Big Joe Turner - Shout, Rattle And Roll (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 The premier blues shouter of the postwar era, Big Joe Turner's roar could rattle the very foundation of any gin joint he sang within -- and that's without a microphone. Turner was a resilient figure in the history of blues -- he effortlessly spanned boogie-woogie, jump blues, even the first wave of rock & roll, enjoying great success in each genre. 

 

Big Joe Turner - Rocks In My Bed (4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 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. 

Big Joe Turner - All the Classic Hits 1938-1952 (5 CD, 2003/FLAC)

 

Classic Hits 1938-52 is a five-disc, 123-track collection of Big Joe Turner's earliest recording sessions before finding stardom with his mid-'50s R&B sides. While this JSP set isn't extravagant, it's a luxury to have Turner's sides for National, Aladdin, Freedom, MGM, and Imperial remastered and together in one collection. The final disc also includes the Boss of the Blues' first recordings for Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun of Atlantic Records: "Chains of Love," "Sweet Sixteen," "Poor Lover's Blues," and "Still in Love (With You)." Turner tackles blues, swing, and fiery up-tempo jump blues, assisted by Pete Johnson, Wynonie Harris, Pee Wee Crayton, Budd Johnson, Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Joe Houstin, Albert Ammons, Don Byas, Art Tatum, and Hot Lips Page. 

Big Joe Turner - Big, Bad & Blue: The Big Joe Turner Anthology (3 CD, 1994/FLAC)

 Legendary blues shouter whose career spanned jazz, R&B, blues, and early rock & roll without altering his outsized style.

This three-record anthology shows how Turner, without really ever changing his style, moved from strict Kansas City swing to pioneering rock & roll and back to basic jazzy blues. It contains 62 songs, everything from treasured hits to slow, sweltering ballads, strident up-tempo wailers, moaning blues, novelty tunes, and fiery pieces with lyrics and sentiments that wouldn't make it in today's environment.