Editing Big Joe Turner

{{Short description|American blues singer (1911–1985)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Big Joe Turner
| image             = Big Joe in Hamburg 1973.jpg
| caption           = Turner performing, 1973
| birth_name        = Joseph Vernon Turner Jr.
| alias             = Joe Turner<br/>Lou Willie Turner
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1911|5|18|mf=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Kansas City, Missouri]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1985|11|24|1911|5|18|mf=y}}
| death_place       = [[Inglewood, California]], U.S.
| genre             = {{Flatlist|
* [[Jump blues]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Big-Joe-Turner |title=Big Joe Turner |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=2023-05-12 }}</ref>
* [[Swing music|swing]]<ref>{{cite web|author=[[Scott Yanow]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-boss-of-the-blues-mw0000650907 |title=The Boss of the Blues - Big Joe Turner &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |date= |accessdate=2016-08-02}}</ref> 
* [[rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[rock and roll]]<ref name="AMG"/>
}} 
| occupation        = Singer
| years_active      = 1920s–1980s
| label             = {{Hlist|[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]|[[London Records|London]]|[[National Records|National]]|[[Vocalion Records|Vocalion]]|[[Decca Records|Decca]]|[[Pablo Records|Pablo]]|[[Rhino Records|Rhino]]}}
| associated_acts   = [[Pete Johnson (musician)|Pete Johnson]], [[Count Basie Orchestra]]
}}

'''Joseph Vernon''' "'''Big Joe'''" '''Turner Jr.''' (May 18, 1911 &ndash; November 24, 1985) was an American [[blues shouter]] from [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref name="AMG"/> According to songwriter [[Doc Pomus]], "[[Rock and roll]] would have never happened without him". Turner's greatest fame was due to his rock and roll recordings in the 1950s, particularly "[[Shake, Rattle and Roll]]", but his career as a performer endured from the 1920s into the 1980s.<ref name="Rockhall">{{cite web|title=Big Joe Turner|url=https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner|website=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|access-date=30 June 2013}}</ref>

Turner was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1987, with the Hall lauding him as "the brawny voiced 'Boss of the Blues{{'"}}.<ref name="Rockhall" /> [[AllMusic]] called Turner "the premier blues shouter of the postwar era".<ref name="AMG"/>

==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.

==Death and tributes==
Turner died of heart failure in November 1985, at the age of 74, in [[Inglewood, California]], having suffered from effects of arthritis, a stroke and diabetes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2014/04/05/big-joe-turners-final-resting-place/|title=Big Joe Turner's final resting place &#124; South Bay History|website=Blogs.dailybreeze.com|access-date=11 March 2021}}</ref> His funeral included musical tributes from [[Etta James]] and [[Barbara Morrison]].<ref name="LarkinBlues">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Who's Who of Blues]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1995|edition=Second|isbn=0-85112-673-1|page=353/4}}</ref> He was buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park in [[Gardena, California|Gardena]], California.

He was posthumously inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1987.<ref name="Rockhall"/>

The ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' music critic [[Robert Palmer (American writer)|Robert 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 magazine ''[[NME]]'', in its December 1985 issue, described him as "the grandfather of rock and roll".<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book| author= John Tobler| year= 1992| title= NME Rock 'n' Roll Years| publisher= Reed International Books | page= 413| id= CN 5585}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues_hof_inductee/big-joe-turner/|title=Big Joe Turner|website=Blues.org |access-date=February 21, 2021}}</ref>

[[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 the ''Blasters Newsletter''.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.blastersnewsletter.com/newsletter/amer59.htm | title=Blasters Newsletter, Issue 59 |publisher = Blastersnewsletter.com |access-date=2013-06-30}}</ref> Alvin later collaborated with his brother and former Blaster [[Phil 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 of ''Lost Time''.<ref name="Lewis">{{cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Randy|title=Phil and Dave Alvin uncover more common ground on 'Lost Time'|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-adv-dave-phil-alvin-20150915-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=7 October 2015|date=15 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/09/dave-alvin-and-phil-alvin-lost-time/ |title=Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin: Lost Time |publisher=AmericanSongwriter.com |date=2015-09-15 |access-date=2015-10-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davealvin.net/new-album-lost-time-out-september-18-on-yep-roc-records/ |title=New Album 'Lost Time' Out September 18 on Yep Roc Records|publisher=Davealvin.net |date=2015-09-18 |access-date=2015-10-07}}</ref>

The biographical film ''[[The Buddy Holly Story]]'' refers to Turner and his contemporaries [[Little Richard]] and [[Fats Domino]] as major influences on [[Buddy Holly|Holly]], 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}}).

==Most famous recordings==
* "[[Roll 'Em Pete]]" (1938), available in many versions over the years; used in the million-dollar opening scene of [[Spike Lee]]'s 1992 film ''[[Malcolm X (1992 film)|Malcolm X]]''
* "[[Chains of Love (Ahmet Ertegun song)|Chains of Love]]" * (1951), Turner's first million-seller, written by [[Ahmet Ertegun]] under the pseudonym "Nugetre" for the [[lyrics]] and [[Vann "Piano Man" Walls]] for the music, reaching the million sales mark by 1954<ref name="murrells">{{cite book| author= Joseph Murrells| year= 1978| title= The Book of Golden Discs| edition= 2nd| publisher= [[Barrie & Jenkins]]| page= [https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/57 57]| isbn= 0-214-20512-6| url= https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/57}}</ref>
* "[[Honey Hush]]" * (1953), Turner's second million-seller, written by Turner but credited to '''Lou Willie Turner'''<ref name="murrells"/>
* "[[Shake, Rattle and Roll]]" (1954),<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005|first=Adam |last=Komorowski|page=47 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records|id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref> written by "Charles Calhoun", [[Jesse Stone (musician)|Jesse Stone]]'s songwriting name 
* "[[Flip, Flop and Fly]]" * (1955), sold a million copies over the years; written by Charles Calhoun and Turner but credited to Lou Willie Turner<ref name="murrells"/>
* "Cherry Red" (1956)
* "[[Corrine, Corrina]]" * (1956), his fourth million-seller, with adaption by [[J. Mayo Williams]], [[Mitchell Parish]] and [[Bo Carter|Bo Chatmon]] in 1932; reached number 41 and spent 10 weeks on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' record chart<ref name="murrells"/>
* "Wee Baby Blues" (1956), a song Turner had been singing since his Kingfish Club days
* "Love Roller Coaster" (1956), with new lyrics to the Kansas City classic "Morning Glory"
* "[[Midnight Special (song)|Midnight Special]]" (1957)

Tracks marked with an asterisk were million-selling records.<ref name="murrells"/>

==Discography==
===Albums===
* ''Kansas City Jazz'' ([[Decca Records|Decca]] DL 8044, 1951)
* ''Joe Turner and Pete Johnson'' ([[EmArcy Records|EmArcy]], 1955)
* ''[[The Boss of the Blues]]: Joe Turner Sings Kansas City Jazz'' ([[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], 1956)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-boss-of-the-blues-mw0000650907|title=The Boss of the Blues – Big Joe Turner &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 28, 2020}}</ref>
* ''Joe Turner: Rock & Roll'' (Atlantic, 1957)
* ''Rockin' the Blues'' (Atlantic, 1958)
* ''And The Blues'll Make You Happy Too'' (Savoy, 1958)
* ''Careless Love'' (Savoy, 1958)
* ''Big Joe is Here'' (Atlantic, 1959)
* ''Big Joe Rides Again'' (Atlantic, 1960)
* ''Jumpin' the Blues'' (Arhoolie, 1962) with [[Pete Johnson (musician)|Pete Johnson]]
* ''Joe Turner and Jimmy Nelson'' (Crown, 1963)
* ''Sings The Blues, Vol. 1'' ([[Oriole Records (UK)|Oriole]], 1964)
* ''Sings The Blues, Vol. 2'' (Oriole, 1965)
* ''Feel So Fine'' (Fontana, 1965) with [[Buck Clayton]]; reissued as ''Buck Clayton Meets Joe Turner'' (Black Lion, 1992)
* ''Presenting Big Joe Turner'' (Orfeon [mex], 1966)
* ''[[Singing the Blues (Big Joe Turner album)|Singing the Blues]]'' (ABC/BluesWay, 1967) reissued as ''Roll 'Em'' (ABC/BluesWay, 1973)
* ''[[The Real Boss of the Blues]]'' (BluesTime/Flying Dutchman, 1969)
* ''[[Super Black Blues]]'' (BluesTime/Flying Dutchman, 1969) with [[T-Bone Walker]] and [[Otis Spann]]
* ''Super Black Blues, Volume II'' (BluesTime/Flying Dutchman, 1970) with [[Leon Thomas]], T-Bone Walker, [[Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson]]
* ''Turns On the Blues'' (Kent, 1970)
* ''Texas Style'' (Black and Blue, 1971)

* 1972 – ''Flip, Flop & Fly'' (Pablo, 1989) with [[Count Basie]] & His Orchestra
* 1973 – ''Boss Man of the Blues'' (LMI Records, 1973)
* 1973 – ''[[The Bosses]]'' (Pablo, 1974) with Count Basie
* 1974 – ''Life Ain't Easy'' (Pablo, 1983)
* 1974 – ''[[The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner]]'' (Pablo, 1975) with [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Roy Eldridge]], [[Harry "Sweets" Edison]], [[Clark Terry]]
* 1975 – ''Everyday I Have the Blues'' (Pablo, 1978) with [[Pee Wee Crayton]] and [[Sonny Stitt]]
* 1975 – ''Nobody in Mind'' (Pablo, 1976) with [[Milt Jackson]] and Roy Eldridge
* 1976 – ''In the Evening'' (Pablo, 1976)
* 1976 – ''The Midnight Special'' (Pablo, 1980)
* 1977 – ''Things That I Used to Do'' (Pablo, 1977)
* 1977 – ''San Francisco 1977'' (RockBeat, 2017) with [[Mike Bloomfield]]
* 1977 – ''I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter'' (Spivey, 1978) with the Bill Dacey-Robert Ross Band
* 1978 – ''Really the Blues'' (Big Town, 1978)
* 1978 – ''Have No Fear Joe Turner is Here'' (Pablo, 1981)
* 1974–1978 – ''Stormy Monday'' (Pablo, 1991) previously unissued Pablo recordings
* 1980 – ''Kansas City Shout'' (Pablo, 1980) with Count Basie and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
* 1981 – ''Boogie Woogie Jubilee'' (Telefunken, 1981) with Axel Zwingenberger
* 1981 – ''Rock This Joint'' (Intermedia, 1982)
* 1981 – ''The Very Best Of Big Joe Turner Live'' (Intermedia, 1982)
* 1981 – ''Boss Blues Live!'' (Intermedia, 1982)
* 1981 – ''Roll Me Baby'' (Intermedia, 1982)
* 1983 – ''Live at the Music Machine 1983'' (RockBeat, 2013)
* 1983 – ''Blues Train'' (Muse, 1983) with [[Roomful of Blues]]
* 1983 – ''Big Joe Turner with Knocky Parker and His House Rockers'' (Southland, 1985)
* 1984 – ''Kansas City Here I Come'' (Pablo, 1984)
* 1985 – ''Patcha, Patcha, All Night Long'' (Pablo, 1985) with [[Jimmy Witherspoon]]
* 1938–1954 – ''Shout, Rattle And Roll (1938–1954)'' (Proper, 2005) 4-CD set
* 1941–1946 – ''The Chronological Joe Turner 1941–1946'' (Classics, 1997)
* 1946–1947 – ''The Chronological Joe Turner 1946–1947'' (Classics, 1998)
* 1947–1948 – ''The Chronological Joe Turner 1947–1948'' (Classics, 1999)
* 1949–1950 – ''The Chronological Joe Turner 1949–1950'' (Classics, 2001)

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Titles (A-side, B-side)<br />Both sides from same album except where indicated
! colspan="2"| Chart Positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:small;"
! style="width:40px;"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop]]<ref>{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955–2002|publisher=Record Research|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn=0-89820-155-1|page=[https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/726 726]|url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbur/page/726}}</ref>
! style="width:40px;"| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br />R&B]]<ref name="whitburnr&b">{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–1995|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=1996 |publisher=Record Research |page=453}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="4"|1941
| style="text-align:left;"| "Piney Brown Blues"<br /><small>b/w "627 Stomp" [by Pete Johnson's Band]</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Doggin' the Dog"<br /><small>b/w "Rainy Day Blues"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Somebody's Got to Go"<br /><small>b/w "Ice Man"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Careless Love" [original recording]<br /><small>b/w "Jumpin' Down Blues" (non-album track)</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Joe Turner and Pete Johnson''
|-
|| 1942
| style="text-align:left;"| "Sun Risin' Blues"<br /><small>b/w "Blues on Central Avenue"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"|Non-album tracks
|-
|| 1944
| style="text-align:left;"| "Little Bittie Gal's Blues"<br /><small>b/w "I Got a Gal for Every Day in the Week"<br />Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson Trio</small>
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1945
| style="text-align:left;"| "Watch That Jive"<br /><small>b/w "Johnson & Turner Blues"<br />Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All-Stars</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Joe Turner and Pete Johnson''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "It's the Same Old Story"<br /><small>b/w "Rebecca"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "S.K. Blues", Part 1<br/><small>b/w Part 2<br />Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's All-Stars</small>
| —
| 3
| align="left"|''Joe Turner and Pete Johnson''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1946
| style="text-align:left;"| "Mad Blues"<br /><small>b/w "Sunday Morning Blues"<br />Joe Turner with Bill Moore's Lucky Seven</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Careless Love''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "My Gal's a Jockey"<br /><small>b/w "I Got Love for Sale" (from ''Careless Love'')</small>
| —
| 6
| align="left"|''Have No Fear Big Joe Turner Is Here''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1948
| style="text-align:left;"| "Tell Me Pretty Baby"<br /><small>b/w "Christmas Date Boogie"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Jumpin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Mardi Gras Boogie"<br /><small>b/w "My Heart Belongs to You"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Morning Glory"<br /><small>b/w "Low Down Dog"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''The Boss of the Blues Sings Kansas City Jazz''
|-
| rowspan="2"|1949
| style="text-align:left;"| "Blues on Central Avenue"<br /><small>b/w "Sun Risin' Blues"<br />Reissue</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="3"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "I Don't Dig It"<br /><small>b/w "Rainy Weather Blues"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="7"|1950
| style="text-align:left;"| "Love My Baby"<br /><small>b/w "Lucille"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Still in the Dark"<br /><small>b/w "Adam Bit the Apple" (non-album track)</small>
| —
| 9
| align="left"|''And the Blues'll Make You Happy Too''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "After A While, You'll Be Sorry"<br /><small>b/w "Feelin' Happy"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="5"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "I Want My Baby"<br /><small>b/w "Midnight Is Here Again"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Jumpin' at the Jubilee"<br /><small>b/w "Lonely World" [by Goree Carter]</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Just a Travellin' Man"<br /><small>b/w "Life Is Like a Card Game"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Back-Breaking Blues"<br /><small>b/w "Empty Pocket Blues"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1951
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Chains of Love (Ahmet Ertegun song)|Chains of Love]]"<br /><small>b/w "After My Laughter Came Tears" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'')</small>
| —
| 2
| align="left"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Christmas Date"<br /><small>b/w "Howd'ya Want Your Rollin' Done" (non-album track)</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Jumpin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Life Is Like a Card Game"<br /><small>b/w "When the Rooster Crows"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "The Chill Is On"<br /><small>b/w 'Bump Miss Susie"</small>
| —
| 3
| align="left"|''Big Joe Is Here''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1952
| style="text-align:left;"| "Sweet Sixteen"<br /><small>b/w "I'll Never Stop Loving You" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'')</small>
| —
| 3
| align="left"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Don't You Cry"<br /><small>b/w "Poor Lover's Blues"</small>
| —
| 5
| align="left"|''Big Joe Is Here''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Still In Love (With You)"<br /><small>b/w "Baby, I Still Want You" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'')</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Rockin' the Blues''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1953
| style="text-align:left;"| "Blues Jump the Rabbit"<br /><small>b/w "The Sun Is Shining"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Honey Hush]]"<small> (later retitled "Yakity-Yak")</small><br /><small>b/w "Crawdad Hole"</small>
| —
| 1
| align="left"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1954
| style="text-align:left;"| "T.V. Mama"<br /><small>b/w "Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop" (from ''Rock & Roll'')</small>
| —
| 6
| align="left"|''Rockin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Shake, Rattle and Roll]]"<br /><small>b/w "You Know I Love You" (from ''Rockin' the Blues'')</small>
| —
| 1
| align="left" rowspan="5"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Well All Right"<br /><small>b/w "Married Woman" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'') </small>
| —
| 9
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1955
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Flip, Flop and Fly|Flip Flop and Fly]]"<br /><small>b/w "Ti-Ri-Lee" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'')</small>
| —
| 2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Hide and Seek"<br /><small>b/w "Midnight Cannonball" (from ''Big Joe Is Here'')</small>
| —
| 3
|-
| rowspan="7"| 1956
| style="text-align:left;"| "The Chicken and the Hawk"<br/><small>"Morning, Noon and Night"</small>
| —
| 7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Morning, Noon and Night"<br/><small>"The Chicken and the Hawk"</small>
| —
| 8
| align="left"|''Rockin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Corrine, Corrina]]"<small> [original version]</small><br /><small>b/w "It's the Same Old Story"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Corrine, Corrina]]"<small> [re-recorded version]</small><br /><small>b/w "Boogie Woogie Country Girl"</small>
| 41
| 2
| align="left"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Lipstick, Powder and Paint (song)|Lipstick, Powder and Paint]]"<br/><small>Rock a While"</small>
| —
| 8
| align="left"|''Rockin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Rock a While"<br/><small>"Lipstick, Powder and Paint"</small>
| —
| 12
| align="left"|''Big Joe Is Here''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Midnight Special (song)|Midnight Special Train]]"<br /><small>b/w "Feeling Happy"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Rock & Roll''
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1957
| style="text-align:left;"| "After a While"<br /><small>b/w "Red Sails in the Sunset"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="5"|''Rockin' the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Love Roller Coaster"<br /><small>b/w "World of Trouble"</small>
| —
| 12
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Trouble in Mind"<br /><small>b/w "I Need a Girl"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Teenage Letter|Teen Age Letter]]"<br /><small>b/w "Wee Baby Blues" (from ''The Boss of the Blues Sings Kansas City Jazz'')</small>
| —
| —
|-
|| 1958
| style="text-align:left;"| "Jump for Joy"<br /><small>b/w "Blues in the Night"</small>
| —
| 15
|-
|| 1959
| style="text-align:left;"| "Got You on My Mind"<br /><small>b/w "Love Oh Careless Love"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="4"|''Rhythm & Blues Years''
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1960
| style="text-align:left;"| "Honey Hush" <small> [re-recording]</small><br /><small>b/w "Tomorrow Night"</small>
| 53
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Chains of Love" <small> [re-recording]</small><br /><small>b/w "My Little Honey Dripper"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "My Reason for Living"<br /><small>b/w "Sweet Sue"</small>
| —
| —
|-
| rowspan="2"|1964
| style="text-align:left;"| "I'm Packin' Up"<br /><small>b/w "I Walk a Lonely Mile"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left" rowspan="2"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Shake Rattle and Roll"<small> [re-recording]</small><br /><small>b/w "There'll Be Some Tears Falling"</small>
| —
| —
|-
|| 1967
| style="text-align:left;"| "Big Wheel"<br /><small>b/w "Bluer Than Blue"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Singing the Blues''
|-
|| 1968
| style="text-align:left;"| "I've Been Up on the Mountain"<br /><small>b/w "I Love You Baby" (non-album track)</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Boss Man of the Blues''
|-
| rowspan="3"|1969
| style="text-align:left;"| "Shake Rattle and Roll"<small> [second re-recording]</small><br /><small>b/w "Two Loves Have I"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''The Real Boss of the Blues''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Love Ain't Nothin'"<br /><small>b/w "10-20-25-30"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|Non-album tracks
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Night Time Is the Right Time]]"<br /><small>b/w "Morning Glory"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Big Joe Turner Turns On the Blues''
|-
|| 1973
| style="text-align:left;"| "One Hour in Your Garden"<br /><small>b/w "You've Been Squeezin' My Lemons"</small>
| —
| —
| align="left"|''Still Boss of the Blues''
|-
|}

==Bibliography==
* ''The Encyclopedia of Jazz and Blues''. {{ISBN|1-86155-385-4}}.
* ''Jumpin' the Blues'', Joe Turner with Pete Johnson's Orchestra. Liner notes. [[Arhoolie Records]].
* ''Rocks in My Bed'', Big Joe Turner. Liner notes. International Music.
* ''The Chronological Joe Turner'', 1949–1950. Liner notes. Classics Records.
* ''Rock and Roll'', Big Joe Turner. Liner notes. Atlantic Records.
* ''Shout, Rattle and Roll'', Big Joe Turner. Liner notes. Proper Records (four-[[Compact disc|CD]] [[boxed set]]), 2005.<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Shout, Rattle and Roll|year=2005 |first=Adam |last=Komorowski|pages=1-48 |type=CD |publisher=Proper Records Ltd. |id=Properbox 89 |location=London}}</ref>
* ''I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter'', Big Joe Turner. Liner notes. Spivey Records, 1977.

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Commons category|Big Joe Turner}}
{{Big Joe Turner}}
{{1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Big Joe}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Alligator Records artists]]
[[Category:American blues singers]]
[[Category:American jazz singers]]
[[Category:Arhoolie Records artists]]
[[Category:Atlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]]
[[Category:EmArcy Records artists]]
[[Category:Flying Dutchman Records artists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Missouri]]
[[Category:Jump blues musicians]]
[[Category:Jewel Records artists]]
[[Category:Kent Records artists]]
[[Category:Muse Records artists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri]]
[[Category:Pablo Records artists]]
[[Category:Rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:RPM Records (United States) artists]]
[[Category:Savoy Records artists]]
[[Category:Southland Records artists]]
[[Category:Swing singers]]
[[Category:Vocalion Records artists]]