guitar - Bobby Gentilo
Upright Bass - Charlie Burnett
Wurlitzer, B3 - Clayton Ivey
Percussion - Bobby Gentilo, Benny Turner
Drums - Christy Engel
- Born in This Time 4:28 - Willie Boyd and Maurice Jarre; Sony/ATV Harmony and Sony/ATV Melody
Lead Vocals - Benny Turner
Background Vocals - Tiffany Pollack
First Rhythm Guitar - Will McFarlane
Second Rhythm Guitar - Bobby Gentilo
Banjo - Benny Turner
Bass - Benny Turner
Upright Bass - Charlie Burnett
Piano - Keiko Komaki
Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3 - Clayton Ivey
Percussion - Bobby Gentilo
Drums - Jeffery "Jellybean" Alexander
- Finger Poppin’ Time 4:11 - Hank Ballard; Embassy Music Corporation
Lead and Background Vocals - Benny Turner
Guitar - Billy Davis
Bass - Benny Turner
Piano, B-3 - Keiko Komaki
Piano, Wurlitzer - Nate Young
Claps - Benny Turner, Jeffery “Jellybean” Alexander, Sallie Bengtson, Keiko Komaki
Drums - Jeffery “Jellybean” Alexander
- Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke It Right) aka A Tribute to Big Chief Bo Dollis 3:32 -
Wilson Turbington; GOPAM Enterprises Inc. o/b/o Turbine Music
Lead Vocals - Benny Turner
Background Vocals - Warner Williams
Background Vocals - Marva Wright
Lead Guitar - June Yamagishi
Rhythm Guitar - Bobby Gentilo
Rhythm Guitar - Jack Miele
Bass - Benny Turner
Keys and B-3 - Keiko Komaki
Clavinet - Nate Young
Bass Drum - Norwood “Geechie” Johnson
Drums - Jeffery “Jellybean” Alexander
- Drunk 2:51- Benny Turner; Nola Blue Music
Lead Vocals - Benny Turner - Bass and Vocals
Background Vocals - Benny Turner, Sallie Bengtson and Bobby Gentilo
Guitar - Will McFarlane
Guitar - Steve Grills
Harmonica - Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport
Bass - Benny Turner
Piano - Bobby Gentilo
Wurlitzer - Clayton Ivey
Percussion - Bobby Gentilo
Justin Holder - Drums
- Sleepy Time in the Barnyard 4:59 - Benny Turner; Nola Blue Music
Lead Guitar - Benny Turner
Guitar - Bobby Gentilo
Upright Bass - Charlie Burnett
Piano - Nate Young
Drums - Paul Murr
- Who Sang It First 3:59 - James George and Benny Turner; Nola Blue Music
Vocals - Benny Turner
Background Vocals - Kassie Netherland Miele and Tiffany Pollack
Guitar - Will McFarlane
2nd guitar - Jack Miele
Bass - Benny Turner
Wurlitzer - Clayton Ivey
B-3 - Joe Krown
Drums - Justin Holder
- All tracks produced by Benny Turner; Tracks 4, 6, 8 co-produced by Bobby Gentilo
- All tracks mixed by Bobby Gentilo at Right Coast Recording, Columbia, PA except
- Track 10 mixed by Jack Miele at Music Shed Studios, New Orleans, LA
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