Brandon's Bio

Guitarist, Singer / Songwriter

Home Bio
Videos Calendar
Discography Contact

Share my Web Page

Brandon’s Bio

The Beginning:

From the time I was born some of my first memories are of having a house full of folks playing music. My Dad played drums, so a drumset stayed set up in the living room of my house. People would be coming in and out and stoping by to play a few songs. I remember trying to play guitar at about 4 or 5 years old. I got my first electric guitar when I was 9 and from there I guess the story goes.........

Musical Influences:

I think this would have to be separated into two categories. First, guitar players: Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Toy Caldwell... and then in general: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Robert Johnson...

A native of the small town of Pacolet, South Carolina, Brandon Turner has been garnering attention and praise for his skilled guitar work since he was a teenager. Growing up in a house where his father always had instruments lying around, Brandon got his first electric guitar at age nine and began absorbing the musical traditions of the Piedmont and Delta Blues, as well as studying the styles of guitar legends such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck. By age 11 he was playing in open jams hosted by his instructors, Gene and Wes Wyatt, and could always hold his own with pickers many years his senior. In his later teens, Brandon began playing with SC music treasures such as Fayssoux McLean (Emmylou Harris’ harmony singer) and Freddie Vanderford (Piedmont Blues Harp Master) and continues to appear regularly with both artists. Brandon recently co-produced Vanderford’s first solo album, "Greasy Greens", having already played both on stage and in studio with artists such as Harris and Ricky Skaggs while working with McLean.

Peter Cooper, music writer for the Nashville Tennessean said, “Brandon Turner plays guitar with ease, tone and invention, whether trading bluegrass licks with Ricky Skaggs, dueling on searing electric guitar with Will Kimbrough or creating plaintive acoustic parts for songs featuring Emmylou Harris, Fayssoux McLean or Angela Easterling. Hailing from a region that has given us country-jazz master Hank Garland, blues great Pink Anderson and country-rock kingpin Toy Caldwell, Turner synthesizes his native influences into something unique, fresh and pleasing.”

Parts of this bio taken from the Bedford Bulletin, Bedford, VA. (Read full Article)