- Turbo B
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Turbo B Birth name Durron Maurice Butler Born April 30, 1967 Origin Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States Genres R&B, dance, Hip-Hop Occupations Singer Instruments Vocals, drums Years active 1990-present Associated acts Snap!, Centory Website http://www.turbob.info Turbo B (born Durron Maurice Butler, April 30, 1967, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania[1] is an American musician, rapper and beatboxer, best known for his time fronting the electronic music group, Snap!.
Contents
Early years
Butler started his music career as a drummer for a heavy metal band in his hometown. After joining the United States Army he was sent to Frankfurt in 1985 where he trained to become a bomb defusal expert.[2] After completing his service in the Army he returned to the USA but went back to Germany shortly thereafter to tour with The Fat Boys.[3] In 1990 DJ Rico Sparx discovered his rapping talents and introduced him to Snap! producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti[4] (who were using the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III); they chose him to replace Chill Rob G's vocals in their song "The Power". He chose the stage name Turbo B, which had been his nickname since childhood.
Success with Snap!
"The Power" became a major international hit, and Butler became recognisable as the frontman of the group. To promote the record he toured widely with Snap!, rapping his lyrics and also playing drums.
With the release of Snap!'s second album, Butler wanted the first single to be "Color of Love". "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was planned to be the first single, however he reportedly hated the song, especially his now infamous line "I'm serious as cancer when I say rhythm is a dancer".[5] In December 1991 he got his wish but "Color of Love" went fairly unnoticed in the UK and US charts. Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti then insisted on releasing "Rhythm Is a Dancer" as the second single. It became the group's second major international hit. Butler left Snap! shortly after due to growing dissent with the group and its managers.[6]
In 2000 Snap! and Turbo B rejoined for a comeback, and released the single "Gimme A Thrill". The single failed to chart and their planned upcoming album 'One Day on Earth' was subsequently never released.
Solo career and Centory
After leaving Snap! Butler pursued a solo career, releasing the album Make Way For The Maniac in 1993 on Polydor Records. It featured the singles "I'm Not Dead", "Get Wild", "What You See" and "Nice & Smooth".[7]
He went on to form the band Centory in 1994 with Gary Carolla, Delgado (Kevin Estevez), and Alex Trime (Eddie Gibson). They released the album Alpha Centory which spawned four minor hits in the European charts. After touring with Centory following their success, Butler left the group and was replaced by singer Trey D. Centory went on to release another single without him. It performed poorly in the charts, and the group folded shortly thereafter.
Butler did not release any more solo material until 2005, when his single "New Day" was released under Holy Chaos Recordings.[8]
Personal life
Butler is married and has two children, a daughter named Shannon and a son named DJ.
Discography
Snap!
Albums
Year Title Peak chart positions UK
[9]US
[10]GER SWE
[11]1990 World Power - Label: Anzilotti & Munzing
10 30 7 20 1992 The Madman's Return - Label: Anzilotti & Munzing
8 121 3 21 Singles
Year Title Peak chart positions AUS
[12]SWI
[13]FRA
[14]SWE
[15]NOR
[16]NLD
[17]AUT
[18]UK
[9]US
[19]GER
[20]1990 "The Power" 13 1 15 3 3 1 3 1 2 2 "Ooops Up" 4 2 34 2 2 2 2 5 35 2 "Cult of Snap!" 27 5 — 12 5 6 2 8 — 3 "Mary Had a Little Boy" 18 4 — 7 — 3 9 8 — 4 1991 "Mega Mix" 28 5 — 17 — 5 22 10 — 15 "Colour of Love" — 4 — 6 6 6 4 54 — 12 "Rhythm Is a Dancer" 3 1 1 2 4 1 1 1 5 1 1996 "Rhythm Is a Dancer '96" — — — 58 — — — — — — 2000 "Gimme a Thrill" — — — — — — — — — — 2003 "Rhythm Is a Dancer 2003" — 35 — — — 46 10 17 — 7 "The Power (Of Banghra)" 32 27 — — — 76 36 34 — — "—" denotes a single that did not chart Centory
Albums
Year Title Peak chart positions
[21]AUT SWI 1994 Alpha Centory - Label: Cologne Dance Label
40 50 Singles
Year Song Peak chart positions AUT
[22]FRA
[23]GER
[24]SWI
[25]1994 "Point of No Return" 18 19 16 35 "Take It To The Limit" 22 28 22 37 1995 "The Spirit" 29 — 70 — "Eye In The Sky" — 48 99 — "—" denotes a single that did not chart Solo releases
Albums
Year Album details 1993 Make The Way For The Maniac - Label: Polydor Records
Singles
Year Title 1992 "I'm Not Dead" 1993 "Get Wild" "Nice & Smooth" "What You See" 2005 "New Day" Collaborations
Year Title Peak chart positions SWE
[26]GER
[27]AUS
[28]AUT
[29]1999 "Rocksteady Love" (Victoria Silvstedt ft. Turbo B) 10 — — — 2002 "The Power" (H-Blockx ft. Turbo B) — 48 34 51 2003 "Ballet Dancer" (Master Blaster vs. Turbo B) — — — 37 2009 "Don't cha know" (Rumanesta & Enchev ft. Turbo B and R.O.O.O.M) — — — — 2010 "We Be Hot" (Regi & Turbo B ft. Ameerah) — — — — "—" denotes a single that did not chart References
- ^ "Turbo B". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p193522. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ "Turbo B biography". Eurokdj.com. http://www.eurokdj.com/search/eurodb.php?page=display_bio&lang=eng&name=Turbo_B. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ "Snap biography". Nme.com. http://www.nme.com/artists/snap. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ "Snap!". Danceartistinfo.com. http://www.danceartistinfo.com/snapbiog.htm. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
- ^ James Masterton (January 15, 1993). "Uk Top 40 Analysis - Week Ending 16/1/93". http://groups.google.com/group/rec.music.misc/browse_thread/thread/9fa4a10d24891bf/df7e1f2eae37718a?lnk=st&q=snap+exterminate#df7e1f2eae37718a. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ "Turbo B". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/artist/Turbo+B.. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ "Polydor". Discogs. http://www.discogs.com/label/Polydor. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ "New Day". Trackitdown.net. http://www.trackitdown.net/genre/house/track/165462.html. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 511. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Snap! Albums US Charting
- ^ Swedish Album Charting
- ^ ARIA Charts - Snap!
- ^ Swiss Charts - Snap!
- ^ French Charts - Snap!
- ^ Swedish Charts - Snap!
- ^ Norway Charts - Snap!
- ^ Dutch Charts - Snap!
- ^ Austrian Charts - Snap!
- ^ US Charts - Snap!
- ^ German Charts - Snap!
- ^ Alpha Centory Charting
- ^ Austrian Charts - Centory
- ^ French Charts - Centory
- ^ German Charts - Centory
- ^ Swiss Charts - Centory
- ^ Swedish Charts - Turbo B
- ^ German Charts - H-blockx ft Turbo B
- ^ Australian Charts - Turbo B
- ^ Austrian Charts - Turbo B
External links
Main albums World Power (1990) · The Madman's Return (1992)Hit singles "The Power" (1990) · "Rhythm Is a Dancer" (1992) · "Exterminate!" (1993) · "Do You See the Light" (1993)Related articles Categories:- 1967 births
- Living people
- African American rappers
- American musicians
- American drummers
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