Tommy Turk

Thomas Eugene Turk (July 2, 1927 – August 4, 1981) was an American jazz trombonist.

Early life Thomas Eugene Turk was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on July 2, 1927. His father, Joseph, Tommy got his first trombone when he was in fourth grade of school. Nevertheless, he decided to stay in Pittsburgh, where he could control what he played and enjoyed life

In 1954, The Pittsburgh Press reported that Turk was considering leaving the area because his annual earnings of less than $5,500 from leading Deuces Wild were inadequate. At the time, he had a wife, Mary, and two sons – Tommy Turk Jr, aged three, and Charles, aged two. Ella Fitzgerald and Flip Phillips around the same time. In 1972, he performed at the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival with a band led by Roy Eldridge.

For many years Turk led a quartet that played at the Point View Hotel in Brentwood, Pennsylvania. He later moved to Las Vegas, to play in house bands. The Brentwood band reformed in 1976, and later recorded the album The-Truth!!! as a quintet. The Pittsburgh Press reported that Turk was "shot in the head for no apparent reason as he and other patrons lay on the floor of a tavern liquor store during a holdup." Four gang members were charged in relation to the killing. was survived by his wife and two sons. Recorded December 1, 1949 "Bye Bye Blues" / "The Beat" Mercury. Recorded December 1, 1949 Carnegie Hall 1949 (Pablo, 1949)