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SURVIVOR: The Benny Turner Story
By Bill Dahl & Benny Turner
Nola Blue, Inc.
By Mark Baier
Benny Turner may
not be a household name, but his life and story are forever intertwined
with the history of American Blues music and its biggest stars. With
Survivor, Benny offers his
story, and in the process, weaves a rich tapestry of a life filled with
hardship, music, love and endurance. With the assistance of renowned
music journalist Bill Dahl, Benny recounts all the twists and turns of
his life, from his hardscrabble beginnings in rural Gilmer TX, the years
spent learning to persevere in 1950s Chicago, the hard times on the
road, to his present day musical residence in New Orleans. It’s a story
filled with tales of wealth, penury, fame and heartache, all recounted
in a conversational style, as if the reader were sitting in the barstool
next to Benny, as he narrates the details of an amazing life.
Born in Gilmer,
TX in 1939, Benny is four years the junior of his famous brother Freddie
King. Both Freddie and Benny learned guitar from their mother, and while
Freddie would go on to become one of the Blues’ most revered performers,
Benny pursued a career as the go-to bass player for countless blues and
gospel bands, including big brother Freddie’s band until Freddie’s
untimely death in 1976. His innate musical talents were evident early
on, first as a singer and eventually as a natural born bass player,
backing Freddie on the West Side of Chicago. And while Freddie went on
to blues superstardom, Benny was content to forge ahead as a sideman,
playing with a myriad of artists such as Dee Clark, the Soul Stirrers,
Mighty Joe Young and Marva Wright. It is the recollections of these
years which Survivor so
sumptuously and intimately presents.
Survivor
offers countless stories from Benny’s diverse life, all told with near
photographic detail. Benny remembers every nuance, whether it’s the
address of a childhood home or the whiskey soaked after hours parties he
was complicit in. Some notable highlights include memories of making out
behind the stage with Carla Thomas (while her mother was chaperon),
playing dominos with Ray Charles and the constant parties and poker
games on the road with best friend and big brother Freddie. Throughout
the pages of Survivor there
are scores of tales about Freddie King and the life of traveling
musicians during those heady years. Benny remembers every Cadillac and
who owned them, the acquisition of bass guitars, fistfights, promoter
burn, staff changes (A.K.A. leaving the keyboard player at the hotel on
purpose), love and death. King Curtis, Curtis Mayfield, Jimmy Reed,
Elmore James, Luther Allison, Howlin’ Wolf, Stevie Wonder, Phil
Upchurch, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell and many,
many others are enshrined in
Survivors’ memory bank with Benny offering intimate details about
each one; it’s a fascinating account and valuable “oral” history for
anyone interested in modern music and its players. In addition to
Benny’s personal recollections,
Survivor is filled with rare and fascinating photographs.
When all is said
and done, Survivor is a book
filled with the reminisces of one of blues music’s little known yet
integral characters. Benny Turner is a man whose talent and kindness
effected all who crossed his path, and the path was long and wide. Not
content to rest on his laurels, since 2014 Benny has released two CDs
(2014’s Journey and 2016’s “When
She’s Gone). Additionally, My
Brother’s Blues, a musical tribute to Freddie, is slated for Fall
2017 release. Now residing in New Orleans and still singing and playing
bass, while leading his own band aptly titled Real Blues, Benny Turner
shows no signs of slowing down at age 77. Lord willing, this survivor
will be creating music and memories for many years to come.
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