| 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!.
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Butler started his music career as a drummer for a heavy metal band in his hometown. After joining the United States Army in July 1985, he competed basic training (C-4-3) at Fort Dix and was transferred to the 8th SC, Redstone Arsenal, AL for advanced training where he qualified to become an ammunition specialist. With his advanced training complete, he was sent to Friedberg, Germany to join the 60th Ordnance Company in Ray Barracks. 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.[2] In 1990 DJ Rico Sparx discovered his rapping talents and introduced him to Snap! producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti[3] (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.
"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".[4] 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.[5]
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.
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".[6]
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.[7]
Butler is married and has two children, a daughter named Shannon and a son named DJ.
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
US [9] |
GER | SWE [10] |
||
| 1990 | World Power
|
10 | 30 | 7 | 20 |
| 1992 | The Madman's Return
|
8 | 121 | 3 | 21 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [11] |
SWI [12] |
FRA [13] |
SWE [14] |
NOR [15] |
NLD [16] |
AUT [17] |
UK [8] |
US [18] |
GER [19] |
||
| 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 | |||||||||||
Albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions [20] |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | SWI | ||
| 1994 | Alpha Centory
|
40 | 50 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT [21] |
FRA [22] |
GER [23] |
SWI [24] |
|||
| 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 | ||||||
Albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Make The Way For The Maniac
|
Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1992 | "I'm Not Dead" |
| 1993 | "Get Wild" |
| "Nice & Smooth" | |
| "What You See" | |
| 2005 | "New Day" |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [25] |
GER [26] |
AUS [27] |
AUT [28] |
|||
| 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 | ||||||
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