Blues and Rock Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter

Some artists do their best to interpret the blues. Blues singer and guitarist, Troy Turner, has lived them.

Born in Louisiana in 1967 and raised in Baton Rouge, Troy first started singing in the Starhill Baptist Church  choir at the age of five. Already he was an orphan of sorts. His father died in a tragic car accident when Troy was three; his mother was clinically depressed and living in an institution during most of his childhood. 

His paternal grandparents, Edna Mae, a respected gospel singer, and Henry, raised Troy. They were the first to recognize his musical talent. Edna Mae sent Troy to school to learn to play the several instruments, including the tuba and the guitar, but balked when she her him play the blues, a genre she still thought of as “the devil’s music.” One night at Soweto’s, Troy’s grandmother, Edna Mae, marched in, broomstick in hand, to escort a mortified 14 year old, Troy, home.

It wasn’t long before Troy was sneaking out of the house at night to hang with the late harmonica master, Raful Neal, who had famously played with Buddy Guy in the blues band, ‘The Clouds,’ and jam at local clubs like Tabby’s Blues Box, Byron’s and Soweto’s. 

Customers were so taken with his youthful appearance they nicknamed him ‘Baby Face.” Troy may have been young, but he’s always claimed to have an “old soul.” In fact, he says with a smile, that he’s really 84.

Troy was a huge Prince fan in his teen years. He dressed like the ‘Purple One’ in high school, and even thought of himself as a Southern version of the Minnesota superstar. He attacked songs with an aggressive style that earned him another moniker - ‘Troy Turner, Guitar Burner’. His sound was so recognizable, people could tell who was playing the moment he struck the first note, whether they could see him or not. 

Troy could easily have been the “sharp dressed man” in ZZ Top’s song because his look (complete with handful of aces hat, tailored suits, flashy belt buckles and boots) is as distinctive as his sound.

Troy left Baton Rouge for New Orleans in 1988 and quickly became a regular fixture on the scene. For the next five years he wowed audiences at Tipitina’s, House of Blues, Maple Leaf, Carrolton Station and Rock ’n’ Bowl. Though he bled the blues, he also got hooked on funk and his fascination with the work of R & B artists like Prince, Rick James and The Time caused him to begin experimenting with different styles during his nearly nightly gigs. Beginning in 1990 Troy began playing the festival circuit in the U.S. (including seven straight years at New Orleans Jazz Festival) and toured Europe, where he especially wowed the crowd at the Pistoia Festival in Helsinki, Finland, playing a crowd-mandated triple encore.

After touring the country with Third Gear, the band he formed with Raful Neal’s son, Darnell and Greg Kaiser, Troy recorded his first two solo albums, Teenage Blues in Baton Rouge (Kingsnake, 1990) and Handful of Aces (Kingsnake, 1992). By the age of 23, he had already been touted as a major blues force to watch by Rolling Stone, Guitar Player, Living Blues and Guitar World.

Van Halen lead singer, David Lee Roth, told Guitar World that Troy’s first two records were two of his all-time favorites. Troy received the coveted J.D. Miller Award from the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to the genre. His third album, Blues On My Back (Telarc, 1999), was also widely acclaimed by industry publications. 

In a 1999 overview, All Music Guide’s, Ron Wynn wrote, “Troy Turner’s sound symbolizes the ‘contemporary 90s artist. He includes soul, funk and rock elements in his playing but also sings powerhouse straight blues tunes.”

Troy recently relocated to Canada but still considers New Orleans his home. He is also comfortable being on the road. When he is on stage playing, his head thrown back, eyes closed, it is easy to see that Troy is the living embodiment of the blues. 

Whole Lotta Blues, Troy Turner’s fourth studio album, is a reflection of both his combustible guitar skill and vocal  virtuosity. Though he hasn’t released a record in over a decade, he’s used the time to gain perspective. 

His signature lead guitar work reflects the seasoning of a veteran craftsman who’s added to his considerable musical arsenal. The fiery “gunslinger” is still evident, but his solo work on this record is often restrained and understated.

He’s not trying to overpower its songs as much as compliment them. In that regard he’s made a quantum leap forward from his previous efforts. 

Howard Tate, a respected vocalist since he burst on the scene in the late 60’s, duets with Troy on ‘Never Too Big for the Blues.’ “I knew our voices would go together,” said Tate, “But when he plays that guitar, whoa! He’s a monster.” Troy also teams up with guitar legend, Steve Cropper and Young Rascals founder, Felix Cavaliere on piano, for the high energy ‘Foolin’ Yourself.’



The hauntingly rhythmic ‘Come To Your Senses’, by Queen’s, Brian May and Tiven and featuring Cropper, allows Troy to stretch out and distinguish himself as an innovator, as well as trustworthy blues purveyor. Even Minnesota Senator, Al Franken, appears in the liner notes. Franken co-wrote the humorous ‘Blue Hair Woman’ with his former band mates Tiven and Tiven’s wife, Sally, in the early 80s. 

Tiven, Whole Lotta Blues producer and guilding light, began his career in rock’s “golden era” as a writer for Rolling  Stone, Melody Maker, Fusion and virtually every other hip music magazine of the late 60s and early 70s. A gifted songwriter/musician as well, he wrote or co-wrote all but one of the album’s ten tracks (Don Nix’s classic ‘Goin’ Down’).

Having worked as an A & R exec for Chess Records, Tiven hit stride when he segued from behind a desk to the  mine board and the concert stage. He’s produced records for artists like B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Don Covay, Alex Chilton, Frank Black and Cropper/Cavaliere, formed his own bands (including The Yankees), played on numerous sessions with the likes of soul legend Major Lance and the Rolling Stones and written material for Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Koko Taylor, B.B. King and the Jeff Healey Band. 

Teenage Blues. In Baton Rouge. Kingsnake 1990 

Handful of Aces. Kingsnake, 1992. Lucky Peterson

Whole Lotta Blues (Evidence Records, 2010 Featuring: Steve Cropper, Leslie West, Brian May (Queen) and Felix Cavaliere

Blues On My Back, Telarc, 1999