Big Joe

So . . . who invented rock and roll?

My money’s on this guy.

Not only did he record “Roll ‘Em Pete”, the first song with a backbeat, in 1938, but he mastered a whole series of musical genres.  Blues, jump blues, R&B, jazz, big band swing, and finally rock and roll.

In addition to recording with jazz greats Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and Sammy Price, he gave the Basie Orchestra a big shot in the arm with their collaboration.

And then “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,” with its risque lyrics, made him a middle-aged rock star.  And then in short order there was “Flip, Flop, and Fly,” “Honey Hush,” “Morning, Noon, and Night,” and “Corrina Corrina.”

He won the Melody Maker award for Best  New Vocalist in 1956!  “New” . . . gosh.

He walked away from rock stardom by the Sixties to return to R&B, a decision that was probably made easier by the fact that he never made much money as a rock star— that all went to other people.

But hey, he made history.  And here’s Big Joe Turner, live at the Apollo, singing “Moke-She-Moke-She-Bop,” a rock and roll title if ever there was one.