Editing Big Joe Turner (section)

==Life and career==
===Early days===
Turner was born May 18, 1911, in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], United States.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=1194|title-link=Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}</ref> 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 friend [[Pete Johnson (musician)|Pete Johnson]] on piano.<ref name="Rockhall"/> 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.<ref name="auto">{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005 |first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=17 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records|id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/24/those-kansas-city-blues-a-family-history|title=Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|last=Baker|first=Katie|date=2014-10-24|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=2018-01-28|language=en}}</ref>

His partnership with Johnson proved fruitful.<ref name="Rockhall"/> Together they went to New York City in 1936,<ref name="Larkin"/> where they appeared on a playbill with [[Benny 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."<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005 |first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=11 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records Ltd. |id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref> Eventually they were seen by the talent scout [[John Hammond (producer)|John Hammond]] in 1938,<ref name="Larkin"/> who invited them back to New York to appear in one of his ''[[From Spirituals to Swing]]'' concerts at [[Carnegie Hall]], which were instrumental in introducing [[jazz]] and [[blues]] to a wider American audience.<ref name="Rockhall"/>

In part because of their appearance at Carnegie Hall, Turner and Johnson had a major success with the song "[[Roll 'Em Pete]]".<ref name="Rockhall"/> The track was basically a collection of [[Traditional blues verses|traditional blues lyrics]]. It was a song that Turner recorded many times, with various musicians, over the ensuing years.

===1939 to 1950===
In 1939, along with the boogie-woogie pianists [[Albert Ammons]] and [[Meade Lux Lewis]], Turner and Johnson began a residency at [[Café Society]], a nightclub in New York City, where they appeared on the same playbill as [[Billie Holiday]] and [[Frankie Newton]]'s band.<ref name="Rockhall"/> 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 the [[Vocalion Records|Vocalion]] [[record label|label]], with [[Hot Lips Page]] on trumpet and a full band in attendance.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web| last1=Dahl| first1 = Bill | title=Big Joe Turner|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/big-joe-turner-mn0000060726/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=17 November 2009}}</ref> During the next year Turner contracted with [[Decca Records|Decca]] and recorded "Piney Brown Blues" with Johnson on piano.<ref name="AMG"/>

In 1941, he went to Los Angeles and performed in [[Duke Ellington]]'s revue ''Jump for Joy'' in Hollywood.<ref name="auto"/> 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 in [[Meade Lux Lewis]]'s [[Soundies]] musical movies. He sang on the soundtrack recordings but was not present for filming, and his vocals were mouthed by the comedian [[Dudley 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 with [[National Records]], for which he recorded under the supervision of [[Herb Abramson]].<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005|first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=19 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records |id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref> His first hit single was a cover of [[Saunders King]]'s "S.K. Blues" (1945).<ref name="whitburnr&b"/> He recorded the songs "My Gal's a Jockey" and the risqué "Around the Clock" the same year, and [[Aladdin Records]] released "Battle of the Blues", a duet with [[Wynonie Harris]].<ref name="Larkin"/> Turner stayed with National until 1947, but none of his recordings were big sellers.<ref name="AMG"/> In 1950, he recorded the song "Still in the Dark", released by [[Freedom Records (jazz label)|Freedom Records]].<ref name="whitburnr&b"/> Joe Turner also played at the Cavalcades of Jazz concert held at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] in Los Angeles which was produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin Sr.]] on September 23, 1945, to a crowd of 15,000.  [[Count Basie]], the Honeydrippers, [[Edith Peters|The Peters Sisters]], [[Slim Gaillard|Slim and Bam]] and [[Valaida Snow]] were also featured artists.<ref>{{cite news|title=15,000 Persons at Wrigley Field for 'Jazz Cavalcade'|newspaper=[[California Eagle]]|date=September 27, 1945}}</ref> Turner also performed alongside [[Dizzy Gillespie]] at the fourth annual Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at [[Wrigley Field (Los Angeles)|Wrigley Field]] in Los Angeles, on September 12, 1948.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Los Angeles's Central Avenue Jazz|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|last=O'Connell, Sean J.|isbn=978-1467131308|location=Charleston, South Carolina|oclc=866922945|year = 2014}}</ref>  Also on the program that day were [[Frankie Laine]], [[International Sweethearts of Rhythm|The Sweethearts of Rhythm]], [[Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers|The Honeydrippers]], [[Little Miss Cornshucks]], [[Jimmy Witherspoon]], The Blenders, and The Sensations.<ref>“Jazz Cavalcade Boasts Top Name Talent for Show” article, ''Los Angeles Sentinel'', August 5, 1948</ref>

Turner was a significant figure in the development of [[rhythm and blues]]. According to the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]], Turner and [[Louis Jordan]] laid the foundation for R&B in the 1940s, "cutting one swinging rhythm & blues masterpiece after another".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rockhall.com/funk-and-rb#:~:text=Other%20cornerstones%20of%20R%26B%20and,the%20Ravens%20and%20the%20Dominoes |title=Funk and R&B |date=June 15, 2020 |work=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |access-date=December 25, 2020 |quote=}}</ref>

Turner made many albums with Johnson, [[Art Tatum]], [[Willie "The Lion" Smith]], [[Sammy Price]], and other jazz groups.<ref name="russell"/> He recorded for several record companies. He also performed with the [[Count Basie Orchestra]].<ref name="Rockhall"/> During his career, Turner was part of the transition from [[big band]]s to [[jump blues]] to [[rhythm and blues]] to [[rock and roll]].<ref name="Larkin"/> He was a master of [[traditional blues verses]], and at Kansas City [[jam session]]s he could swap choruses with instrumental soloists for hours.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005|first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=11 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records |id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref>

===Success during the 1950s===
[[File:Big Joe Turner Rock and Roll Revue Apollo Theater 1955.jpg|thumb|Turner performing in the 1955 film ''[[Rock 'n' Roll Revue]]'']]
In 1951, while performing with the Count Basie Orchestra at Harlem's [[Apollo Theater]] as a replacement for [[Jimmy Rushing]], he was spotted by [[Ahmet Ertegun|Ahmet]] and [[Nesuhi Ertegun]], who contracted him to their new recording company, [[Atlantic Records]].<ref name="Rockhall"/> Turner recorded a number of successes for them, including the [[List of blues standards|blues standard]]s, "[[Chains of Love (Ahmet Ertegun song)|Chains of Love]]"<ref name="pc3">{{cite web | last1 = Gilliland | first1 = John | title=Show 3 – The Tribal Drum: The Rise of Rhythm and Blues, Part 1|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19748/m1/#track/1|website=UNT Digital Library|access-date=15 August 2017}}</ref> and "Sweet Sixteen".<ref name="AMG"/> 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 the [[Lone 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.<ref name="Rockhall"/> 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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.history-of-rock.com/shake_rattle_and_roll.htm |title=Shake Rattle and Roll |publisher=History-of-rock.com |date=1954-04-28 |access-date=2013-06-30}}</ref> He sang it on film for the 1955 theatrical feature ''Rhythm and Blues Revue''.

Although the cover version of the song by [[Bill 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]]",<ref name=pc3/> "Hide and Seek", "Morning, Noon and Night", and "Well All Right" were successful recordings from this period.<ref name="AMG"/> He performed on the [[television program]] ''[[Showtime at the Apollo]]'' and in the movie ''[[Shake, Rattle & Rock! (1956 film)|Shake Rattle & Rock!]]'' (1956).<ref name="AMG"/>

The song "[[Corrine, Corrina]]" was another great seller during 1956.<ref name="AMG"/> In addition to the rock music songs, he released ''Boss of the Blues'' album in 1956.<ref name="russell"/> "(I'm Gonna) Jump for Joy", his last hit, reached the US R&B record chart on May 26, 1958.<ref name="Rockhall"/>

He toured Australia in 1957 with [[Lee Gordon (promoter)|Lee Gordon]]'s Big Show sharing the bill with [[Bill Haley & His Comets|Bill Haley and the Comets]], [[LaVern Baker]] and [[Freddie Bell and the Bellboys]].

===Awards===
He won the ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' magazine award for male vocalist in 1945.

He won the ''[[Melody Maker]]'' award for best "new" vocalist of 1956.

===Returning to Jazz===

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.<ref name="Rockhall"/> In 1966, [[Bill Haley (musician)|Bill Haley]] helped revive Turner's career by lending him the Comets for a series of popular recordings for the [[Orfeón (Mexican record label)|Orfeón label]] in Mexico.<ref name="AMG"/> 

During the 1960s and 1970s he resumed performing jazz and blues music, performing at many music festivals and recording for [[Norman Granz]]'s [[Pablo Records]].<ref name="AMG"/><ref name="russell"/> He also worked with [[Axel Zwingenberger]].<ref name="russell">{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| year= 1997| title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher=Carlton Books| location= Dubai| pages= 178–79| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}</ref> Turner also participated in a "Battle of the Blues" with [[Wynonie Harris]] and [[T-Bone Walker]].<ref name="russell 2">{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| year= 1997| title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher=Carlton Books| location= Dubai| page= 117| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}</ref>

In 1965, he toured in England with the trumpeter [[Buck Clayton]] and the trombonist [[Vic Dickenson]], accompanied by [[Humphrey Lyttelton]] and his band.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005|first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=37 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records|id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref> 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 British ''Jazz Journal'' award as top male singer of 1965. 

In 1977, Turner recorded a cover version of [[Guitar Slim]]'s song "[[The Things That I Used to Do]]", and "[[I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter]]", for [[Spivey Records]], with [[Lloyd Glenn]] on piano. 

Turner received top billing with Count Basie in the [[Kansas City jazz]] reunion movie ''[[The Last of the Blue Devils]]'' (1979), featuring [[Jay McShann]], [[Jimmy Forrest (musician)|Jimmy Forrest]], and other players from the city.

In 1983, two years before his death, Turner was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0151040.html |title=Blues Foundation Hall of Fame |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=2013-06-30}}</ref> That same year, the album ''Blues Train'' was released by [[Muse Records]]; the album featured Turner with the band [[Roomful of Blues]].<ref name="Rockhall"/> 

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)<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005 |first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=9 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records |id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref> to European jazz festivals of the 1980s.