Artist · EveryDisc catalogue

Big Joe Turner

Big Joe Turner (real name: Joseph Vernon Turner Jr.; May 18, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri, USA — November 24, 1985, Inglewood, California) was an African American singer and songwriter. He was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame (1983) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1987). In terms of singing style, he belongs to blues shouters, and is considered the greatest shouter of the postwar era. He continued to perform and record until 1985. Born in Kansas, he began his professional career at 16. He exerted a significant influence on the development of rhythm and blues: in collaboration with pianist Pete Johnson, he was one of the first to combine blues and boogie-woogie, which later became the foundation of rock and roll. He is the author of the songs "Honey Hush" (1953) and "Flip, Flop & Fly" (1955), which received the main "BMI" award. In 1956, his recording "Corrine Corrina" hit both the rhythm and blues and pop charts of "Billboard" magazine. In 1998, Turner's recording "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954) was awarded a Grammy.