Joe Turner
Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. (May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American singer from Kansas City, Missouri. 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. 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'". |
Birth and Death Data: Born May 18, 1911 (Kansas City), Died November 24, 1985 (Inglewood)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1964
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, songwriter
Notes: Known as Big Joe Turner.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 600 | 10-in. | 4/19/1951 | The chill is on | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 601 | 10-in. | 4/19/1951 | After my laughter came tears | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 602 | 10-in. | 4/19/1951 | Bump miss Susie | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 603 | 10-in. | 4/19/1951 | Chains of love | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 786 | 10-in. | 1/20/1952 | I'll never stop loving you | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 787 | 10-in. | 1/20/1952 | Sweet sixteen | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 789 | 10-in. | 1/20/1952 | Don't you cry | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 790 | 10-in. | 1/20/1952 | Poor lover's blues | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 906 | 10-in. | 9/23/1952 | Still in love | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 907 | 10-in. | 9/23/1952 | Baby, I still want you | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1073 | 10-in. | 5/12/1953 | Honey hush | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1074 | 10-in. | 5/12/1953 | Crawdad hole | Allen Lee ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1126 | 10-in. | 10/7/1953 | Ti-ri-lee | Blues Kings ; Joe Turner | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 1127 | 10-in. | 10/7/1953 | Oke-she-moke-she-pop | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1128 | 10-in. | 10/7/1953 | Tv mama | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1209 | 10-in. | 2/15/1954 | Shake, rattle and roll | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1212 | 10-in. | 2/5/1954 | Well all right | Blues Kings ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1220 | 10-in. | 12/3/1953 | You know i love you | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1225 | 10-in. | 12/3/1953 | Married woman | Blues Kings ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1226 | 10-in. | 12/3/1953 | Midnight cannonball | Blues Kings (Musical group : Joe Turner) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1424 | 10-in. | 1/28/1955 | Morning, noon and night | Blues Kings (Musical group : Joe Turner) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1426 | 10-in. | 1/28/1955 | Hide and seek | Blues Kings (Musical group : Joe Turner) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1427 | 10-in. | 1/28/1955 | Flip, flop and fly | Blues Kings ; Joe Turner | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 1687 | 10-in. | 11/3/1955 | The chicken and the hawk (up, up and away) | Blues Kings (Musical group : Joe Turner) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1688 | 10-in. | 11/3/1955 | Boogie woogie country girl | Joe Turner ; Harry Van Walls | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1884 | 10-in. | 2/24/1956 | Corrine, Corrina | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1885 | 10-in. | 2/24/1956 | Lipstick, powder and paint | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 1886 | 10-in. | 2/24/1956 | Rock a while | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2219 | 10-in. | 11/20/1956 | After a while | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 2220 | 10-in. | 11/20/1956 | Midnight special train | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) | songwriter, vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2221 | 10-in. | 11/20/1956 | Red sails in the sunset | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2222 | 10-in. | 11/20/1956 | Feeling happy | Blues Kings (Joe Turner's)(Musical group) | songwriter, vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2533 | 10-in. | 5/13/1957 | Trouble in mind | Choker Campbell ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2535 | 10-in. | 5/13/1957 | World of trouble | Choker Campbell ; Joe Turner | songwriter, vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2536 | 10-in. | 5/13/1957 | Love roller coaster | Choker Campbell ; Joe Turner | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 2537 | 10-in. | 5/13/1957 | I need a girl | Choker Campbell ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2802 | 10-in. | 10/2/1957 | Teen age letter | Jesse Stone Band ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2803 | 10-in. | 10/2/1957 | Wee baby blues | Jesse Stone Band ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Atlantic | 2930 | 10-in. | 1/22/1958 | Jump for joy | Howard Biggs' Orchestra ; Joe Turner | vocalist, songwriter | ||
| Atlantic | 2931 | 10-in. | 1/22/1958 | Blues in the night | Howard Biggs' Orchestra ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68333 | 10-in. | 11/11/1940 | Piney Brown blues | Pete Johnson's Band ; Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68394 | 10-in. | 11/26/1940 | Doggin' the dog | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68395 | 10-in. | 11/26/1940 | Careless love | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68396 | 10-in. | 11/26/1940 | Jumpin' down blues | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68397 | 10-in. | 11/26/1940 | Rainy day blues | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68605 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Wee baby blues | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68607 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Last goodbye blues | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 68608 | 10-in. | 1/21/1941 | Battery bounce | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69356 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Lucille | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69357 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Rock me Mama | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69358 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Corrine, Corrina | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69359 | 10-in. | 6/13/1941 | Lonesome graveyard blues | Art Tatum and his Band | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69523 | 10-in. | 7/17/1941 | Nobody in mind | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69524 | 10-in. | 7/17/1941 | Somebody's got to go | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69525 | 10-in. | 7/17/1941 | Ice man | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 69526 | 10-in. | 7/17/1941 | Chewed up grass | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | 114499 | 2/6/1964 | I stand accused | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114500 | 2/6/1964 | I walk a lonely mile | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114757 | 4/6/1964 | I'm packing up | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114758 | 4/6/1964 | Shake, rattle and roll | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 114759 | 4/6/1964 | There'll be some tears falling | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | DLA 2738 | 10-in. | 9/8/1941 | Rocks in my bed | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | DLA 2739 | 10-in. | 9/8/1941 | Blues on Central Avenue | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | DLA 2740 | 10-in. | 9/8/1941 | Goin' to Chicago | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | DLA 2741 | 10-in. | 9/8/1941 | Sun risin' blues | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | DLA 2865 | 10-in. | 1/28/1942 | Blues in the night | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | DLA 2866 | 10-in. | 1/28/1942 | Cry baby blues | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | C 25230 | 10-in. | 10/30/1944 | It's the same old story | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | C 25231 | 10-in. | 10/30/1944 | Rebecca | Joe Turner | vocalist | ||
| Decca | C 25232 | 10/30/1944 | Little bittie gal's blues | Joe Turner | vocalist | |||
| Decca | C 25233 | 10/30/1944 | I got a gal for every day in the week | Joe Turner | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Turner, Joe," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210342.
Turner, Joe. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/210342.
"Turner, Joe." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Big Joe Turner
Discogs: Joe Turner
Allmusic: Joe Turner
Grove: Joe Turner
IMDb: Joe Turner
Britannica: Joe Turner
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Turner, Joe, 1911-1985 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81146968
Wikidata: Big Joe Turner - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q358350
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/46947966
MusicBrainz: Big Joe Turner - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b123ba15-c4a5-4281-8117-2e57f8f02496
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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