Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr., May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985) was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri.
Known variously as The Boss of the Blues, and Big Joe Turner (due to his 6’2”, 300+ lbs stature), Turner was born in Kansas City and first discovered his love of music through involvement in the church. He began singing on street corners for money, leaving
![]()
school at age fourteen to begin working in Kansas City’s club scene, first as a cook, and later as a singing bartender. He eventually became known as The Singing Barman, and worked in such venues as The Kingfish Club and The Sunset, where he and his piano playing partner Pete Johnson became resident performers.
school at age fourteen to begin working in Kansas City’s club scene, first as a cook, and later as a singing bartender. He eventually became known as The Singing Barman, and worked in such venues as The Kingfish Club and The Sunset, where he and his piano playing partner Pete Johnson became resident performers.The pair initially traveled to New York at John Hammond's behest in 1938. During December they appeared on the fabled Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall. They scored a major hit with “Roll ‘em Pete”. The track contained one of the earliest recorded examples of a back beat. In 1939, along with boogie players Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis, they began a residency at Café Society, a club in New York City.
 |
Pete Johnson Big Joe Turner and producer Dave Dexter |
Turner hit it big in 1954 with “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, which not only enhanced his career, turning him into a teenage favourite, but also helped to transform popular music. He sang the number on film in the 1955 theatrical feature Rhythm and Blues Revue.
Although the cover version of the song by Bill Haley And His
![]()
Comets, with the risqué lyrics incompletely cleaned up, was a bigger hit, many listeners sought out Turner’s version and were introduced thereby to the whole world of rhythm and blues. Elvis Presley showed he needed no such introduction. His version of “Shake, Rattle And Roll” combined Turner’s lyrics with Haley’s arrangement, but was not successful as a single.
Although the cover version of the song by Bill Haley And His
Comets, with the risqué lyrics incompletely cleaned up, was a bigger hit, many listeners sought out Turner’s version and were introduced thereby to the whole world of rhythm and blues. Elvis Presley showed he needed no such introduction. His version of “Shake, Rattle And Roll” combined Turner’s lyrics with Haley’s arrangement, but was not successful as a single.
In 1966, Bill Haley helped revive Turner’s career by lending him the Comets for a series of popular recordings in Mexico.
By the 1970s, he was performing at blues festivals even though he had been slowed by diabetes. He settled in South Los Angeles with his wife, Patricia. He recorded for the impresario Norman Granz’s Pablo label, once with his friendly rival, Jimmy Witherspoon.
Despite having to perform in a chair onstage, Turner continued to play club shows, drawing rave reviews for a 1982 Club Lingerie performance in Hollywood where he was backed by members of The Blasters and saxophone legend Lee Allen. He played frequently at Concerts by the Sea in Redondo Beach, the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, and other area clubs. In June 1985, he even played a Father’s Day gig at the Ms. Whis Cocktail Lounge in Long Beach. Unfortunately, a gig in September 1985 at the Tramps nightclub in New York City would be his last.
He died in Inglewood, California in November 1985, at the age of 74 of a heart attack, having suffered the earlier effects of arthritis, a stroke and diabetes. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Unfortunately, Turner died penniless. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Roosevelt Memorial Cemetery in Gardena until 1991 when through the efforts of Akio Yamanaka, editor of the Japanese blues magazine, enough money was raised to have a special grave marker installed. (Edited from Wikipedia and Daily Breeze)