1966
STAND BY ME * SPYDER TURNER * M-G-M 13617 * USA
Dwight D. Turner, alias: Spider or later, Spyder, on his first routing for the M-G-M label doing some very good vocal impressions of: Jackie Wilson, David Ruffin, Billy Stewart, Smokey Robinson and Chuck Jackson who were other more famous contemporary Soul singers. The song, originally recorded by Ben E. King, is not given the usual treatment of how these different singers would, in his opinion, sing this song but is interspersed with other songs made famous by their respective singers, like My Girl, I'll Try Something New and Any Day Now, and these samples of their songs, sung as if he were them, are all woven into the new version, both lyrically and narrativally, of Stand By Me. The song pulls of this complex feat, which on paper would seem like a too awkward and overblown slice of popular music, with flying colours; which is surely due, in part, to the passion and energy, and of course the above mentioned vocal representations, of Spyder Turner. He recorded for a plethora of small independent before signing for MGM and only had three releases out for them, his career never really took of despite the quality of Stand By Me but went on recording spasmodically for various labels until, what seems like, his last recording as Dwight David, for Motown in 1985.