Gil Turner

Background Turner was born on May 6, 1933, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of a machinist. His father, a German immigrant, was a member of a Bridgeport singing group that toured the US twice, and his mother, a member of the church choir. Besides their musical talent, Turner inherited his parents' love of religion, and as a teen, he became a lay preacher. His position at Gerde's, which featured both established artists and emerging talent, put Turner at the center of the Village's burgeoning folk music scene.

Broadside and Bob Dylan When Seeger, Agnes "Sis" Cunningham and her husband Gordon Friesen were considering launching a magazine devoted to protest songs, Turner became the key to the enterprise. Through his role at Gerde's, Turner rounded up contributors of protest songs for Broadside during its first few years, many of them young songwriters like Phil Ochs, Bonnie Dobson, Len Chandler and Mark Spoelstra. The two became close friends and frequently hung out at taverns after Gerde's closed for the night.

"Blowin' in the Wind" On April 16, 1962, Dylan showed up at Gerde's at a hootenanny Turner was hosting. He wrote a new song called "Blowin' in the Wind" and wanted Turner to hear it. After listening to Dylan play the song in the club's basement, Turner had Dylan show him the chords. When he went up upstairs for his next set, Turner sang the song from Dylan's rough manuscript. It was the first performance of what went on to become one of the most famous folk-protest songs of the 1960s.

Personal life Turner married Lori Singer in 1962. Their daughter, Melora Lou NuCeder (née Turner), was born in 1965. Turner and Singer divorced in 1967.