Since 2004 Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) has used the Secret History of Chicago Music to shine a light on worthy artists with Chicago ties who’ve been forgotten, underrated, or never noticed in the first place.
Williams joined the Fabulous Turks in the mid-60s, when they were already well-established and gigging around Chicagoland. According to Williams, the group recorded at the Columbia Records studio in 1961 and at the One-derful label’s Tone Recordings in ’64, but he doesn’t remember any resulting releases (and I can’t find any evidence either). The Turks went through many lineup changes, but by the late 60s the roster had stabilized with Williams, Willie Gladney, Willie Crowley, and Andy Herron.
The B side of the first single, “You Turn Me On” b/w “Generation Gap,” features a jumping full-band groove that echoes the Motown sound of the day. The A side is a slow, sublime weeper—and that’s the track RJ Griffith chose to remake. Williams says “You Turn Me On” was a local favorite that got requested a lot on WVON and on radio stations in Gary—and Griffith’s press materials for the remake claim it was picked up by 35 radio stations nationally. This success didn’t translate to money, though. “We signed a contract with DJO Records that stated four guys were to split a penny and a half per record that sold,” Williams says. Weems adds, “The Turks were released from their contract with DJO Records in 1969 due to lack of promotion.”
RJ Griffith’s remake of “You Turn Me On,” released in March
The Fabulous Turks’ original version of the song from 1969
Thomas Williams of the Fabulous Turks previously sang with the Fascinators, who released one single in 1964.
The Turks released only two singles, and the other one includes “The Bad Brought Out the Good.”
