Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family. His father, Thomas Turrentine, Sr., was a saxophonist with Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans, his mother played stride piano, and his older brother Tommy Turrentine became a professional trumpet player.
He began his prolific career with blues and rhythm and blues bands, and was at first greatly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. In the 1950s, he went on to play with the groups of Lowell Fulson, Earl Bostic, and at the turn of the decade, Max Roach.
Turrentine received his only formal musical training during his military stint in the mid-'50s. In 1959, he jumped from the frying pan into the fire when he left the military and went straight into the band of the great drummer Max Roach.
He married the organist Shirley Scott in 1960 and the two frequently played and recorded together. In the 1960s, he started working with organist Jimmy Smith, and made many soul jazz recordings both with Smith and as a leader.
In the 1970s, after his professional split and divorce from Scott, Turrentine turned to jazz fusion and signed for Creed Taylor's CTI label. His first album for CTI, Sugar proved one of his biggest successes and a seminal recording for the label. He worked with Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, George Benson, Bob James, Richard Tee, Idris Muhammad, Ron Carter, Grant Green and Eric Gale, to name a few. He returned to soul jazz in the 1980s and into the 1990s.
Turrentine lived in Fort Washington, Maryland from the early 90s until his death.
He died of a stroke in New York City on September 12, 2000 and is buried in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Cemetery
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
Stanley Turrentine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But some don't know how to handle it
Always reachin' out in vain
Just taking the things not worth having but
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
'Cause I'll be standing on the side
They say your style of life's a drag
And that you must go other places
But just don't you feel too bad
When you get fooled by smiling faces but
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
'Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get it off your trip
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
'Cause I'll be standing on the side
When you check it out
When you get it off your trip
Everybody needs a change
A chance to check out the new
But you're the only one to see
The changes you take yourself through but
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, pretty mama
'Cause I'll be standing in the wings
When you check it out
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Yeah
Bam bambam bambam bambam
Bambambambam bambambambam
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, sugar
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, sugar
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
The lyrics of Stanley Turrentine's "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" speak to the universal struggle of dealing with life’s ups and downs. The first verse acknowledges that everyone has their own issues to deal with; some don't know how to handle them and are always trying to fill a void with things that are not worth having. The chorus assures a loved one that they need not worry about their own problems because the singer will be there to support them. The second verse addresses the pressures that society often places on individuals. People are often told that they should live a certain way or go certain places, but the singer advises the listener not to worry too much about fitting in. The bridge encourages the listener to take a step back and acknowledge the changes they've gone through in their own life. All the while, the emphasis on the refrain that “everything will be all right” remains constant.
Overall, the song's message is one of reassurance and support, that things may not always be easy, but we should not worry too much because there will always be someone there standing in the wings to help us out.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's got a thing
Everyone has their own unique attribute that defines them
But some don't know how to handle it
However, some people struggle to deal with their own identity
Always reachin' out in vain
Such individuals attempt to find meaning but fail to do so
Just taking the things not worth having but
They tend to settle for mediocre things instead of aiming higher
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
You don't need to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Mother, you don't have to worry about anything
'Cause I'll be standing on the side
I will be standing by your side
When you check it out
When you figure things out
They say your style of life's a drag
People criticize your way of living as dull and tiresome
And that you must go other places
They suggest you should seek change and explore new surroundings
But just don't you feel too bad
However, don't be too disappointed
When you get fooled by smiling faces but
When you get deceived by people pretending to be kind
When you get it off your trip
Once you're able to move past your struggles
Everybody needs a change
Everyone needs a break from their routine
A chance to check out the new
An opportunity to explore the unexplored
But you're the only one to see
However, only you can understand the changes within you
The changes you take yourself through but
The changes you go through yourself
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, pretty mama
Attractive mother, you don't need to worry about anything
'Cause I'll be standing in the wings
I will be there to support you
Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry
Don't be anxious
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, sugar
Dear, you don't have to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama
Mother, you don't need to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
You don't need to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
You don't need to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
You don't need to worry about anything
Don't you worry 'bout a thing
You don't need to worry about anything
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Stevie Wonder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mizpahboy
A Turrentine classic.