Zeb Turner Biography & Awards

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Artist Info

Born

June 23, 1915 Lynchburg, VA

Died

January 10, 1978

Biography

Born as William Grishaw, honky tonk guitarist Zeb Turner took his name from his best-loved composition, the "Zeb Turner Stomp." Turner first turned up on wax as a member of the Hi Neighbor Boys on the American Record Label in 1938, but he soon left the group to join forces with his brother James who took the stage name of Zeke Turner. The Turner brothers played guitar on many sessions shortly after WWII, turning up on records by Red Foley and Hank Williams and writing Eddy Arnold's 1947 hit, "It's a Sin." In addition to lending his country boogie guitar work to others, Zeb Turner often recorded in his own right on small, regional labels such as Nashville's Bullet Records and, later, Cincinnati's King Records. Though he never enjoyed mainstream success, Turner did have a long career, eventually ending up as a folksinger in Montreal. ~ Steve Kurutz, All Music Guide