Turner Stephen Bruton (November 7, 1948 – May 9, 2009) was an American actor and musician.
Background
Born in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...
, United States, he moved with his family to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
at the age of two. He fell into the
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
music scene after graduating from
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Discipl ...
when he joined
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
's band as the latter's career was about to take off; their collaboration and friendship lasted more than 40 years.
Career
Bruton worked with such artists and musicians as
NRBQ
NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed around 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...
,
T Bone Burnett
Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...
,
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
,
Glen Clark
Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian business executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999.
Early life and education
Clark attended independent Roman Catholic schools, n ...
,
Rita Coolidge,
Christine McVie,
Elvis Costello
Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
,
Delbert McClinton
Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist.
From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, ...
,
Sonny Landreth and
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include " Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Th ...
. He produced albums for
Alejandro Escovedo
Alejandro Escovedo (born January 10, 1951) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and singer, who has been recording and touring since the late 1970s. His primary instrument is the guitar. He has played in various rock genres, including punk ...
,
Marcia Ball,
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas.
Life and career
Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amari ...
,
Hal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point of ...
,
Storyville,
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
,
Chris Smither
William Christopher Smither (born November 11, 1944) is an American folk/ blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. His music draws deeply from the blues, American folk music, and modern poets and philosophers.
Early life, influences and educa ...
,
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard (born November 13, 1946) is an American singer and songwriter.
Early life
Hubbard was born in the town of Soper, Oklahoma. His family moved to Oak Cliff in southwest Dallas, Texas, in 1954. He attended W. H. Adamson High Sch ...
, and
Hellbillies
Hellbillies is a Norwegian rock band.
Biography
As of 2012, they have released thirteen albums—including a compilation and two live albums—as well as two live concert DVDs. They are among Norway's most popular recording artists.
Their lyric ...
.
From 1993 to 2005 he released five solo albums of his own work, as well as three with
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, songwriters The Resentments.
The concert film ''Road to Austin'' was recorded on May 19, 2007, when Bruton and many of his musical friends performed for 20,000 people in Austin, Texas. The film was released in 2014, and includes interviews with Bruton and others.
In late 2006, Bruton was diagnosed with
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
. His friends thought some time in the studio might be a welcome distraction. Dubbing themselves Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks,
Geoff Muldaur
Geoff Muldaur (born August 12, 1943) is an American active singer, guitarist and composer, who was a founding member of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and a member of Paul Butterfield's Better Days.
Career
Having established a reputation with the Kwe ...
(guitar, vocals),
Cindy Cashdollar
Cindy Cashdollar is an American musician specializing in steel guitar and Dobro. She grew up in Woodstock, New York, where she perfected her skills by playing with bluegrass musician John Herald, blues musicians Paul Butterfield, and Levon He ...
(dobro), Suzy Thompson (fiddle),
Johnny Nicholas
Johnny Nicholas (born 1948) is an American blues musician. He is most noted for being a member of the Grammy Award winning group, Asleep at the Wheel.
Biography
Nicholas grew up in Rhode Island, United States, where he formed his first band, ...
(guitar) and Bruce Hughes (bass) joined Bruton in the studio for a pair of recording sessions. Bruton died in May 2009; however, the album was released September 22, 2009, on the Tradition & Moderne label.
He made appearances in films and television, as well, and he co-wrote and performed with Burnett much of the music in the 2009 country music film ''
Crazy Heart
''Crazy Heart'' is a 2009 American drama film, written and directed by Scott Cooper, in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Thomas Cobb, the film centers on a down-and-out country music singer-songwriter ( ...
'', which was released in December and dedicated to Bruton's memory.
On Kristofferson's 2009 release ''Closer to the Bone'', Bruton is credited with playing bass and mandolin and providing backing vocals. Kristofferson noted: "This album is dedicated to the spirit of my soul-brother Stephen Bruton and his unique legacy of music and laughter that has enriched our lives."
In June 2012,
Little Feat
Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving ...
released ''
Rooster Rag
''Rooster Rag'' is the fifteenth album by American rock music, rock band Little Feat released in June 2012, on the Hot Tomato label. It was their only studio album to feature drummer Gabe Ford and the last to feature guitarist Paul Barrere who die ...
'' (Hot Tomato/Rounder Records), containing a collaboration, "Just a Fever", that he wrote with group guitarist
Paul Barrere
Paul Barrere (July 3, 1948 – October 26, 2019) was an American musician most prominent as a member of the band Little Feat, which he joined in 1972 some three years after the band was created by Lowell George.
Career
Barrere recorded and per ...
. They were frequent writing partners.
Death
Bruton died of complications of
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on May 9, 2009, aged 60. He was buried at
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Fort Worth, Texas.
Discography
*''What It Is'' (
Dos Records, 1993)
*''Right on Time'' (
Windsong Records, 1995)
*''Swingmasters Revue'' with Michael Price (
Shel-Tone, 1996)
*''Nothing but the Truth'' (
New West Records
New West Records is a record label based in Nashville, Tennessee, and Athens, Georgia. It had offices in Burbank, California, and Beverly Hills, California. The label was established in 1998 by Cameron Strang "for artists who perform real music ...
, 1999)
*''Spirit World'' (New West, 2002)
*''From the Five'' (New West, 2005)
See also
*
Music of Austin
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
References
External links
Official website Notice of death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruton, Stephen
1948 births
2009 deaths
Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Fort Worth, Texas)
Deaths from cancer in California
Deaths from esophageal cancer
Grammy Award winners
Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware
Musicians from Austin, Texas
New West Records artists
People from Fort Worth, Texas
Texas Christian University alumni
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from Delaware
Guitarists from Texas