Zeb Turner (June 23, 1915 – January 10, 1978)[1] was an American country music songwriter and guitarist,[2] and pioneer of rockabilly.
He was born William Edward Grishaw in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States, and he renamed himself after a favorite piece of music, "The Zeb Turner Stomp".[1] With his brother James (who took the stage name "Zeke Turner"), also a guitarist, he backed artists such as Hank Williams and Red Foley in the years after World War II. He co-wrote "It's a Sin", a number one hit on the countrychart for Eddy Arnold in 1947, with music publisher Fred Rose. Turner also recorded for small record labels such as Bullet and King Records;[1] some of these were "country boogie" tunes which were influential on early rockabilly. His King Records version of Billy Briggs' "Chew Tobacco Rag" was a No. 8 jukebox country and western hit in 1951,[3] while his own "Tennessee Boogie" had reached No. 11 on the same chart in 1949.[4]
"Zeb's Mountain Boogie" (Zeb Turner) - a 1946 instrumentalB-side by Brad Brady and his Tennesseans (actually Owen Bradley), it was on the first release of Bullet Records and became a regional jukebox hit.[5]
"You Hit the Nail Right on the Head" (Turner/Tubb) - played by Tubb and his band in the 1947 film, Hollywood Barn Dance, and also issued as a single.
"It's a Sin" (Zeb Turner/Fred Rose) - charted for Eddy Arnold (#1 in 1947) and Marty Robbins (1969)[1]
"There's No Room in My Heart for the Blues" (Zeb Turner/Fred Rose) - recorded by Hank Williams (1952), The The (1995), Clyde Moody (1948), and Ernest Tubb (1967)
"Tennessee Boogie" (Zeb Turner) - charted for Turner in 1949