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Twist Turner
During the coarse
of his 44 year long career in music Songwriter, Producer, Drummer Twist
Turner has worked with 30 grammy nominee's and 15 W.C.Handy/Blues music
award winners.
Twist was raised in Seattle and begain his musical career folding
sheets in a laundry with Jimi Hendrix's stepmother. Ok, he admit's it,
he was playing music before that, but it's still a kind of cool fact
that most people don't know about him. In 1974 Twist got a gig with
west coast bluesman/guitar god Isaac Scott. He began playing all the
skidrow bars Seattle had to offer, playing for a clientèle of
strippers, pimps, hustlers, prostitues, bikers and politicians. A good
time was had by all that lived.
In 1975 Twist packed his bags and headed for the windy city, Chicago,
Illinois. With in weeks he was working with all his musical idols.
Playing gigs with musicians he had only dreamed about meeting just a
few months before. Twist was able to work with Hubert Sumlin several
nights a week for nearly 10 years, he got the gig at Theresa's Lounge
with the Jr. Wells Blues Band in 1977, and except for a very short
stint with Buddy Guys band he kept that gig for the most part of 2
years. There was a period of 10 years or so where he never had a
weekend off and would work at least 6 gigs a week sometimes more. Twist
literally worked with the who's who of blues at that time, some really
famous, some not so well known outside of the ghetto. Twist used to
joke that it was much easier to name the 1/2 dozen blues artists that
he hadn't worked with than to name the ones he had.
1984 found Twist restless for a change again, he had just recorded a
new lp and he felt he needed a change of scenery, so he headed to New
Orleans. Let's just say New Orleans didn't work out and not wanting to
go right back to Chicago, he headed to Seattle for a year or so,
fronting his own band Twist Turner and the Turning Point. By 1986 he'd
had enough rain, and decided to give the San Francisco bay area a try.
This turned out to be a great move. Twist immediately picked up a ton
of gigs. He rekindled his friendship with former Jackie Wilson drummer,
now turned vocalist Andrew Jefferies, began working with artists like
Sonny Rhodes, Arkansas (Flooding Down in Texas) Larry Davis, Deacon
Jones, Birdlegg and Country Pete McGill, Guitar Gable, Jimmy
McCracklin, Freddie Roulette and his favorite Luther Tucker. At this
point Twist began to get interested in recording as well.
By 1991 he'd had enough of California so he decided to head back to
Chicago, not so much to play but to live in an area with a large pool
of competent musicians he could use for records and song demos he was
producing. Twist got his gig back with Little Arthur Duncan pretty much
right way. He's now been playing with him off and on for 30 years!
Twist mostly spends his time writing, and producing in his own world
class recording facility. He is currently recording and producing a new
CD featuring the gospel drenched, soulful vocals of ZZ Hill Jr which
should be released before summer of 2007.
Twist has played on over 50 records. Some of the artists he has
recorded with include Big Mojo Elem, Sunnyland Slim, Hip
Lankchan(Linkchain), Little Mack Simmons, Little Charlie and the night
cats, Eddie Shaw, The Eldorados, Liz Mandville Greeson, Jo Armstead,
Andre Williams, Dan Beaver, Jimmie Lee Robinson, Little Arthur Duncan,
Dusty Brown, Russ Green, Omar Coleman, Larry Cox, Robert Plunkett, Paul
Jones(from Manfred Man, the guy who sang Do wa Diddy), Dick Taylor
(origional member of the Rolling Stones),Easy Baby , Lovie Lee, Mark
Hummel, Birdlegg, Country Pete McGill, Isaac Scott, Billy Branch, ZZ
Hill Jr, James Newman, Taildragger, Del Brown, Emery Williams Jr.,
Freddie "send my baby back" Hughes, Chicago Slim, Rev. Charlie Jackson,
Charlie Love, Big D, Harmonica Hines, Jeff Taylor, Reginald Cooper,
Prez Kenneth, Maurice John Vaughn, Melvin Taylor, Willie Kent and the
list goes on and on.
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