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Joe Lynn Turner

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Joe Lynn Turner
Joe Lynn Turner, 2024
Joe Lynn Turner, 2024
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Arthur Mark Linquito
Also known asJLT
Born (1951-08-02) August 2, 1951 (age 73)
Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresHard rock, pop rock, heavy metal, glam metal
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1969–present
LabelsElektra, Frontiers. Cleopatra
Websitejoelynnturner.com

Joe Lynn Turner (born Joseph Arthur Mark Linquito, August 2, 1951) is an American singer known for his work in the hard rock bands Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen and Deep Purple.[1]

Turner fronted and played guitar with pop-rock band Fandango in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s he became a member of Rainbow, fronting the band and writing songs with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and bassist Roger Glover. After Rainbow disbanded in March 1984, he pursued a solo career, released one album, Rescue You, and sang backing vocals for Billy Joel, Cher, and Michael Bolton along with radio and television jingles. He also collaborated with songwriters Desmond Child and Jack Ponti. Turner had a short-lived association with neoclassical metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen and then Deep Purple. From the mid-1990s, he resumed his solo career, releasing an additional nine studio and two live recordings. He continued to perform session work, and collaborated with the groups Mother's Army and Hughes Turner Project and Sunstorm, the latter of which released five albums with Turner. In 2016, Turner released The Sessions via Cleopatra Records.[2]

Career

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Early work

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Turner playing in Ezra, c. 1972

Turner was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, on August 2, 1951,[3] and became interested in music in the 1960s. Growing up in an Italian-American home, he was influenced by singers such as Frank Sinatra and Enrico Caruso.[4] In high school, he formed the band Ezra, performing original material and cover songs. He played the accordion as a child and learned the guitar in his early teens. He was once influenced primarily by such artists as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Free.[5]

In 1977, Turner joined the rock band Fandango, who signed with RCA Records.[6] Turner sang and played guitar on the band's four albums.[7] Fandango toured with numerous artists including The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Beach Boys and Billy Joel.

Rainbow

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After Fandango split, Turner received a phone call from British guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. This led to an audition, and Turner was subsequently enlisted as the lead vocalist for Rainbow. At the time, the band had achieved considerable success in Europe and Japan but had not yet attained the same level of recognition in the United States. Turner’s arrival coincided with a shift toward a more mainstream, pop-oriented sound, which contributed to Rainbow’s increased success in the US market.[8]

During this period, several of the band’s tracks with Turner on vocals reached the Top 20 on rock radio charts in the early-to-mid-1980s. Stone Cold became Rainbow’s first Top 40 hit, and the accompanying video received significant rotation on MTV, boosting the band’s visibility in America. Turner appeared on three studio albums with Rainbow: Difficult to Cure, Straight Between the Eyes, and Bent Out of Shape. Songs such as Street of Dreams and Can’t Let You Go were notable singles from these albums.[9][10]

In Difficult to Cure, the band made an ambitious move by incorporating Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) into the title track, blending classical and hard rock influences. The album produced Rainbow’s most successful UK single, I Surrender, which peaked at No. 3 on the UK charts. It also marked significant growth for the band in the US, where Jealous Lover gained considerable airplay on Album-Oriented Rock radio stations and charted at No. 13 on Billboard’s Rock Tracks chart. Initially a B-side to Can’t Happen Here, the song was later reissued as the title track for a US EP.[11]

Joe Lynn Turner shared his tenures in Rainbow and Deep Purple with Ritchie Blackmore, the founding member of both bands.

Rainbow’s follow-up album, Straight Between the Eyes, further developed this AOR direction, solidifying the band’s success in the US. However, this evolution in sound alienated some long-time fans who preferred the band’s earlier material. The ballad Stone Cold became a major hit on Billboard’s Rock Tracks chart, reaching No. 1, and its accompanying MTV video received extensive play. The band’s successful American tour during this time was documented in the live album and video Live Between the Eyes.[12]

With Bent Out of Shape, Rainbow underwent further changes, including the departure of drummer Bobby Rondinelli, who was replaced by Chuck Burgi. The album featured the hit Street of Dreams (Rainbow song), which sustained the band’s AOR success. There was controversy surrounding the music video for the track, with Ritchie Blackmore claiming that MTV banned it due to its alleged hypnosis theme. However, critics such as Dr. Thomas Radecki of the National Coalition on Television Violence disputed this, accusing MTV of broadcasting a video with violent and disturbing imagery.[13]

The band’s final tour before disbanding in 1984 included performances in the UK and Japan. A notable highlight was a concert in Japan where Rainbow performed Difficult to Cure with a full orchestra. This performance was filmed and later released on home video as Japan Tour ’84.[14]

Solo (1980s)

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In 1985, Turner released a solo album, Rescue You,[7] produced by Roy Thomas Baker, known for his work with Queen and The Cars. He co-wrote most of the songs with keyboardist Al Greenwood (of Foreigner). The first single, "Endlessly", received extensive airplay on radio and MTV. Tours with Night Ranger and Pat Benatar and an acting role in the TV movie Blue Deville followed.[15]

In 1987, Turner supplied backing vocals for the Michael Bolton album The Hunger, appearing on the tracks "Hot Love" and "Gina". In the same year he joined Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force and recorded the album Odyssey.[7] The brief tour that followed the release of the album included a concert in Leningrad, which was recorded and then released as Trial by Fire (1989).[7] Later that year he left the band.[7]

Deep Purple

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Turner had invitations from both Bad Company and Foreigner to join them,[16] but opted to join Deep Purple.[7] With that band he recorded one album, Slaves and Masters (1990).[7] The album peaked at No. 87 on the Billboard Charts, which was below expectations for a Deep Purple album. A relatively successful tour followed in 1991, especially in Europe, with Turner willing to sing songs from the Coverdale era of the band, something Ian Gillan had refused. Turner was let go by the band in late 1992 in the middle of sessions for a follow-up album (which eventually became The Battle Rages On...) to make way for a returning Gillan in time for the 25th anniversary of the band.[17] He has also put out three albums for the progressive rock band[18] Mother's Army, featuring Jeff Watson, Bob Daisley, and Carmine Appice.

Solo (1992–present)

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Turner fronting the Rainbow tribute band Over the Rainbow in 2010

In 1995, Turner released Nothing's Changed, with contributions from guitarist Al Pitrelli. In 1998 he released Hurry Up and Wait, including the track “Too Much Is Not Enough,” which he co-wrote with Bob Held and Al Greenwood. Released in 2000, Holy Man featured a collaboration with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Turner continues to release solo material.

Discography

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Citations

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  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (2004). Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story. ECW Press. pp. 260–. ISBN 978-1-55022-618-8. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  2. ^ Barber, Jim (October 24, 2016). "Joe Lynn Turner Revisits Some of His Classic Rock Influences On New Album". MusicLifeMagazine.net. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  3. ^ "Joe Lynn Turner Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Barber, Jim (October 24, 2016). "Joe Lynn Turner Revisits Some of His Classic Rock Influences on New Album". MusicLifeMagazine.net. Retrieved November 1, 2016. We would all sit around the table on Sundays and sing and play guitars and stuff. I used to play the accordion at first. Okay, that wasn't a very sexy instrument so I dropped that pretty quick and started playing guitar. And when you start to play guitar and it gets known, that's when you start to attract the attention of the girls in high school. And I think that's a pretty universal story – shy kid uses guitar to get noticed," (Turner) said.
  5. ^ Jeb Wright (November 12, 2012). "Discover the 10 albums that changed Joe Lynn Turner's life". Goldmine.
  6. ^ "Presenting Fandango (Photograph)". Arista, RCA Sign New Artists. Cash Box Magazine. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 43. March 12, 1977. p. 10. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Colin Larkin, ed. (1999). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock (first ed.). Virgin Books. p. 459. ISBN 0-7535-0257-7.
  8. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 97.
  9. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 104.
  10. ^ Hart 2012, p. 39.
  11. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 135.
  12. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 109.
  13. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 145.
  14. ^ Popoff 2020, p. 170.
  15. ^ "Blue de Ville (TV Movie 1986)". IMDb. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  16. ^ "JOE LYNN TURNER Entertained Offers From FOREIGNER And BAD COMPANY Before Joining DEEP PURPLE". Blabbermouth.net. April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Marybeth Mitchell. "Can Happen Here – Joe Lynn Turner". Higher Rock Music. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  18. ^ "Biography". Joe Lynn Turner official website. Retrieved February 23, 2014.

References

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