Marcus Turner, New Zealand folk singer and television presenter, Died at 59

  Music

Marcus William Turner was born in 1956, and died on February 2, 2016.

He was a singer-songwriter and folk musician from New Zealand.

Marcus took part in folk festivals in New Zealand, in Australia, and overseas.

Turner was also a presenter in the TVNZ children’s television program Spot On, ‘How’s That and Play School’.

Turner lived on the Otago Peninsula, near Dunedin, New Zealand.

He started performing at Dunedin’s Otago University Folk Music Club in 1973.

Originally, Marcus music consisted of covers of music by singers such as Paul Simon and John Denver, but gradually expanded to include traditional folk.

He was a member of several folk groups, notably the High Country Bluegrass in the 70’s.

Mr. Turner started to write his own songs, achieving early success with the comedic “The Civil Service Song”, released by EMI as a single in the late 1970s.

Marcus first album, The Best is Yet to Come was released by CityFolk in 1983.

Mr. Turner became more widely known as a presenter of a popular children’s TV program Spot On, alongside Ian Taylor and Helen McGowan.

He also took training to become a television director.

During 2005, Turner released his second solo album Laid Down.

Marcus musical interests have expanded to include traditional music from many countries, and he plays a wide variety of traditional musical instruments with Footspa, a band comprising musicians from other groups located in the Dunedin area.

A few of his works have been recorded by performers such as Irish singer Andy Irvine, the Danish folk group Færd and the British singing group Hen Party.

He also composed for films, including the NHNZ documentary Hotel Iguana.

Marcus William Turner passed away at 59 yrs old.