Benny Turner & Cash McCall - Going Back Home

Benny Turner & Cash McCall - Going Back Home - Nola Blue Records

After the death of Clay 'Clady C' Graham of the gospel group The Pilgrim Jubilees, Benny Turner texted Sallie Bengtson, Nola Blue Records President to find Cash Mccall. McCall was found in Memphis but not doing well and needing support. The contact led the two veterans of Chicago's blues scene to the recording session producing "Going Back Home." Turner and his bass and vocals, along with McCall on rhythm guitar and vocals, are joined by a variety of studio players including Raishene Webb, and Joe Krown on keyboards, Butch Mudbone on guitar, Billy Branch and Johnny Sansome on harmonica, and Rodd Bland on drums. 

These are solidly performed songs (9 covers and one original) as one might expect from the personnel and Benny Turner's production skills. The vocals are pleasant, if not compelling, with McCall overshadowed by his performances from decades past when he had some hit recordings, did session work as a guitarist for Chess and other labels and spent a year and a half touring with Minnie Riperton. His blues recordings in the intervening years also had a vocal range reflecting his gospel roots.

One should not get an idea that these are poor performances. Turner does a solid job in reviving Harold Burrage's "Got to Find a Way" on which McCall played on as well as a wry treatment of Willie Mabon's hit "Poison Ivy," a driving rendition of Elmore James' "Shake Your Money Maker," as well as a rollicking interpretation of G.L. Crockett's "There's a Man Down There." 

McCall had a close connection with Willie Dixon, but adds little to the cover of "Spoonful." Much better is his humorous, talking blues original, "Money." Billy Branch's harmonica and Mudbone's slide guitar contributes to an enjoyable "It Hurts Me Too," with Turner on backing vocal. This Tampa Red song is wrongly credited to Elmore James. There is an entertaining, bawdy "The Dirty Dozens" taken from his days playing with pianist Little Johnnie Jones.

Billy Branch handles the vocal (and harmonica) on a Sonny Boy Williamson cover, "Bring It On Home," that takes this recording home with Turner and McCall in supporting roles. This track closes an enjoyable, although not compelling, Chicago blues recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared originally in the May/June 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 384). Here is a video of the two talking about this recording

Sam Joyner When U Need a Friend

Sam Joyner
When U Need a Friend
Self-produced

Keyboardist-singer-songwriter Sam Joyner was born and raised in Chicago but is based in New Orleans, where his regular gigs include Spirits on Bourbon and Teddy’s Juke Joint. The latter club is in Zachary, Louisiana. On this session, he is backed by Benny Turner on bass; Jellybean on drums: Lil Ray Neal, Marc Stone, and Harry Sterling on guitar; and others.

The performances include the soul-blues of “Must Be Jelly” (not the William Clarke song), and the raucous Chicago blues shuffle, “Goin’ to Chicago.” Joyner is a robust, slightly sandpaper-toned singer who sounds at home in a variety of blues styles. His passionate singing on “Hard 4 Your Money,” is complemented by Lil Ray Neal’s B.B. King-styled fretwork. The semi-autobiographical “Them Bluez” is a showcase for some piano as well as his determined singing. Lil Ray Neal returns on a superb atmospheric slow blues, “Breakin’ Up Our Happy Home,” with a heartfelt vocal, a down-in-the-alley piano solo, and a “Long Distance Call" part spoken-part sung closing segment.

Other tracks of note include another solid shuffle is “Natural Born Luvah,” and “Onions Ain’t the Only Thing” with the cheesy keyboards. Marc Stone adds slide guitar on the title track that closes this CD. Sam Joyner certainly captures the listener’s attention with the authority and conviction he sings with. I wish the liner notes gave a bit more information about Sam’s career and provided information on who played on what songs. The music does speak for itself, however, and does so very impressively.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Sam Joyner performing at the 2017 International Blues Challenge Finals.

Kathy and the Kilowatts Premonition of Love

Kathy and the Kilowatts
Premonition of Love
Nola Blue Records

This This is the fourth album by the Texas singer, and the first in a new partnership with Nola Blue Records. Kathy Murray has written ten songs and there are three interpretations of previously recorded material. The Kilowatts include her husband, Billy "Monster" Jones, on guitars (and accordion on one track); either Dylan Cavaliere or Jeff Botta on bass; and Nina Singh on drums or percussion. Benny Turner plays bass on four tracks while Floyd Domino and Matt Farrell are heard on keyboards while Dan Torosian and Eric Johnson add horns.

Murray has been part of his he Austin Texas scene since the 1980s and apparently her singing has been described as "the love child of Jimmy Reed and Wanda Jackson." She shares with Reed a laconic attack, and while her vocals have a slight nasal quality, her diction and articulation of the lyrics are removed from Reed's sometimes mush-mouth singing. She sings in a straightforward manner, and if she may not invest her version of "Black Nights," with the authority of Lowell Fulson, her heartfelt vocals certainly have more than a little appeal.

The backing her enhances her vocals greatly whether the West Side Chicago blues setting for 'Beggars Can't Be Choosers," with a horn arrangement that will evoke Otis Rush's "Right Place, Wrong Time," or the boogaloo shuffle groove of "Always Fooling Me," which she invests with a wry humor singing about her "hocus focus baby." There is her atmospheric title track with Murray's strong guitar support, and the rollicking reworking of Cleveland Crochet's cajun rocker "Sugar Bee," with Murray's idiomatic accordion solo. There is an able cover of Magic Sam's "What Have I Done Wrong," and the moody, Muddy Waters' styled "Final Verdict" with Kim Field's harmonica as well as Murray's deep down guitar.

Add the rollicking rock and roll of "All These Questions," with Floyd Domino's boogie inflected piano and the relaxed shuffle groove of "I Got This," and one has a varied and entertaining, well-produced set of blues with a couple of roots rocker added for spice.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 378). Here is a video clip of Kathy and the Kilowatts performing "Grow Some.".

Survivor: The Benny Turner Story

Survivor: The Benny Turner Story
Bill Dahl and Benny Turner
Nola Blue, Inc.
2017: 238 + xiv pages

This is a little gem of a book where Benny Turner, with Bill Dahl's assistance, tells his fascinating story from growing up in Texas along with half-brother Freddie King, moving to Chicago where he worked with his half-brother, along with various gospel, rhythm and blues and Chicago blues legends, spending time with Mighty Joe Young after Freddie passed until Young had medical issues, then spending years leading Marva Wright's Band, and after her passing taking up the spotlight as a leader and recording and performing under his own name.

The story begins as Turner goes into his family background, noting Freddie's real father who abandoned him and how he became King while Benny is named after his father. They grew up in Jim Crow Texas although it wasn't until several years passed that he experienced the humiliation blacks could be subjected to. While his father did not play, his mother did as did several uncles including Uncle Leon. Benny states his mother and Uncle Leon played songs from Robert Johnson and Leadbelly, which I take allegorically (as to songs similar to those of Johnson and Leadbelly) and not literally. What is more important than this is the closeness of his family, including his relationship with his half-brother and he helped Freddie in the cotton fields, although he was accidentally injured once and still has a four inch scar from it, and the accidental death of Uncle Leon. His mother also lay down the discipline as he was growing up.

The family moved to Chicago in 1950 with his father getting a job with a steel company assisting with molten steel and tipping buckets into molds. It was a whole new world of experiences including electric lights, indoor plumbing and Freddie wanting to see a refrigerator make ice and also getting enrolled in school and the like, with Benny initially enrolled in a predominantly white school where he faced racist bullying and after fighting out of a situation was enrolled in a black school, but even here he had to fight himself out of a similar situation except here it was neighborhood kids, but he also recalled experiences of police harassment simply walking back home form a movie theater.

Besides recalling some of the interesting characters in the neighborhood and other situations, he starting singing doo-wop with classmates and after awhile they even went to Chess Records hoping to record and met Rice 'Sonny Boy Williamson' Miller who they watched record with Turner recalling the interaction between the Miller and Leonard Chess. Benny would next cross paths with Miller while playing with his brother. Turner recounts his experiences auditioning for gospel groups and other vocal groups, and day jobs after his father was disabled after being hit by a car. He started playing guitar in a gospel group, the Kindly Shepherds with whom Turner traveled and made his first recordings. He recounts experiences traveling with them including harassment from police down south.

While his career was starting, brother Freddie's career was taking off. Turner notes the influences of Jimmy Rogers and Robert Lockwood on King's guitar style as well as King's admiration of Earl Hooker while also noting folks like Jimmy Lee Robinson that were in King's bands. He recalls Freddie taking him to see Howlin' Wolf who put King under his wing, and recalls Freddie recording "Spoonful" with the Wolf, a recollection that will bring back the controversy of decades ago on Freddie's claim of having recorded that backing Wolf. He also recalls Freddie playing with Robert 'Mojo' Elem and T.J. McNulty who Luther Allison would front after Freddie started going on the road (Luther told me this years ago and Turner includes a picture of a very young Luther with McNulty here).

The detail I have provided is incomplete but indicates the contents of this wonderful memoir that details his own musical career that included touring with Dee Clark which he spends some detail on and later he would play bass with The Soul Stirrers (the first electric bassist with a gospel group) as well playing with various Chicago blues and soul legends including Freddie in a band that included Little Johnnie Jones and Abb Locke. Later he would return to Freddie's band after his time playing with the Soul Stirrers though also spent time with Jimmy Reed and others before rejoining Freddie who he remained with until his passing detailing concerts, recording sessions and the like. And he was with Freddie until the end, remembering some conversations between the brothers, the last performance and the aftermath of his death.

After his brother's death, Mighty Joe Young got him into his band with whom he would play with until surgery intended to fix a pinched neck in his neck, instead left unable to play with that arm. Around this time, he moved to New Orleans although remaining close with Young until Young passed away in 1999. In New Orleans he started playing at the Old Absinthe Bar which unfortunately now is a daiquiri shop. Interweaving his experiences living in New Orleans was his hooking up with Marva Wright, who was a church-going woman starting as a blues singer although beginning her career singing blues. At the time Marva had a band of jazz players which she didn't like (in fact hated it), when she hooked up with Turner which was fine as he really preferred working with just one person like he had with Freddie and Joe Young. It was the beginning of a lengthy time as he became her band leader. There are recollections of her powerful singing, especially with the bishop, organist Sammy Berfect who passed in 1999, of a plane ride in Europe where all the band members were scared for their lives and being reunited with Tyrone Davis in New Orleans who he had not seen in years, and then seeing James Cotton in Brazil who he had last seen when Cotton had been in Muddy Waters' band. Hurricane Katrina of course interrupted Turner's life as it did Marva. Marva relocated to Baltimore, and Benny flew in to play a benefit for Marva at the now closed Bangkok Blues in Falls Church, Virginia a Washington DC suburb, that Benny includes a photo of himself from on page 197 (it was likely my photo although uncredited but I recognize the location), noting it was his 1st post-Katrina performance. Marva eventually came back to New Orleans and Benny rejoined her until she suffered a stroke in 2009 and passed in 2010.

After Marva's passing, Turner took the spotlight at last and the last chapter details some of the events such as going up to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with her niece Wanda when Freddie King was inducted, as well as paying a musical tribute to Marva Wright at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and later at the Rock'n'Bowl in New Orleans. Then he ran into an old friend, Sallie Bengtson, with whom he has partnered to release a number of recordings as a leader and this memoir, and recounts his tours over the past several years such as running into old friends, former Muddy Waters band-member Bob Margolin and Mark Wenner of the Nighthawks.

As Turner states near the book's end, he still has plenty to say and play and one certainly hopes that he does for many years to come. He shares here some observations on the state of the music today. He  may be a blues survivor, but he remains today a terrific musician who continues to enrich us today with his performances, recordings and this book. The lively text is also copiously illustrated with photos from Turner's entire life. This is highly recommended to all fans of blues music.




I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the September-October 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 374).

Benny Turner's "Journey"

Benny Turner has has a distinguished career playing bass and anchoring the bands of his brother, the legendary Freddie King; another Chicago blues legend Mighty Joe Young, and the late Queen of New Orleans, Marva Wright (with whom this writer best knows him). Additionally he pioneered playing bass behind gospel acts and played with the likes of Dee Clark. He has just issued his third recording (the first this writer has heard) as a leader, “Journey” on Nola Blue.

One often looks beyond a sideman who may sing a couple or two opening numbers before bringing on the main act. However, from the first notes of “Breakin’ News,” one quickly becomes aware of the authority Turner brings as a vocalist, not simply a strong bass player who anchors a band. With the handsome production, solid shuffle groove, brassy horn arrangements (from Turner and saxophonist Jason Mingledorff), Marc Stone’s guitar and effective use of backing vocals he convincingly delivers his lyrics about the relationship being over and “ain’t no more crying.” The mood turns down home on “Don’t You Ride My Mule” with Sunpie Barnes adding his harp and Charles Moore rhythm guitar, while Turner’s regular drummer Jeffrey ‘Jellybean’ Alexander lays down the groove and Josh Paxton adds the keyboards here in lieu of Turner’s regular collaborator Keiko Komaki who plays on most of the recording. On other selections, Derwin “Big D” Perkins is on rhythm guitar.

Other selections display Turner’s way with a word in addition to his singing including the reflective “How I Wish” as he sits in his rocking chair wishing his woman was here with him and the topical “What’s Wrong With the World Today” that touches on issues of homelessness, violence and other matters as Turner sings that “We need love” on this closing track. Another number that should resonate is the soulful ballad “Worn Out Woman” with its theme of a woman’s work never being done, getting the kids on the bus and then dust the house. Turner even takes up the guitar and kazoo for the relaxed, down-home instrumental “My Mother’s Blues.” with twin keyboards and Alexander playing lightly on bass drum and cymbal.

The variety and strength of material, the strong work by the band and Benny Turner’s heartfelt and persuasive vocals make “Journey” a gem of a recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Benny Turner in performance at the 2013 French Quarter Festival in new Orleans.