The curse of Turbinton's family goes on... One month later after his older brother Earl, a jazz saxophonist, Willie Tee has succumbed quickly of his colon cancer at the age of 63 on Touro Infirmary this september 11. Friends remembered of Willie on http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/09/wilson_willie_tee_turbinton_de.html and it's very blessing...
That's a tough period for me and not only with deaths of willie tee & bobby byrd... But death of any persons related to "Pop Music" remains a terrible shock for me... I think it's just the reflect of the near end of the music I love.
Born Wilson Turbinton in september 6 1944, Willie Tee is an important figure in the creation of this distinctive sound of new orleans. Keyboardist, arranger, producer, songwriter,vocalist, he is also known as one of architects of the early funk of crescent city funk.
When he was a teenager, he made succes with "Teasin You" fantastic mid-tempo soul on Nola produced by the owner Wardell Quezergue who added punchy horns (national distribution by Atlantic). There is many great tunes like "Thank You John", almost the same soulful mid tempo than "Teasin you", "It Was You" with the girls during the chorus and the song that made me cry, completely fall in love with "Walking Up a One Way Street", his majestic nostalgic Northern side powdered by magig trumpets. This song remains one of the best tunes when your gal left you and "tears flow just like rain" and you're walkin' up a one way street... Pretty Picture.
We can remember his part of work with the Gaturs, almost always instrumental, one of the band pionner of the original funk in new orleans where he holds the place of keyboard player... Same funky work with the Wild Magnolias backing with his older brother Earl... With his brother, he also backed up Cannonball Aderley (he dad see Willie performing while he was touring in the same city) (the keyboardist of Cannon, Joe Zawinul died this tuesday... The Curse...) for his passage on Capitol.
Removed in Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina ("I litteraly lost everything in a flash") but nevertheless full of life, he shared his passion with the students of Priceton's university and he's always touring until the ultimate dawn of his life. We can see a long moment of his show on youtube http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=4xrT2JU2s_E (Willie Tee At the Carolina Beach Music Awards nov 2005) ad a short video of Walking Up... in Columbia 2007 here http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=VA0FhgXelb0
All my condolences to the Turbinton's family and a funeral will be held on september 22, 2007 at 11 am at Our Lady of the Sea Catholic Church, 1835 St. Roch Ave, New Orleans.
Home of the Groove, your private pillow blog about new orleans, did a couple of great posts on Willie Tee. Have a look !
Willie Tee - Walkin' Up A One Way Street
http://www.box.net/shared/1m4c5agady
1 comment:
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