TITUS TURNER
Titus Lee Turner (May 1, 1933 – September 13, 1984)] was an American R&B and East Coast blues singer and songwriter. His best-remembered recordings are "We Told You Not to Marry" and "Sound-Off". He also wrote "Leave My Kitten Alone", "Sticks and Stones" and "Tell Me Why".
Turner was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His debut single, "Where Are You", was released in 1950 by Aladdin Records, credited to Mr. T and his Band. Another single, "Stop Trying to Make a Fool of Me", was released by Regal Records in 1951. A year later he recorded eight tracks for Okeh Records, including "Got So Much Trouble." He then recorded for Wing, an imprint of Mercury Records, but he was not commercially successful until 1955, when Little Willie John recorded Turner's "All Around the World". Another version, retitled "Grits Ain't Groceries," was by Little Milton.
Turner and John then co-wrote "Leave My Kitten Alone", cover versions of which were recorded by Johnny Preston, the Beatles, and Elvis Costello. In 1959, King Records issued Turner's first hit single, "The Return of Stagolee," an answer song to Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee". He repeated the trick with his next release, "We Told You Not to Marry," an answer to Price's "I'm Gonna Get Married." In 1960, Ray Charles recorded Turner's song "Sticks and Stones", many cover versions of which have been issued over the years. By 1961 Turner had his biggest solo success with "Sound-Off", which came from the only album he ever released.The track was described by Joel Whitburn in Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 as a "popular US Army marching drill chant," which had been a number 3 hit for Vaughn Monroe in 1951.
Later singles failed to find a market, and Turner recorded for many labels throughout the 1960s without further tangible success. These included "Eye to Eye" (Okeh, 1966). His final release was a song he wrote, "His Funeral, My Trial", in 1969.
Turner died in Atlanta in 1984.
Aunque grabó regularmente durante las décadas de 1950 y 1960, el cantante de R&B Titus Turner hoy sigue siendo mejor conocido como compositor, y es autor de perennes como "Leave My Kitten Alone", "All Around the World" y "Sticks and Stones". Nacido en Atlanta, GA, en 1933, Turner hizo su debut grabado para OKeh en 1951, en la grabación de nueve sencillos para el sello, incluyendo "Got So Much Trouble". Sin embargo, ninguno tuvo un gran impacto comercial, por lo que se mudó a la impronta del ala de Mercurio, donde el éxito en las listas siguió eludiéndolo; en 1955, sin embargo, Little Willie John obtuvo un gran éxito con "All Around the World" de Turner , que luego fue cubierto por Little Milton bajo el título "Grits Ain't Groceries". Turner y John también colaboraron en el sencillo "Leave My Kitten Alone", posteriormente cubierto por todos, desde los Beatles hasta Elvis Costello . Mientras grababa para el sello King en 1959, Turner obtuvo su primer éxito con "The Return of Stag-O-Lee", una canción de respuesta al clásico de Lloyd Price "Stagger Lee"; su similitud vocal con Price fue nuevamente explotada para el seguimiento "We Told You Not to Marry", una respuesta al reciente éxito de Price "I'm Gonna Get Married". La gran interpretación de Ray Charles de "Sticks and Stones", inspirada en el evangelio, precedió al lanzamiento en 1961 del mayor éxito de Turner , "Sound Off", la canción principal de su único LP de estudio; sin embargo, seguimientos como "Party Train" y "Miss Rubberneck Jones" no lograron mantener el impulso, y pasó el resto de la década grabando lados poco escuchados para una serie de sellos que incluyen Enjoy, Columbia, Atco, Murbo, Philips y Josie "His Funeral, My Trial" de 1969 fue la canción de cisne grabada de Turner ; Murió en Atlanta en 1984.
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