Brit Turner was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022 and underwent surgery, but continued to tour with the southern rock band.
Brit Turner, drummer and founding member of the southern rock band Blackberry Smoke, died Sunday. He was 57 years old. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma (a brain cancer) and underwent surgery for a brain tumor in November 2022. The group confirmed his death in a social media post.
“ It is with the greatest sadness that we inform everyone that our brother @britturner13 has passed away from this life. If you had the privilege of knowing Brit on any level, you know that he was the most caring, empathetic, driven and engaging person anyone could hope to meetwrote the group. Brit was Blackberry Smoke’s true north, the compass that established the ideology that would continue to guide the group. »
Formed in Atlanta in 2000, Blackberry Smoke revitalized southern rock by combining a heavy dose of country music with heavy guitar riffs: George Jones sang on their album Little Piece of Dixie (2009) and the band opened for Guns N’ Roses on tour in 2019. Turner’s thunderous drums accompanied it all. Born in Mt. Clemons, Michigan and raised in Smyrna, Georgia, he was the heart and soul of Blackberry Smoke.
In a post published in 2012 for Modern Drummer, Turner recounted how he picked up a set of chopsticks for the first time. “ My parents gave me a snare drum for Christmas before sixth grade. It was a sparkling purple Stewartdid he declare. My father played in a big band early in his career as an Air Force officer. My grandmother played the piano and my uncle Brit played the guitar. I guess that’s how I was exposed to music. »
But growing up in the 1980s, Turner became infatuated with a different genre: He learned to play by listening to the hard rock and heavy metal of AC/DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. In 1988, he formed the thrash metal band Nihilist with his brother Richard Turner on bass. Eventually, the siblings’ rhythm section returned to the sounds of their native South and founded Blackberry Smoke with singer-guitarist Charlie Starr and guitarist Paul Jackson. Keyboardist Brandon Still joined them shortly after. “ After getting rid of heavy metal, I turned to rock and roll, Americana, southern rock and traditional country “, explains Turner.
The group had their first major success in 2009 with “ Good One Coming On “, a song written by David Lee Murphy, Lee Roy Parnell and Gary Nicholson which appeared on the album Little Piece of Dixie by Blackberry Smoke. In 2012 they released the album The Whippoorwill on Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Records label and reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. But the band had a major breakthrough in 2015 when the album Holding All the Roseswith songs like “ Too High ” And ” Rock and Roll Again ”, debuted at number one on the country charts.
The following album, Like an Arrowalso reached number one and, thanks to tracks like “ Waiting for the Thunder “, the group has established itself not only as the torchbearer of southern rock, but also as one of the best rock groups of the 21st century. The last track of the album, “ Free on the Wing “, features Gregg Allman in one of the last songs he recorded before his death in 2017.
In addition to being a drummer, Turner was instrumental in the look of Blackberry Smoke’s albums and designed the cover art for their latest album, Be Right Here. Released in February, this album reunited the band with Dave Cobb, who produced You Hear Georgia in 2021.
Turner continued to tour with Blackberry Smoke after recovering from brain surgery in 2022, but was forced to miss some concerts due to his health. In December, the band announced that Turner would not participate in a series of concerts in order to continue his treatment for glioblastoma and that drummer Kent Aberle would take over.
Backstage at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2015, Turner tried to explain Blackberry Smoke’s surprise success. He says the band built a fan base one show at a time and never just did things by halves. “ It’s a solid climbTurner said. We work hard and we get results. »
