Zeb Turner

William Grishaw entered the world as the future honky tonk guitarist who adopted the name Zeb Turner after his most cherished original, the "Zeb Turner Stomp." His earliest documented appearance on disc occurred in 1938 as part of the Hi Neighbor Boys for the American Record Label, yet he soon exited that ensemble to team with his brother James, who performed under the stage name Zeke Turner. After World War II the siblings supplied guitar work across numerous sessions, surfacing on releases by Red Foley and Hank Williams while also composing Eddy Arnold’s 1947 hit “It’s a Sin.” In parallel with his country boogie contributions to other artists’ recordings, Zeb Turner cut his own material for modest regional imprints, starting with Nashville’s Bullet Records and later moving to Cincinnati’s King Records. Although mainstream acclaim remained elusive, Turner maintained a lengthy career that ultimately found him working as a folksinger in Montreal.