Biography

John Turner was the the chosen pseudonym, as well as the name he preferred to use and be referred to by others, used by British lyricist James John Turner Phillips, who was born in London, England, UK on July 7, 1932).

He owned and ran the Peter Maurice Music Company. His company's most important lyricist was Geoffrey Parsons. His company's specialty in the music business was adaptations of original foreign language compositions for the English language, and to write lyrics for previously "instrumental only" songs, especially those songs known primarily in non-English markets. Most commonly, he would assign a song primary lyricist Parsons and when Parsons would complete his lyric compositions, Turner would "suggest" (really order or require) changes. The credits for the final lyrics composition would thenceforth be published under both names, and credited to "John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons,"

The most famous song which they adapted was "Smile," original music by Charles Chaplin, which Chaplin composed for his masterpiece film The Great Dictator (1940), and after re-publishing in 1954, would thereafter be forever credited to John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, Peter Maurice Music Company, Denmark Street, London.

Other songs which he is known for include: "Oh! My Pa-Pa" based on the German song "O Mein Papa," music by Paul Burkhard; "Mama," based on an original song by Cesare A. Bixio (as Cesare Andrea Bixio) for music, and original Italian lyrics credited to Bixio Cherubini (a Bixio pseudonym, for lyrics written with Bixio Cherubini) under the Italian title "Mamma son tanto felice" (Mum, I am so happy); and "Auf Wiederseh'n, Sweetheart," written by German composer Eberhard Storch around 1950 (when and for his wife, who was in the hospital and he thought she was going to die), with English language lyrics written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons, with the best-known version of the song recorded by English singer Vera Lynn.
- IMDb mini biography by: TrivWhiz