Scott Turner

Scott Turner (born Graham Morrison Turnbull; August 23, 1931 – February 9, 2009) was a Canadian composer, producer, musician and publisher, who had an illustrious career in the music industry spanning over 50 years composing songs with Buddy Holly, Audie Murphy, Herb Alpert, John Marascalco and many others. Life and career Early life Turner was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Allison and Evelyn ( Peters) Turnbull. At the age of 19, he qualified for the All Canadian Track Team, and would continue to compete for Canada from 1950–1956, winning two Canadian long jump championships and representing Canada in the long jump at the 1954 British Empire Games in Vancouver. In 1952, at the age of 21, he moved to the U.S. and enrolled in the University of Dubuque, Iowa. He received a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree from the University of Dubuque in 1955. While recuperating from a serious sporting injury, Turner taught himself to play guitar—a skill that would soon change the course of his life. Though he enrolled in a post graduate program at Texas Tech University, Lubbock in 1956, he would not stay long. In 1956, Turner befriended Buddy Holly, a young Lubbock musician who would soon achieve worldwide success. Like Holly, Turner left his studies to pursue music in 1957. Turner and Holly ultimately wrote thirteen songs together. And, Holly was just the first of many up and coming singers that would be mentored by Turner over the course of his lifetime. Life in music In 1957, Turner wrote his first songs for his good friend Hal Goodson, also from Texas Tech. Goodson recorded two songs at Petty Studios in Clovis, NM – "Who's Gonna Be The Next One Honey" and "Later Baby". These were the first songs that J.I. Allison recorded, several months before recording "Peggy Sue" with Buddy Holly.