"Wailing harmonicas and soulful swings show one thing's for certain: This band knows the blues."
- Washington Post

"A new generation of Washington blues musicians is also beginning to wow crowds. Clarence Turner...[has] been attracting attention lately." - Washingtonian

"I only wish I could have been there in person to see the Clarence Turner Blues Band deliver this swinging performance of "I'm Tore Down" at Blues Alley. The interplay between Turner's guitar and Henry Chung's harmonica must have really moved the crowd."
- Washington Post

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Clarence Turner and Henry Chung met way back in New Vegas Lounge in November 2001 when Clarence played bass for singer Julianne Wae and Henry was still a struggling harp player. However, they did not cross paths again until Clarence filled in for Jesse James one night in March 2003 in the now closed Cafe Toulouse in Adams Morgan, DC. Clarence immediately recognized Henry's talent and asked Henry to join him next day at Toulouse with Kim Graves (bass) and Mr. Big Foot (drums). That show turned out to be a stepping stone for the future Clarence Turner Blues Band. The band is one of the few and far between nitty, gritty pure blues band in the DC area.

In May 2003, Clarence officially asked Henry to join his band at Ledbetter & Co., which became a regular Saturday night gig that wows blues fans everywhere. The Ledbetter gig has since been going strong, and the band has landed on a new level when it was selected to be one of the finalists of the DC Blues Society Contest in August 2003. The band also played at a benefit for Moses Munene, a disabled Kenyan, in March 2004 and got a write up on Protest.net.

In September 2004, Clarence Turner Blues Band (CTBB) was invited back to the annual DC Blues Festival at Carter Barron Amphitheatre and gave another thunderous performance that earned another standing ovation from the audience. On October 18 2004, the band gave one of its most important performances at DC's premiere jazz club Blues Alley to an almost sold-out audience. The monumental performance was called "a great area's musician all-star lineup" by Wayne Kahn of Right on Rhythm Records. In November 2004, Clarence Turner Blues Band participated in the Baltimore Blues Society Battle of the Bands. Check out the band's mp3 page on Washington Post, for it says, "This band knows the blues."

In 2005, CTBB played many high profile gigs including two sold-out performances at Bohemian Caverms, an anti-war rally on the 4th of July on the National Mall, and the Greenbelt Blues Festival. Clarence fiery guitar playing and showmanship wowed the Greenbelt crowd and became the most popular player ever played in the Festival. (Check out the Greenbelt News Review's featured article on Clarence.)

In the fall of 2005, CTBB played a sold-out concert at the Kittamaquandi Community Church as part of its popular 2nd Saturday concert series. Dennis Ottey, the organizer of the concert says in the Columbia Flier, "I think they're up-and-coming stars. They're showing up everywhere and getting booked more and more. They promise to be a really good show." In addition, Ottey calls the band an "all-star cast of people who have been playing blues in the D.C. area for a lot of years." At the same time, Clarence's reputation is going international. Upon popular demand, the Dutch blues band Backbones invited Clarence to appear in the Texel and Bluesroute Festivals in the Netherlands in October 2005, marking Clarence's first international tour. Clarence's thunderous performances earned him thousands of fans overseas.

In January 2006, CTBB was a featured band at the annual Capital Blues Cabin Fever Weekend with guests Deanna Bogart and Big Joe Maher. In April 2006, Clarence was invited as a featured band at the DC Lindy Exchange in Hollywood Ballroom, featuring a very versatile Andy Hamburger on drums. The next week, on April 15, CTBB played a fantastic swing dance/concert at Shilla Bakery & Cafe, making the first event of this type a smashing success. These performances were big hits amongst the ever-supporting "solid gold dancers" who are regulars at the band's regular gigs. No wonder why Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records said, "I'm hearing some solid blues here," upon listening to CTBB's demo. Check out our live schedule to see when CTBB is playing next.

The current band members are as follows:-

Clarence "The Bluesman" Turner (vocals, lead guitar)
As the spirit and soul of the band, Clarence Turner has set a clear vision - Play the blues, do your thang! Case in point: Turner showed no fear showcasing his talent after Muddy Waters' son Big Bill Morganfield's performance in a blues jam in Richmond, VA. Morganfield even admitted that he digged Clarence's playing.

Clarence's first blues influence was from his father's collection of old Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf LPs. He picked up the guitar when he was at a young age, but then abandoned it for more than 10 years. Then, three years ago, Clarence realized that guitar was his true love and decided to play the blues guitar again. Clarence's fiery guitar playing and passionate howlin' are his signatures, In Feburary 2003, Clarence has been named "Who's Who in DC Blues" by Washingtonian (Read the article here). Also, read about Clarence's participation at the DC Blues Festival on Washington Post. Clarence's blues guitar hero is Freddie King.

In February 2007, after winning DC's IBC Battle of the Bands, Clarence went on and became a top 10 finalist in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, beating over 150 other bands in the competition.

While not playing the blues, Clarence is a real estate agent and a churchgoer. Clarence once said something quite profound, "I've learned, over time, some things are best left unsaid." In addition to being a terrific blues musician, this shows Clarence is also a deep thinker.

Please check out Clarence's website here.

Henry "Sonny Boy" Chung (harmonica)
An irreplacable member of the group, Henry Chung has earned his reputation as one of the most in demand harp players in DC. The Ledbetter crowd calls Sonny Boy a "miracle," "magician," "a knockout." He was also the first ever Asian player to play in the annual Afican-American Heritage Festival in Alexandria, VA.

Henry was summoned by the blues at the age of 15, when he listened to Eric Clapton, B.B. King, and Gary Moore in his dorm room in Northfield, MA. Henry's first ever blues CD was Eric Clapton's "Unplugged," which inspired him to acquire the recordings of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Mayall, and Fleetwood Mac. Henry picked up the harmonica after he was inspired by William Tang's "Movin' On." David Bond, Tommy Chung, Jesse James, and Bill Heid were Henry's main mentors in playing blues music. Learn about Henry's 10 favorite blues CDs here.

Jeff Conlin (keyboards)
An original member of the Clarence Turner Blues Band, Jeff Conlin re-joined the band for the DC Blues Society competition in Aug 2003. Jeff's funky keyboard sounds are a welcoming addition to the band, making the band sound complete. Greg Pace comments, "Jeff fits like a glove." Jeff's keyboard playing is reminiscent of John Medeski, Billy Preston and Jimmy Smith. Of course, Jeff had his field day when he met the legendary Bill Heid at Twins Jazz on Aug 20, 2003.

Jeff's humble character and chameleon playing skills have earned him many high-profile gigs. In addition to having sat in with Bo Biddley, Jeff is a member of the Westcott Brothers, 25th Hour Band, and Jesse James & The Raiders. Also check out Jeff's gigs on his own website. When not playing music, Jeff takes awesome photographs and rides his bike.

Kim Graves (bass)
While on the surface strikingly handsome and a Mr. Nice Guy, Kim Graves is probably the funkiest bassist in the DC area. Listening to Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers growing up, Kim has attained the knowledge of white Rock N'Roll and black R&B. That's why on tunes like "Mustang Sally," you'll hear Kim do the nastiest bass licks that no one else dares do it elsewhere.

Kim's humility and humbleness are also commendable. Being a fine player, Kim never brags about his skills. All he says is, "I just follow the band, follow the music." And so he does, with panache.

Sean Graves (drums, background vocals)
An original member of the Clarence Turner Blues Band and Kim's little brother, Sean Graves is one of the most energetic drummers who has landed in the DC blues scene. Played with many greats like Detroit Slim and Charlie Sayles, Sean's attitude is the engine of the band, helping it reach Clarence's intended destination.

Often funky, often hilarious, sometimes eloquent, Sean also has the noble duty of annoucing Clarence on the bandstand. That is a privilege only Sean Graves has amongst all other band members.