JOE LYNN TURNER

Born August 2, 1951 in Hackensack New Jersey, Joe Lynn Turner (JLT) first gained notoriety as a guitarist/vocalist with New Jersey based band Fandango. They released four albums on RCA Records between 1977 and 1980. Fandango was an eclectic mix of R&B, pop, southern rock and blues, reminiscent of artists like Steely Dan and the Allman Brothers Band. Joe's work with Fandango brought him to the attention of renowned Deep Purple guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, who was in search of a lead singer for his band, Rainbow. In 1980, JLT received a phone call "out of the blue" from Blackmore's assistant. After the fateful call, Joe met Blackmore at a recording studio in Long Island, NY. By the end of the audition he was writing and recording with Rainbow as their new lead singer.

Rainbow had always been popular overseas, but Blackmore wanted to conquer the US market. With Turner on board as the new front man, that's exactly what they did. With JLT, Ritchie found a versatile vocalist with commercial appeal - a singer who had the musical chops to belt out a melodic ballad, as well as deliver the heavier rock material. Rainbow released three albums with JLT: Difficult to Cure, Straight Between the Eyes, and Bent out of Shape. The discs spawned rock radio staples such as Can't Happen Here, I Surrender, and Jealous Lover. Stone Cold, released in 1982 helped Rainbow hit the Top 40 US singles chart for the first time! A year later the group duplicated the success with the radio friendly, hypnotic Street of Dreams.

At the height of Rainbow's career in 1984, Ritchie Blackmore disbanded his group to reform Deep Purple with Rainbow alumnus, Roger Glover. Free to pursue other musical endeavors, JLT released his first solo record in 1985, Rescue You, produced by Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, The Cars). At the same time Michael Bolton introduced Turner to the lucrative business of singing TV/radio jingles. Over the years JLT has become one of the most "in demand" session singers in the business. His voice has appeared on spots for Budweiser, Domino's Pizza, and Gatorade (to name only a few). Turner has also co-written songs and sung on many other albums by a diverse collection of artists ranging from Cher to Billy Joel.

In 1988, JLT joined Swedish guitar virtuoso, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force and recorded Odyssey. The album produced the radio/MTV hit Heaven Tonight. This helped return JLT to the visibility he had once enjoyed with Rainbow. The Malmsteen/Turner union brought the band to Russia for 10 sold out shows. Highlights appeared on the follow up to Odyssey, Live In Leningrad.

In 1990, JLT teamed up with his former Rainbow cohorts, Blackmore and Glover again in Deep Purple. Slaves and Masters was released later that year. Its first single - the moody AOR gem King of Dreams - received extensive rock radio and MTV airplay. Deep Purple toured the world to promote the album. The recording of a follow up album to Slaves and Masters had begun, but due to internal band politics, Deep Purple decided to rehire former vocalist, Ian Gillan. After taking some time to regroup from the split, Joe released his most personal solo record, Nothing Changed to critical and fan acclaim. While keeping busy with session work, JLT engaged himself with side projects like Brazen Abbot and Mother's Army. He also lent his chameleon-like voice to tracks on a vast array of tribute albums. In 1997, JLT recorded the first of two of his own tribute records, Undercover where he paid homage to his rock and roll roots presenting his versions of songs by artists like Bad Company and Marvin Gaye.

Since 1997, Turner has released an album every year. In 2000 he became a member & owner of the Voices of Classic Rock (VCR), a digital recording label and live performance group. Other member-owners include Mike Reno (Loverboy) and Larry Hoppen (Orleans). The 18 VCR vocalists continue to play to festival crowds of over 30,000 as well as more intimate corporate events.

In 2002 JLT and fellow VCR mate, Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple/Black Sabbath) recorded the self-titled Hughes Turner Project (HTP) CD. Additionally, HTP's concerts in Japan that year were recorded live and the result was HTP Live In Tokyo. In the Fall of 2002, Hughes and Turner embarked on a tremendously successful European Tour. HTP brought together two generations of Deep Purple vocalists and received rave reviews from fans and the media. The debut studio album from HTP (Shrapnel Records) was released in the USA during the Spring of 2003, followed by Live In Tokyo and just a few months later, a follow-up studio release, HTP 2.

2004 saw the release of another fine album, simply titled, JLT, a hard bluesier rock record. Many of the songs carry a more contemporary sound with classic rock roots.

In 2005, Joe released his 9th solo CD, The Usual Suspects which saw him return to his melodic and hard rock era, with a sound reminiscent of his days in Rainbow. Almost a quarter century removed from Fandango, Joe continues to record and tour the world involving himself in exciting and varied music projects.