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Band
Biography
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LOUISIANA
REGGAE/FUNK THE UNIQUE IRIE TONES OF
HENRY TURNER JR. & FLAVOR
HIT CITY RECORDS - ARTIST
BIOGRAPHY
Additional information @:
www.henryturnerjr.com
or www.flavor.ballardsbytes.com
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What happens when you mix different people, from different backgrounds, with different musical styles? What happens when all of these people have a deep love and respect for their art form? You create the unique irie tones of Louisiana reggae/funk band Henry Turner Jr. & Flavor.
The concept for the band started with Turner’s idea to develop a completely new
kind of music, a fusion of contemporary and ethnic rhythms that would appeal to
a cross section of fans in national and international markets, therefore
creating a brand new music genre – Louisiana Reggae/Funk. Comments Henry, “I consciously wanted an infused
sound, one with elements of R&B, reggae and blues, with some jazz
chording.
Mr. Turner
wanted to create a completely different kind of sound.
Henry,
who is also the president of Hit City Records, has managed several
successful independent bands and artists. This, with the love of
music that started from an early age, has allowed him to bring
together a unique collection of people.
As lead vocalist and guitarist, Turner honed his skills playing in cover bands and
on studio recordings. Recently one of the songs recorded with his first band
The Crystals, entitled “Giving My Love To You,” was featured on
the television show “Chuck” His
early musical influences came from blues and jazz greats B.B. King and George
Benson, as well as the hypnotic mellow reggae tones of Bob Marley. In the 1980’s
he put his career on hold, working at various record labels, which led him to
found Hit City Records, a management and promotion company. His experiences in
the independent music scene eventually inspired him to put a new band together,
get back onstage, and write material for this new musical
genre.
Joining him on this quest, in 1990, was veteran R&B drummer
Ronnie Houston, who is considered
the senior member of the troupe.
Houston, who has toured the United States and Europe since the
1970’s, credits Bobby Powell, James Brown, Buddy Rich and Billy Cobham for his
intricate and syncopated drumming style.. |
Bassist Kenny D, aka Mr.
Wonderful, is the newest member of the band. As a child he began
his career playing with gospel groups in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
/>Detroit. A self taught musician,
with a great ear, he toured for three years with Oscar Hayes, eventually
broadening his sound into the smooth sound of “funky jazz.” He developed his
love of reggae, while on tour playing with
Higher
Heights at numerous festivals and
concerts. He made a name for himself, as the funkiest bass player in the Big
Easy, by delivering a smooth, sexy sound, with a funky twist, that only he can
perform.
2007 marked the release of the band’s 4th CD LOUISIANA FUNK BUFFET, an upbeat look at the
continuance of life and love after Hurricane Katrina. The
band debuted the new CD at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, with crowd and radio
favorites being “Ugly Man,” “Look My Way” and “Gonna’ Be
Alright.” They culminated their tour at Bobfest (formerly the Bob
Marley Festival) in San
Antonio, with stops along the way that included Hemp Fest and Reggae On The
Mississippi.
In 2005, in the aftermath of
the devastation, the Baton Rouge
residents were inspired to release two singles: GIVE ME
LOVE, recorded live at Café Negril in New
Orleans, and picked up by Hurricane Healing (www.hurricanehealing.us) for its
Volume II compilation CD; and MERRY CHRISTMAS, which garnered airplay throughout the
United States.
2006 releases include LOUISIANA LEGENDS AND POLITRICKS and I LIKE TO SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE (but I don’t smoke
dope).
Henry Turner, Jr. & Flavor’s music has been described as … “a sure
crowd pleaser” and to that end, the band tours extensively in support of their
singles and CD’s that include WILL WORK FOR FOOD AND
MONEY, FACING THE
MILLENNIUM and LOUISIANA GUMBO
COMBO. Past single hits include FAT
BABY, LIMBO,
LOUISIANA FUNK, PRAISING JAH and
FAMILY, to name few. |
PERSONNEL:
Henry Turner Jr. Guitar, Lead/Background
Vocals
Kenny D aka Mr. Wonderful Bass, Lead/Background Vocals
Ronnie Houston Drums,
Lead/Background Vocals
RECENT PERFORMANCES: 2
City Japan Tour (3 Air Force Bases) 50 City USA Reggae Road Show Tour
30 City USA The New Louisiana Legends Tour 20 City US Tour Bob Marley
Fest 1997 thru 2002 Cities include Ann Arbor, MI / Tucson, AZ / Hampton,
VA / Houston, TX / San Antonio, TX / Gulfport, MS / Galveston, TX / New
Orleans, LA Charleston SC.
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Tabbys Blues Box
Baton Rouge, LA
Caribbean Fest
Richmond VA
GQ/ Force MDs Tour
Alabama
Holiday Inn Sunspree
Resort
North Padre Island, TX
Cafe Brasil
New Orleans, LA
The Balcony
Oxford, OH
Ollies By The Bay
Beaufort SC
Ocean Club
Jacksonville, FL
Oak Creek Brewery
Sedona AZ |
Rik-N-Jaks
Lake Charles, LA
LA State Fair
Baton Rouge, LA
Musik Fest
Bethlehem, PA
The Buddy Holly
Center
Lubbock, TX
Namaste
Asheville, NC
Juneteenth
Ogden, UT
Juneteenth
Arcosanti, AZ
Leadbelly Ledbetter
Heights Music and Arts Fair
Shreveport, LA
Piccolo Speleto
Festival
Charleston SC |
RECENT TELEVISION PERFORMANCES:
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Roots Music
Promotions
Boston, MA
Caribbean Breeze
VA
Ernie Mills Show
Monroe, LA
Louisiana Jukebox
New Orleans, LA
LTV
New Orleans, LA |
Irie Visions
Oakland Ca
Music Around Town
Baton Rouge, LA
The All You Can
Eat Texas Music Cafe
(Seen nationally on over 300 stations)
Bone Fly Sunnyvale Ca |
SOUND TRACK CREDITS:
Gutter Punks ...1998
Destination
Jamaica: Rastafarian Dreams . ....2004
CHECK OUT HENRY TURNER JR. & FLAVORS
WEBSITES:
http://www.henryturnerjr.com
http://flavor.ballardsbytes.com
E-MAIL THE BAND AND/OR THEIR LABEL HIT
CITY RECORDS AT:
henryturner@juno.com |
