Joseph Vernon "Big Joe" Turner Jr. was an American blues shouter 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, 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'".
From 1983 these are his last known recordings recorded at The Music Machine, Santa Monica, California. The set features many of Joe’s songs that became Rock and Roll standards including “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “Honey Hush”.
Turner was backed by an all-star band, including Lee Allen, Steve Berlin, and Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson who also guests on vocals on two of the tracks.
TRACKS
1. Hide & Seek
2. Corrina Corrina
3. Chains of Love
4. Honey Hush
5. Shake Rattle & Roll
6. Early One Morning
7. Roll ‘Em Pete
8. Around the Clock Encore
9. Cherry Red
10. Somebody’s Got to Go