Zeb Turner
Zeb Turner (June 23, 1915 – January 10, 1978) was an American country music songwriter and guitarist, and pioneer of rockabilly. He was born William Edward Grishaw in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and he renamed himself after a favorite piece of music, "The Zeb Turner Stomp". With his brother James (who took the stage name "Zeke Turner"), also a guitarist, he backed artists such as Hank Williams and Red Foley in the years after World War II. He co-wrote "It's a Sin", a number one hit on the country chart for Eddy Arnold in 1947, with music publisher Fred Rose. Turner also recorded for small record labels such as Bullet and King Records; some of these were "country boogie" tunes which were influential on early rockabilly. His King Records version of Billy Briggs' "Chew Tobacco Rag" was a No. 8 jukebox country and western hit in 1951, while his own "Tennessee Boogie" had reached No. 11 on the same chart in 1949. Later in the 1950s, Turner was a disc jockey on Baltimore and Washington radio stations. |
Birth and Death Data: Born June 23, 1915, Died January 10, 1978
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, electric guitar, guitar, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Victor | E0VB-3319 | 10-in. | 1/18/1950 | I'm a lonesome man | Ernie Lee ; Southerners (Ernie Lee) | Male vocal solo, with string band | songwriter | |
Victor | D6VB-2893 | 10-in. | 9/24/1946 | It's a sin | Eddy Arnold | Male vocal solo, with string band | songwriter | |
Victor | D7VB-1518 | 10-in. | 8/18/1947 | Poppin' bubble gum | Lonzo and Oscar ; Winston County Pea Pickers | Male vocal duet, with string band | composer | |
Victor | D9VB-0858 | 10-in. | 2/2/1949 | You're next door to heaven (when you're in Tennessee) | Ernie Lee ; Southerners (Ernie Lee) | Male vocal solo, with string band | composer | |
Columbia | HCO2355 | 10-in. | 6/4/1947 | It's a sin | Johnny Bond ; Red River Valley Boys | String band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | CCO4911 | 10-in. | 11/20/1947 | There's no room in my heart (for the blues) | Paul Howard and his Cotton Pickers | String band, with male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Columbia | CO40377 | 10-in. | 1/16/1949 | Rainbow in my heart | George Morgan | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | CO40378 | 10-in. | Please don't let me love you | George Morgan | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, electric guitar | ||
Columbia | CO40379 | 10-in. | 1/16/1949 | Candy kisses | George Morgan | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, guitar | |
Columbia | CO40685 | 10-in. | 4/11/1949 | Country boy | Little Jimmy Dickens | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, electric guitar | |
Columbia | CO40686 | 10-in. | 4/11/1949 | I'm fading fast with the time | Little Jimmy Dickens | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, electric guitar, songwriter | |
Columbia | CO40687 | 10-in. | 4/11/1949 | I'll be back a-Sunday | Little Jimmy Dickens | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, electric guitar | |
Columbia | CO40688 | 10-in. | 4/11/1949 | My heart's bouquet | Little Jimmy Dickens | Male vocal solo, with string band | instrumentalist, electric guitar | |
Columbia | CO46820 | 10-in. | 8/5/1951 | There's no room in my heart (for the blues) | Melissa Monroe | Female vocal solo, with string band | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Turner, Zeb," accessed September 12, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/356089.
Turner, Zeb. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved September 12, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/356089.
"Turner, Zeb." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 12 September 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Turner, Zeb, 1915-1978 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97008209
Wikidata: Zeb Turner - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q8068221
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/107149106269968492361
MusicBrainz: Zeb Turner - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/f54c2737-eff7-4f48-a8ce-b8e1a58c96b0
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