Big Joe Turner (1911-1985) was a jazz, R&B, and Memphis blues singer. The premiere blues shouter teamed up with Pete Johnson during the 1930s and '40s. Their performance at the Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938 kicked off a boogie-woogie craze. He first hit the R&B chart in 1946 and had a hit each year from 1950-1956. His version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was on the charts for 27 weeks. He turned to jazz, recording on the Pablo label, during the 1970s and '80s.

Big Joe Turner was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
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