Jesse Lee Turner

Jesse Lee Turner was born in Addicks, Texas and grew up in the tiny town of Boling. Turner changed labels often during his career. He first recorded "Teenage Misery" for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Fraternity+Records%22">Fraternity Records</a>, but it failed to gain traction. He signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Carlton+Records%22">Carlton Records</a>, where he scored his only hit, "The Little Space Girl" b/w "Shake Baby, Shake," which rose to number 20 on the pop chart early in 1959. Its successor, "Thinkin'," failed to chart, and he left <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Carlton%22">Carlton</a> for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Top+Rank+Records%22">Top Rank Records</a>, where he waxed "Do I Worry," a good record that suffered from abysmal promotion. <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Sudden+Records%22">Sudden Records</a>, his next home, released the self-written "The Elopers," but it, too, failed to be noticed.

He also recorded two stiffs for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22GNP%22">GNP</a>, including another Turner composition, "Ballad of Billy Sol Estes." A writer of sorts, Turner has 15 songs registered with BMI, his biggest title being "Little Space Girl," a song that compilers include on various compilation CDs. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi