Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo: Valerie and Benedict Turner
Valerie and Benedict Turner, the husband-and-wife duo behind the Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, are celebrated as torchbearers of Country Blues music and the Piedmont fingerpicking style, a syncopated guitar technique rooted in ragtime rhythms.
• Valerie Turner, a native New Yorker with deep Southern roots (Virginia and Georgia), began playing guitar at age nine. Her passion for Country Blues ignited in college after discovering Mississippi John Hurt’s recordings, which she “wore out” from repeated play. She later studied under John Cephas (of Cephas & Wiggins) and Woody Mann (a student of Rev. Gary Davis), refining her Piedmont style—a technique characterized by alternating bass lines and melodic syncopation.
• Benedict Turner, hailing from Trinidad and Tobago, tastefully accompanies Valerie with a washboard style he developed after being inspired by Newman Taylor Baker, a classically trained drummer, and Washboard Chaz of Louisiana fame, embodying the ingenuity of early blues musicians who crafted instruments from household items. Sometimes, he also chimes in on bones or harp.
Their concerts transport listeners to the 1920s–30s, featuring original arrangements of songs by early blues legends like Memphis Minnie, Tommy Johnson, Mississippi John Hurt, Elizabeth Cotten, and many others.
Valerie authored Piedmont Style Country Blues Guitar Basics, a book acquired by the Library of Congress, while both teach workshops on guitar, washboard, and early blues history.
They served on the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation board (Valerie as Co-President, Benedict as Creative Director), promoting Hurt’s legacy through producing a documentary film, publishing articles, and organizing numerous festivals. After the tragic fire that destroyed the Mississippi John Hurt Museum, they also raised funds to build the Mississippi John Hurt & Jerry Richardson Educational Center on the museum’s ashes in Avalon, Mississippi. They also collaborated with Carnegie Mellon to create an interactive educational installation in the St. James Church where John Hurt worshiped and was educated.
The Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo believes music should evolve while honoring its roots.
For more on their tours and projects, visit their official website or YouTube channel.
New vinyl Bugiganga Tropical Vol.4 Cotton out now.
Stream: [Spotify] • [Apple Music] • [Deezer] • [Bandcamp]
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