Big Joe Turner was a blues singer like no other, and he was able to work in an astonishing number of styles and settings, from jazz, swing, and boogie-woogie to jump blues, early R&B, and rock & roll, and even bop and straight pop, without ever betraying his talent. This four-disc, 71-track set collects several of Turner's earliest recordings from various labels, beginning with 1938’s “Roll ‘Em Pete” and running up to 1951, when Turner signed with Atlantic Records. That means his classic version of “Shake, Rattle and Roll” is here, along with other early Turner gems like “Cherry Red” (with Pete Johnson), “Careless Love” (with Willie “The Lion” Smith), and “Rocks in My Bed” (with the Freddie Slack Trio), making this a nice survey of Turner’s early catalog.
Disc 1
01. Roll 'Em Pete [0:02:49.40]
02. Goin' Away Blues [0:02:37.40]
03. It's All Right Baby [0:02:38.00]
04. Cherry Red [0:02:54.44]
05. Piney Brown Blues [0:02:53.59]
06. Careless Love [0:02:48.68]
07. Nobody In Mind [0:02:54.20]
08. Somebody's Got To Go [0:02:55.28]
09. Ice Man [0:02:55.16]
10. Chewed Up Grass [0:02:34.16]
11. Rocks In My Bed [0:03:14.04]
12. Blues On Central Avenue [0:02:37.52]
13. Goin' To Chicago Blues [0:03:00.08]
14. Blues On Central Avenue [0:02:37.40]
15. Sun Risin' Blues [0:02:49.04]
16. Blues In The Night [0:02:27.66]
17. Cry Baby Blues [0:02:50.04]
Disc 2
01. I Got A Gal (For Every Day In The Week) [0:03:01.40]
02. Rebecca [0:02:41.60]
03. It's The Same Old Story [0:02:56.36]
04. Little Bitty Gal's blues [0:03:20.71]
05. SK Blues Part 1 [0:03:00.56]
06. SK Blues Part 2 [0:02:57.08]
07. Johnson And Turner Blues [0:03:00.67]
08. Watch That Jive [0:02:58.28]
09. Howlin' Winds [0:02:52.40]
10. Doggin' The Blues (Low Dog Blues) [0:03:05.47]
11. My Gal's A Jockey [0:03:13.04]
12. I Got My Discharge Papers [0:02:42.20]
13. Sally Zu-Zazz-Blues [0:02:56.01]
14. New Oo-Wee-Baby-Blues (Wee Baby Blues) [0:03:05.01]
15. Low Down Dog [0:02:32.71]
16. Battle Of The Blues, Part 2 [0:02:49.40]
17. Battle Of The Blues, Part 1 [0:02:52.04]
18. Morning Glory [0:02:25.56]
Disc 3
01. Nobody In Mind [0:03:11.48]
02. Back Breaking Blues [0:03:02.60]
03. Empty Pocket Blues [0:02:40.52]
04. Hollywood Bed (Cherry Red Blues) [0:02:45.08]
05. Radar Blues [0:02:44.12]
06. Tell My Pretty Baby [0:02:47.60]
07. Wine-O-Baby Boogie [0:02:34.04]
08. Jumpin' Tonight (Midnight Rockin') [0:02:22.52]
09. Lucille [0:02:30.68]
10. Love Me Baby (Little Bitty Baby) [0:02:22.16]
11. Blues Jump The Rabbit [0:02:31.57]
12. The Sun Is Shining [0:01:58.28]
13. Jumpin' At The Jubilee [0:02:47.01]
14. Still In The Dark [0:02:48.55]
15. Chains Of Love [0:03:21.56]
16. The Chill Is On [0:02:46.28]
17. Bump Miss Susie [0:02:22.39]
18. Sweet Sixteen [0:02:53.28]
Disc 4
01. Don't You Cry [0:02:30.44]
02. Still In Love [0:02:58.63]
03. Honey Hush [0:02:39.36]
04. Crawdad Hole [0:02:36.20]
05. TV Mama [0:02:48.04]
06. Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop [0:02:46.40]
07. The Sun Is Shining [0:01:58.16]
08. Shake, Rattle And Roll [0:03:00.23]
09. You Know I Love You [0:03:11.01]
10. Married Woman [0:02:48.44]
11. Well All Right [0:02:28.28]
12. Ti-Re-Lee [0:02:56.15]
13. Flip Flop And Fly [0:02:47.48]
14. In The Evenin' When The Sun Goes Down [0:05:01.48]
15. Hide And Seek [0:02:42.44]
16. Midnight Cannonball [0:02:30.20]
17. Morning, Noon And Night [0:02:42.20]
18. The Chicken And The Hawk [0:02:37.20]
