Benny Turner
BT
Nola Blue Records
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © October ’24
BT is Benny Turner’s fifth release, and I’m very happy to say that I have now had the honor and pleasure of reviewing them all. To quote Benny: “I had a great time working on this album with some of my favorite musicians and reminiscing about my music history, from picking up the guitar again to revisiting my gospel roots, to finally recording some of my favorites….”
As I prepare to list those favorite musicians of Benny’s, I’m going to take the liberty of saying that when Benny said “some”, I’m pretty sure he meant “a whole lot”. That said, with all of them being dear to him, and many to me as well, I’m going to attempt to name them all. For this project Benny – on lead and background vocals, bass, lead guitar, banjo, percussion and hand claps – is joined by: Bobby Gentilo on guitar, clavinet, piano, percussion and background vocals; Charlie Burnett on upright bass and background vocals; Nate Young on Wurlitzer, piano, clavinet and background vocals; Paul Murr on drums and background vocals; Will McFarlane, Derwin “Big D” Perkins, Billy Davis, Steve Grills, June Yamagishi and Jack Miele on guitar; Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport on harmonica; Clayton Ivey on Wurlitzer, keys and Hammond B3; Justin Holder, and Christy Engel on drums; Jeffrey “Jellybean” Alexander on drums; Sax Gordon on horns; Shawn Allen and Keiko Komaki on piano and B3; Dave Keyes on piano; Norwood “Geechie” Johnson on bass drum; Joe Krown on B3; Tiffany Pollack, Warner Williams, Marva Wright and Kassie Netherland Miele on background vocals; and making her recording debut, Nola Blue Records’ very own, Sallie Bengtson on background vocals and claps.
BT contains three of Benny’s originals and seven covers that were some of his, and his families, favorite recordings by some of their favorite artists.
Kicking things off is Benny’s rendition of “Bump Miss Susie”, a song by Rudolph Toombs that’s often credited to Big Joe Turner. And just like Miss Susie herself, the song is a smokin’ hot number. While Benny excitedly tells us about just how much Miss Susie enjoys bumping, the chorus line of “all night long” features Charlie, Bobby, Paul and Nate enthusiastically reminding us of just how long she enjoys doing it. Musically, the profound rhythm Charlie (upright bass) and Paul (drums) are thumping out is absolutely perfect to bump to; and the rousing guitar (Bobby) and piano (Nate) leads create a perfect bump party atmosphere.
“Going Down Slow” (James Oden) is a song that Benny says is one of the most requested songs at his live shows. With it being one of my favorites of this lot, I get why. Benny took a classic Howlin’ Wolf slow blues song, and with his heartfelt and soulful lead and background vocals, he gave it an inspirational gospel feel. Musically, the song is nothing short of masterful: Benny, on the bass, Justin on the drums, and Clayton on the piano and B3 – have the slow blues rhythm groove nailed; while “Young Rell” and Will shine on the killer slow blues harmonica and guitar leads. With its several replays, this one just became the most requested track at the House of Blewzz as well.
The next two songs are songs where in addition to sounding absolutely fabulous, the band does an equally great job of allowing the vocalists to shine. On ballads titled “When I Call On You” (Dee Clark) and “Born This Time”, Benny and Tiffany are flawless together. You know those live shows where from time to time the musicians leave the stage and the vocalist does a solo acapella type song? These are that song! The story about how and why this track got recorded is as interesting as the track itself. Other than to tell you that it started in 2017 when Benny met Billy Davis – an original member of The Midnighters – while they were both billed at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival, you’ll have to read the rest as Sallie Bengtson, the President of Nola Blue Records tells it on the liner notes. Although it’s more of a compilation, Benny’s calling it “Finger Poppin Time” (Hank Ballard). Along with Benny singing lead and all harmonies, the song is highlighted by Billy sounding as good as he did on guitar, back when the originals were recorded, and some killer piano leads from Dave Keyes.
The first of the final three songs on the disc is also the first of Benny’s three originals. The song is called “Drunk” as in “If you see me on the ground, don’t try to pick me up – unless you’ve got a bottle and a sixteen-ounce cup. I want to get drunk”. According to the liner notes pertaining to this one, Benny wrote it with his late friend Jimmy Reed in mind. Hmmmmmm, I’d like to hear more about this inspiration.
Although some are more common than others, the thoughts that inspire original songs are literally endless. That said, this instrumental composition has to be one of the more unique. While Benny was writing it, It seems that the lazy, laid-back vibe the music created reminded him of “how the animals would lay around in the barnyard at the end of a long hot day in the fields.” Hence the title “Sleepy Time In The Barnyard”. It features Benny playing his first instrument – guitar. Joining him on what Benny calls “a down-home back porch country blues instrumental like he used to hear his family play when he was a boy in East Texas”, are Bobby on guitar, Charlie on upright bass, Nate on piano, and Paul on drums.
The closing track and final original song is titled “Who Sang It First”. It’s a track that Benny co-wrote with Jim George and it first appeared on “Breakin’ News: 10 Years of Blues” – the celebratory Nola Blue ten-year anniversary album. In actuality, the song is a re-write of Jim’s original composition titled “Black Is Beautiful”. The idea behind the song is that it really doesn’t matter if you covered a song and did it better or worse than the original artists, as long as you remember who did it first. Jim describes his original song as a “tribute to all the black pioneers and artists who have paved the way, invented the music and enriched all our lives.” The sincerity that Benny exudes on his vocals, with beautiful backing help from Kassie and Tiffany – truly bring the song’s lyrics to life.
Other tracks on another dynamite Benny Turner release include: “The Walk” (Jimmy McCracklin) and “Smoke My Peace Pipe (Smoke it Right)” (Wilson Turbington).
Should like to find out more about Benny Turner just go to – www.bennyturner.com. Remember, whomever you contact, please tell them the Blewzzman sent you. when you contact them, please tell them their new fan the Blewzzman sent you.
“The Blues Is My Passion And Therapy”
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro
Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
2011 “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award Recipient
