Stanley Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh, in 1934. He began playing saxophone when he was eleven years old, thanks to his father who had previously played the same instrument with Al Cooper and the Savoy Sultans. Turrentine was first professionally gigged with Lowell Fulson’s blues band. He says that his sound was born back then. “I can’t escape the blues,” he said. Ray Charles, a blind pianist, was part of that band. Charles was already writing songs which Turrentine would transcribe after the band had finished playing in the barns and joints. Turrentine left Fulson and moved to Cleveland where he played with Tadd Dameron. He then went on the road in Earl Bostic’s R.
