BIOGRAPHY AND DISCOGRAPHY

 

Well traveled singer-songwriter who had more success in the latter department over the years with a few indelible compositions to his credit yet continued to try and break through as a vocalist for two decades despite somewhat limited ability.

Turner was born in 1933 in Georgia and made his debut on record in early 1950 with Aladdin Records as a teenager performing songs he had no hand in writing and being billed as Mr. T.

When those failed to impress anybody it took him two years to get another chance, finally landing at OKeh Records who may have been swayed as much by his burgeoning songwriting skills as his potential as an artist in his own right.

For the next few years on some subsidiaries for major labels Turner issued a number of competent journeyman rock records that met with little interest, yet his writing began to attract attention as in 1955 his single “All Around The World” was quickly covered by Little Willie John who scored his first hit with the song. Down the road Turner and John would collaborate on another timeless hit, “Leave My Kitten Alone”.

His success as a writer may have shifted his focus somewhat but it also afforded him continued opportunities to record under his own name, although ironically enough when he finally achieved some minor hits as a singer it was mostly with songs he’d adapted from the public domain, or “answer songs” to recent hits that merely changed the lyrics to form a sequel as opposed to scoring hits with original compositions.

Yet his own writing continued to find takers as Ray Charles hit pay-dirt with “Sticks & Stones”, Dinah Washington and Aretha Franklin both had minor hits with his “Soulville” and Elvis Presley did even better with “Tell Me Why” in the mid-1960’s. Yet it was the late 60’s revival of his breakthrough tune with Little Willie John, now re-titled “Grits Ain’t Groceries”, which helped to keep Turner’s legacy alive as blues-rock guitarist Little Milton had a big R&B hit with the song just around the time that Turner himself issued his final sides as an artist.

Turner died at the age of 51 in 1984, his name better remembered than a lot of his more successful contemporaries thanks to the lasting popularity of his best written material for others rather than his own rather limited artistic output.
 
 
TITUS TURNER DISCOGRAPHY (Records Reviewed To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):

I’M JUST A LUCKY SO AND SO
(Aladdin 3053; March, 1950)
A butchering of a classy Duke Ellington number was a bad stylistic choice to begin with for a teenage singer who had little concept of how to use his voice… and here’s a hint, it’s definitely not by whistling either. (1)

STOP TRYING TO MAKE A FOOL OF ME
(Regal 3322; May, 1951)
Another miserable excuse for a record where Turner mangles the song beyond recognition with his vocal ineptitude, taking the remnants of the blues classic Mean Old World and transforming it into something best left rotting on the side of the road. (1)

LET’S FORGET THE WHOLE THING
(Regal 3322; May, 1951)
Though a vast improvement on his first two efforts this is still just competent journeyman rock with some notable flaws early on before getting more confident as he goes along while the band is energetic – maybe a little too much – behind him. (3)

DON’T TAKE EVERYBODY TO BE YOUR FRIEND
(OKeh 6844; December, 1951)
A shocking turnaround for a singer who seemed incapable of singing, as Turner confidently displays his newfound vocal maturity on a self-penned song with an unexpected plot twist and an airtight arrangement… a welcome surprise. (7)

SAME OLD FEELING
(OKeh 6844; December, 1951)
Though Turner’s vocal contributions are perfectly alright here, the song itself is nothing special while the arrangement reaches back too far into the past during the first half with a prominent trumpet which gives this a dated feel it can’t overcome. (4)

GOT SO MUCH TROUBLE
(OKeh 6883; May, 1952)
An aggressive instrumental track featuring dynamic guitar and horn interplay but to convey the blues embodied by the song’s theme Turner employs a painful moaning throughout the song sinking what was an otherwise strong vocal effort. (4)

WHAT’CHA GONNA DO FOR ME
(OKeh 6883; May, 1952)
Despite some overly jazzy trumpets early on, Turner is on top of his game as he delivers his strongest vocal yet, pushing the song with his cockiness while letting the saxophones dominate the instrumental break, transforming this to a solid rocker in the process. (7)

JAMBALAYA
(OKeh 6907; August, 1952)
The first half of this Hank Williams cover is great as Turner and the band push each other with demented intensity but the second half finds a trumpet awkwardly taking center stage and tripping them all up, making this a case of what might’ve been. (6)

PLEASE BABY
(OKeh 6907; August, 1952)
A loud and harsh sounding record without much plot detail beyond the melodrama, but with repeated listening the intensity is justified and is ably backed by a slightly more restrained, but no less powerful, band who give this something to stand on. (5)

CHRISTMAS MORNING
(OKeh 6929; November, 1952)
Not your typical holiday fare, either musically or in terms of its (non-explicit) sexual theme done with only passing reference to a few Christmas-based markers which makes it perhaps more interesting but much less commercial for the season at hand. (5)

BE SURE YOU KNOW
(OKeh 6929; November, 1952)
A cover of a recent country song is surprisingly readjusted for Turner, allowing him to express far more emotion than labels were typically comfortable with in these endeavors, even as the arrangement which leans more pop, works against him. (5)