Turley Richards

Turley Richards (born Richard Curtis Turley, June 12, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

Richards was born in Charleston, West Virginia. He was blinded in the left eye at the age of four in an archery accident and lost sight in the right eye as well at the age of twenty-nine. He began playing in a group called The Five Pearls while still a teen in the 1950s.^[1]

His first appearance on record was in 1959, a single titled "All About Ann", released on label Fraternity Records. "Makin' Love With My Baby", also released by Fraternity Records, followed later that year. Richards was named a Rockabilly Legend in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for this song.^[2]

He moved to Los Angeles with an ensemble in the early 1960s, but his band failed and he returned to West Virginia. Later in the 1960s he moved to New York City, playing upper East Side bars and eventually finding success.^[1] He toured with The Kingsmen in 1967^[3] and appeared on The Johnny Carson Show in 1969 performing "Summertime".^[4] Known as the "West Virginia Superstar",^[1] his debut album was released on Warner Bros. Records in 1970, and he scored two minor hit singles in the early 1970s. Further releases followed later in the decade, as did a third hit in 1980.^[5]

Richards made the first recording of Tom Snow and Nan O'Byrne's "You Might Need Somebody", which was subsequently a UK hit twice, reaching No. 11 for Randy Crawford in 1981 and No. 4 for Shola Ama in 1997.^[6]

His autobiography, Blindsighted, was published in 2014. Richards resides in the Louisville, Kentucky area where he still performs. He also acts a vocal coach with some of his students making it to the finals of The Voice and American Idol.^[7]