Rocks

Recording information: Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (01/22/1958); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (01/22/1958); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (01/22/1958); Chicago, IL (01/22/1958); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (01/22/1958); Houston, TX (01/22/1958); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (01/22/1958); Los Angeles, CA (01/22/1958); New York, NY (01/22/1958); San Francisco, CA (01/22/1958); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (01/22/1958); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (01/23/1946); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (01/23/1946); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (01/23/1946); Chicago, IL (01/23/1946); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (01/23/1946); Houston, TX (01/23/1946); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (01/23/1946); Los Angeles, CA (01/23/1946); New York, NY (01/23/1946); San Francisco, CA (01/23/1946); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (01/23/1946); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (01/28/1955); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (01/28/1955); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (01/28/1955); Chicago, IL (01/28/1955); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (01/28/1955); Houston, TX (01/28/1955); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (01/28/1955); Los Angeles, CA (01/28/1955); New York, NY (01/28/1955); San Francisco, CA (01/28/1955); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (01/28/1955); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (02/15/1954); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (02/15/1954); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (02/15/1954); Chicago, IL (02/15/1954); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (02/15/1954); Houston, TX (02/15/1954); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (02/15/1954); Los Angeles, CA (02/15/1954); New York, NY (02/15/1954); San Francisco, CA (02/15/1954); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (02/15/1954); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (02/24/1956); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (02/24/1956); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (02/24/1956); Chicago, IL (02/24/1956); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (02/24/1956); Houston, TX (02/24/1956); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (02/24/1956); Los Angeles, CA (02/24/1956); New York, NY (02/24/1956); San Francisco, CA (02/24/1956); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (02/24/1956); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (04/19/1951); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (04/19/1951); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (04/19/1951); Chicago, IL (04/19/1951); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (04/19/1951); Houston, TX (04/19/1951); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (04/19/1951); Los Angeles, CA (04/19/1951); New York, NY (04/19/1951); San Francisco, CA (04/19/1951); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (04/19/1951); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (04/1950); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (04/1950); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (04/1950); Chicago, IL (04/1950); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (04/1950); Houston, TX (04/1950); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (04/1950); Los Angeles, CA (04/1950); New York, NY (04/1950); San Francisco, CA (04/1950); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (04/1950); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (05/12/1953); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (05/12/1953); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (05/12/1953); Chicago, IL (05/12/1953); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (05/12/1953); Houston, TX (05/12/1953); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (05/12/1953); Los Angeles, CA (05/12/1953); New York, NY (05/12/1953); San Francisco, CA (05/12/1953); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (05/12/1953); Atlantic Studios, New York, NY (05/13/1957); Beltone Recording Corporation, New York, NY (05/13/1957); Capitol Recording Studios, New York, NY (05/13/1957); Chicago, IL (05/13/1957); Coastal Recording Co., Inc./Audio Video Recording Co., (05/13/1957); Houston, TX (05/13/1957); J&M Studio, New Orleans, LA (05/13/1957); Los Angeles, CA (05/13/1957); New York, NY (05/13/1957); San Francisco, CA (05/13/1957); Universal Recording Corporation, Chicago, IL (05/13/1957).
Illustrators: Sven T. Uhrmann; Howard Cockburn; Trevor Cajiao.
Photographers: Sven T. Uhrmann; Howard Cockburn; Trevor Cajiao.
There is no question that Big Joe Turner rocked. He rocked harder than any jump blues bandleader, his band hitting the downbeat with a vengeance matched only by Turner's full-throated roar. This was big-band blues in sound but not in style; it was rock & roll before there was a name for it. Bear Family's 2011 set Rocks concentrates on his hardest-swinging R&B, leaning hard on Turner's classic sides for Atlantic: "Roll 'Em Pete"; "Honey Hush"; "Flip, Flop and Fly"; and "Shake, Rattle and Roll," which Bill Haley sweetened up for the first crossover rock & roll single. There's no saccharine sweetness here, just thundering R&B, with the tracks dipping into his latter career just enough to prove that Turner was no few-years dynamo -- he was a force of nature who could still deliver after his time passed. There are other collections that perhaps serve up the expected hits in a cleaner fashion, but this has the big, bold infectious swing of the man at his best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine