BIG JOE TURNER
May 18, 1911, November 24, 1985
one of the true giants of music!
He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. The jump blues that Big Joe helped birth shook up R&B and got the world ready for rock 'n' roll
Providing an essential link between the blues and rock 'n' roll, Big Joe Turner is best remembered for his classic 1954 hit "Shake, Rattle and Roll," one of the pioneering songs of rock 'n' roll. Although Turner enjoyed his greatest recorded success with Atlantic Records between 1951 and 1956, rock 'n' roll was actually his second (or third) successful musical career. He started out as an important member of the burgeoning Kansas City jazz scene and helped popularize boogie woogie in the late '30s with pianist Pete Johnson. He also pursued an influential career as one of the most potent blues shouters of the '40s. He was one of the few jazz and blues singers of his generation to become popular with the teenage rock 'n' roll audience. After spending the '60s in relative obscurity, Big Joe Turner returned to jazz and blues, singing on the Pablo label with the likes of Count Basie and Jimmy Witherspoon.
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Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpufvv
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
Big Joe Turner (vocals; born May 18, 1911, died November 24, 1985)
Big Joe Turner was the brawny-voiced “Boss of the Blues.” He was among the first to mix R&B with boogie-woogie, resulting in jump blues - a style that presaged the birth of rock and roll. Indeed, Turner’s original recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” cut for Atlantic Records in 1954, remains one of the cornerstones numbers of the rock and roll revolution. Turner’s lengthy career touched on most every significant development in popular music during this century, taking him from the big bands of the Swing Era to boogie-woogie, rhythm & blues, and rock and roll. James Austin of Rhino Records noted that “[Turner’s] raucous style first blended R&B with boogie-woogie. The result was jump blues, and Joe was its foremost practitioner.”
But how important was he to the development of rock and roll?
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him,” opined legendary songwriter Doc Pomus.
- See more at: https://rockhall.com/inductees/big-joe-turner/bio/#sthash.QovDjFDz.dpuf
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