Big Joe Turner | |
|---|---|
 Turner performing, 1973 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Joe Turner Lou Willie Turner |
| Born | Joseph Vernon Turner Jr. (1911-05-18)May 18, 1911 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | November 24, 1985(1985-11-24) (aged 74) Inglewood, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1920s–1980s |
| Labels | |
Joseph Vernon "Big Joe"Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an Americanblues shouter fromKansas City, Missouri.[3] Turner's greatest fame was due to hisrock and roll recordings in the 1950s, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", but his career as a performer endured from the 1920s into the 1980s.[4]
Turner was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, with the Hall lauding him as "the brawny voiced 'Boss of the Blues.'" According to songwriterDoc Pomus, "rock and roll would have never happened without him."[4]AllMusic called Turner "the premier blues shouter of the postwar era".[3]
Turner was born May 18, 1911, inKansas City, Missouri, United States.[5] His father was killed in a train accident when Turner was four years old. He sang in his church, and on street corners for money. He left school at age fourteen to work in Kansas City's nightclubs, first as a cook and later as a singing bartender. He became known as "The Singing Barman", and worked in such venues as the Kingfish Club and the Sunset, and would frequently perform at these venues alongside his friendPete Johnson on piano.[4] The Sunset was managed by Piney Brown. It featured "separate but equal" facilities for white patrons. Turner wrote "Piney Brown Blues" in his honor and sang it throughout his career.[6]
At that time Kansas City nightclubs were subject to frequent raids by the police; Turner said, "The Boss man would have his bondsmen down at the police station before we got there. We'd walk in, sign our names and walk right out. Then we would cabaret until morning."[7]
His partnership with Johnson proved fruitful.[4] Together they went to New York City in 1936,[5] where they appeared on a playbill withBenny Goodman, but as Turner recounted, "After our show with Goodman, we auditioned at several places, but New York wasn't ready for us yet, so we headed back to K.C."[8] Eventually they were seen by the talent scoutJohn Hammond in 1938,[5] who invited them back to New York to appear in one of hisFrom Spirituals to Swing concerts atCarnegie Hall, which were instrumental in introducingjazz andblues to a wider American audience.[4]
In part because of their appearance at Carnegie Hall, Turner and Johnson had a major success with the song "Roll 'Em Pete".[4] The track was basically a collection oftraditional blues lyrics. It was a song that Turner recorded many times, with various musicians, over the ensuing years.
In 1939, along with the boogie-woogie pianistsAlbert Ammons andMeade Lux Lewis, Turner and Johnson began a residency atCafé Society, a nightclub in New York City, where they appeared on the same playbill asBillie Holiday andFrankie Newton's band.[4] Besides "Roll 'Em, Pete", Turner's best-known recordings from this period are probably "Cherry Red", "I Want a Little Girl" and "Wee Baby Blues". "Cherry Red" was recorded in 1939 for theVocalionlabel, withHot Lips Page on trumpet and a full band in attendance.[3] During the next year Turner contracted withDecca and recorded "Piney Brown Blues" with Johnson on piano.[3]
In 1941, he went to Los Angeles and performed inDuke Ellington's revueJump for Joy in Hollywood.[6] He appeared as a singing policeman in a comedy sketch, "He's on the Beat". Los Angeles was his home for a time, and during 1944 he worked inMeade Lux Lewis'sSoundies musical movies. He sang on the soundtrack recordings but was not present for filming, and his vocals were mouthed by the comedianDudley Dickerson for the camera. In 1945 Turner and Pete Johnson established the Blue Moon Club, a bar in Los Angeles.
In 1945, he also signed a recording contract withNational Records, for which he recorded under the supervision ofHerb Abramson.[9] His first hit single was a cover ofSaunders King's "S.K. Blues" (1945).[10] He recorded the songs "My Gal's a Jockey" and the risqué "Around the Clock" the same year, andAladdin Records released "Battle of the Blues", a duet withWynonie Harris.[5] Turner stayed with National until 1947, but none of his recordings were big sellers.[3] In 1950, he recorded the song "Still in the Dark", released byFreedom Records.[10] Joe Turner also played at the Cavalcades of Jazz concert held atWrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced byLeon Hefflin Sr. on September 23, 1945, to a crowd of 15,000.Count Basie, the Honeydrippers,The Peters Sisters,Slim and Bam andValaida Snow were also featured artists.[11] Turner also performed alongsideDizzy Gillespie at the fourth annual Cavalcade of Jazz concert held atWrigley Field in Los Angeles, on September 12, 1948.[12] Also on the program that day wereFrankie Laine,The Sweethearts of Rhythm,The Honeydrippers,Little Miss Cornshucks,Jimmy Witherspoon, The Blenders, and The Sensations.[13]
Turner was a significant figure in the development ofrhythm and blues. According to theRock & Roll Hall of Fame, Turner andLouis Jordan laid the foundation for R&B in the 1940s, "cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another".[14]
Turner made many albums with Johnson,Art Tatum,Willie "The Lion" Smith,Sammy Price, and other jazz groups.[15] He recorded for several record companies. He also performed with theCount Basie Orchestra.[4] During his career, Turner was part of the transition frombig bands tojump blues torhythm and blues torock and roll.[5] He was a master oftraditional blues verses, and at Kansas Cityjam sessions he could swap choruses with instrumental soloists for hours.[16]
In 1951, while performing with the Count Basie Orchestra at Harlem'sApollo Theater as a replacement forJimmy Rushing, he was spotted byAhmet andNesuhi Ertegun, who contracted him to their new recording company,Atlantic Records.[4] Turner recorded a number of successes for them, including theblues standards "Chains of Love"[17] and "Sweet Sixteen".[3] Many of his vocals are punctuated with shouts to the band members, as in "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" ("That's a good rockin' band!", "Go ahead, man! Ow! That's just what I need!" ) and "Honey Hush" (he repeatedly sings, "Hi-yo, Silver!", a famous command used by theLone Ranger on his popular radio show, to his horse named Silver). Turner's records reached the top of the rhythm-and-blues charts. Some of his songs were so risqué that some radio stations refused to play them, but they received much play on jukeboxes.
Turner had great success during 1954 with "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which significantly boosted his career, turning him into a teenage favorite, and also helped to transform popular music.[4] During the song, Turner yells at his woman to "get outta that bed, wash yo' face an' hands" and comments that she's "wearin' those dresses, the sun comes shinin' through! I can't believe my eyes, all that mess belongs to you."[18] He sang it on film for the 1955 theatrical featureRhythm and Blues Revue.
Although the cover version of the song byBill Haley & His Comets, with the risqué lyrics partly omitted, was a greater sales success, many listeners sought out Turner's version and were introduced thereby to rhythm and blues.Elvis Presley's version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" combined Turner's lyrics with Haley's arrangement, but was not a successful single.
"The Chicken and the Hawk", "Flip, Flop and Fly",[17] "Hide and Seek", "Morning, Noon and Night", and "Well All Right" were successful recordings from this period.[3] He performed on thetelevision programShowtime at the Apollo and in the movieShake Rattle & Rock! (1956).[3]
The song "Corrine, Corrina" was another great seller during 1956.[3] In addition to the rock music songs, he releasedBoss of the Blues album in 1956.[15] "(I'm Gonna) Jump for Joy", his last hit, reached the US R&B record chart on May 26, 1958.[4]
He toured Australia in 1957 withLee Gordon's Big Show sharing the bill withBill Haley and the Comets,LaVern Baker andFreddie Bell and the Bellboys.
He won theEsquire magazine award for male vocalist in 1945.
He won theMelody Maker award for best "new" vocalist of 1956.
After a number of successes in popular music, Turner resumed singing with small jazz combos, recording numerous albums in that style during the 1960s and 1970s.[4] In 1966,Bill Haley helped revive Turner's career by lending him the Comets for a series of popular recordings for theOrfeón label in Mexico.[3]
During the 1960s and 1970s he resumed performing jazz and blues music, performing at many music festivals and recording forNorman Granz'sPablo Records.[3][15] He also worked withAxel Zwingenberger.[15] Turner also participated in a "Battle of the Blues" withWynonie Harris andT-Bone Walker.[19]
In 1965, he toured in England with the trumpeterBuck Clayton and the trombonistVic Dickenson, accompanied byHumphrey Lyttelton and his band.[20] Part of a studio concert was televised by the BBC and later issued on DVD. A sound recording of a club appearance made during this tour is not thought of sufficient sound quality to justify commercial issue. He also toured Europe with Count Basie and his orchestra. He won the BritishJazz Journal award as top male singer of 1965.
In 1977, Turner recorded a cover version ofGuitar Slim's song "The Things That I Used to Do", and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", forSpivey Records, withLloyd Glenn on piano.
Turner received top billing with Count Basie in theKansas City jazz reunion movieThe Last of the Blue Devils (1979), featuringJay McShann,Jimmy Forrest, and other players from the city.
In 1983, two years before his death, Turner was inducted into theBlues Hall of Fame.[21] That same year, the albumBlues Train was released byMuse Records; the album featured Turner with the bandRoomful of Blues.[4]
Turner's career endured from the barrooms of Kansas City in the 1920s (when at the age of twelve he performed with a pencilled moustache and his father's hat)[22] to European jazz festivals of the 1980s.
Turner died of heart failure in November 1985, at the age of 74, inInglewood, California, having suffered from effects of arthritis, a stroke and diabetes.[23][24][25] His funeral included musical tributes fromEtta James andBarbara Morrison.[26] He was buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park inGardena, California.
He was posthumously inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.[4]
TheNew York Times music criticRobert Palmer wrote of "his voice, pushing like a Count Basie solo, rich and grainy as a section of saxophones, which dominated the room with the sheer sumptuousness of its sound." In announcing Turner's death, the British music magazineNME, in its December 1985 issue, described him as "the grandfather of rock and roll".[27]
According to the Blues Hall of Fame, Turner "was a king of the jump blues genre, a boogie woogie belter, progenitor of rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll, and a respected performer in jazz circles.[28]
Dave Alvin wrote a song about an evening he spent with Turner, entitled "Boss of the Blues", for his 2009 album,Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women. Alvin discussed the song in issue 59 of theBlasters Newsletter.[29] Alvin later collaborated with his brother and former BlasterPhil Alvin on a second reunion album,Lost Time, released in 2015, containing four covers of songs by Turner, including "Cherry Red", "Wee Baby Blues" and "Hide and Seek". The brothers met Turner in Los Angeles, where he was playing in clubs on Central Avenue and living in the Adams district between tours in the 1960s.Phil Alvin opened for Turner a few times with his first band, Delta Pacific. Turner continued mentoring the Alvin brothers until his death in 1985. He is pictured on the back cover ofLost Time.[30][31][32]
The biographical filmThe Buddy Holly Story refers to Turner and his contemporariesLittle Richard andFats Domino as major influences onHolly, who is portrayed collecting their vinyl recordings.
A biography and discography,Big Joe Turner Feel So Fine, written by Derek Coller was published by Hardinge Simpole in 2023 (ISBN 978-1-84382-232-5).
Tracks marked with an asterisk were million-selling records.[33]
| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[36] | US R&B[10] | |||
| 1941 | "Piney Brown Blues" b/w "627 Stomp" [by Pete Johnson's Band] | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "Doggin' the Dog" b/w "Rainy Day Blues" | — | — | ||
| "Somebody's Got to Go" b/w "Ice Man" | — | — | ||
| "Careless Love" [original recording] b/w "Jumpin' Down Blues" (non-album track) | — | — | Joe Turner and Pete Johnson | |
| 1942 | "Sun Risin' Blues" b/w "Blues on Central Avenue" | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1944 | "Little Bittie Gal's Blues" b/w "I Got a Gal for Every Day in the Week" Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson Trio | — | — | |
| 1945 | "Watch That Jive" b/w "Johnson & Turner Blues" Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All-Stars | — | — | Joe Turner and Pete Johnson |
| "It's the Same Old Story" b/w "Rebecca" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "S.K. Blues", Part 1 b/w Part 2 Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All-Stars | — | 3 | Joe Turner and Pete Johnson | |
| 1946 | "Mad Blues" b/w "Sunday Morning Blues" Joe Turner with Bill Moore's Lucky Seven | — | — | Careless Love |
| "My Gal's a Jockey" b/w "I Got Love for Sale" (fromCareless Love) | — | 6 | Have No Fear Big Joe Turner Is Here | |
| 1948 | "Tell Me Pretty Baby" b/w "Christmas Date Boogie" | — | — | Jumpin' the Blues |
| "Mardi Gras Boogie" b/w "My Heart Belongs to You" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Morning Glory" b/w "Low Down Dog" | — | — | The Boss of the Blues Sings Kansas City Jazz | |
| 1949 | "Blues on Central Avenue" b/w "Sun Risin' Blues" Reissue | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "I Don't Dig It" b/w "Rainy Weather Blues" | — | — | ||
| 1950 | "Love My Baby" b/w "Lucille" | — | — | |
| "Still in the Dark" b/w "Adam Bit the Apple" (non-album track) | — | 9 | And the Blues'll Make You Happy Too | |
| "After A While, You'll Be Sorry" b/w "Feelin' Happy" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "I Want My Baby" b/w "Midnight Is Here Again" | — | — | ||
| "Jumpin' at the Jubilee" b/w "Lonely World" [by Goree Carter] | — | — | ||
| "Just a Travellin' Man" b/w "Life Is Like a Card Game" | — | — | ||
| "Back-Breaking Blues" b/w "Empty Pocket Blues" | — | — | ||
| 1951 | "Chains of Love" b/w "After My Laughter Came Tears" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | 2 | Rock & Roll |
| "Christmas Date" b/w "Howd'ya Want Your Rollin' Done" (non-album track) | — | — | Jumpin' the Blues | |
| "Life Is Like a Card Game" b/w "When the Rooster Crows" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "The Chill Is On" b/w 'Bump Miss Susie" | — | 3 | Big Joe Is Here | |
| 1952 | "Sweet Sixteen" b/w "I'll Never Stop Loving You" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | 3 | Rock & Roll |
| "Don't You Cry" b/w "Poor Lover's Blues" | — | 5 | Big Joe Is Here | |
| "Still In Love (With You)" b/w "Baby, I Still Want You" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | — | Rockin' the Blues | |
| 1953 | "Blues Jump the Rabbit" b/w "The Sun Is Shining" | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "Honey Hush" (later retitled "Yakity-Yak") b/w "Crawdad Hole" | — | 1 | Rock & Roll | |
| 1954 | "T.V. Mama" b/w "Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop" (fromRock & Roll) | — | 6 | Rockin' the Blues |
| "Shake, Rattle and Roll" b/w "You Know I Love You" (fromRockin' the Blues) | — | 1 | Rock & Roll | |
| "Well All Right" b/w "Married Woman" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | 9 | ||
| 1955 | "Flip Flop and Fly" b/w "Ti-Ri-Lee" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | 2 | |
| "Hide and Seek" b/w "Midnight Cannonball" (fromBig Joe Is Here) | — | 3 | ||
| 1956 | "The Chicken and the Hawk" "Morning, Noon and Night" | — | 7 | |
| "Morning, Noon and Night" "The Chicken and the Hawk" | — | 8 | Rockin' the Blues | |
| "Corrine, Corrina" [original version] b/w "It's the Same Old Story" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Corrine, Corrina" [re-recorded version] b/w "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" | 41 | 2 | Rock & Roll | |
| "Lipstick, Powder and Paint" Rock a While" | — | 8 | Rockin' the Blues | |
| "Rock a While" "Lipstick, Powder and Paint" | — | 12 | Big Joe Is Here | |
| "Midnight Special Train" b/w "Feeling Happy" | — | — | Rock & Roll | |
| 1957 | "After a While" b/w "Red Sails in the Sunset" | — | — | Rockin' the Blues |
| "Love Roller Coaster" b/w "World of Trouble" | — | 12 | ||
| "Trouble in Mind" b/w "I Need a Girl" | — | — | ||
| "Teen Age Letter" b/w "Wee Baby Blues" (fromThe Boss of the Blues Sings Kansas City Jazz) | — | — | ||
| 1958 | "Jump for Joy" b/w "Blues in the Night" | — | 15 | |
| 1959 | "Got You on My Mind" b/w "Love Oh Careless Love" | — | — | Rhythm & Blues Years |
| 1960 | "Honey Hush" [re-recording] b/w "Tomorrow Night" | 53 | — | |
| "Chains of Love" [re-recording] b/w "My Little Honey Dripper" | — | — | ||
| "My Reason for Living" b/w "Sweet Sue" | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "I'm Packin' Up" b/w "I Walk a Lonely Mile" | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| "Shake Rattle and Roll" [re-recording] b/w "There'll Be Some Tears Falling" | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "Big Wheel" b/w "Bluer Than Blue" | — | — | Singing the Blues |
| 1968 | "I've Been Up on the Mountain" b/w "I Love You Baby" (non-album track) | — | — | Boss Man of the Blues |
| 1969 | "Shake Rattle and Roll" [second re-recording] b/w "Two Loves Have I" | — | — | The Real Boss of the Blues |
| "Love Ain't Nothin'" b/w "10-20-25-30" | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
| "Night Time Is the Right Time" b/w "Morning Glory" | — | — | Big Joe Turner Turns On the Blues | |
| 1973 | "One Hour in Your Garden" b/w "You've Been Squeezin' My Lemons" | — | — | Still Boss of the Blues |
