This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet the oven-baked Big Boy of Austin punk.
Randy “Biscuit” Turner was born November 25, 1945, in Gladewater, Texas. By 1970 he had moved to Austin, where he worked in a variety of occupations, including retail sales, food service, and acting. In 1979, Turner became lead singer for the Big Boys, a pioneering band that helped define the city’s emerging punk scene. The Big Boys combined danceable funk and punk rhythms with outrageous stage performances. In fact, Turner often dressed in a tutu or colorful costumes adorned with Christmas lights.
After the Big Boys broke up in 1984, Randy “Biscuit” Turner remained active in the Austin music scene, fronting a number of different bands. He also worked as a visual artist and an actor in local theater until his death in 2005. He was inducted into the Austin Music Memorial in 2011.
Next time on This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a migrant worker who became a king.
