When Big Joe Turner recorded the songs for 'Boss Of The Blues' on two consecutive days in a New York studio in 1956, he could already look back on several stages of an extremely successful career. Around the mid-1930s, Turner began working with one of the stars of boogie woogie, pianist Pete Johnson from Kansas City. Both were involved in the legendary 1938 show produced by John Hammond Sr. at New York's Carnegie Hall, the 'Spirituals to Swing' concert. In 1951 Ahmet Ertegun signed Turner to his young Atlantic label. Over the next few years, Big Joe Turner recorded his most successful singles and became an Atlantic bestseller with a series of major hits in the R&B charts. In March 1956, however, history was written. 'Boss Of The Blues' was one of the first blues concept albums (almost all other LPs of that day were compilations of previously released singles). Atlantic engaged musicians from the Count Basie community (plus their arranger). The music is anything but nostalgia. With exquisite musicians he created one of the best blues/jazz albums of all times with Big Joe Turner at the peak of his vocal expressiveness. In September of that year the LP was released in a mono version; one title remained unreleased. For this special edition we were able to enlist Colin Escott for the compilation and liner notes. For the first time, Bear Family's double CD will feature both mono and stereo recordings and all alternative versions.

• - 1 -

  • 1. Cherry Red (Stereo)
  • 2. Roll Em Pete (Stereo)
  • 3. I Want a Little Girl (Stereo)
  • 4. Low Down Dog (Stereo)
  • 5. Wee Baby Blues (Stereo)
  • 6. Re Driving Me Crazy (Stereo)
  • 7. How Long Blues (Stereo)
  • 8. Morning Glories (Stereo)
  • 9. St Louis Blues (Stereo)
  • 10. Piney Brown Blues (Stereo)
  • 11. Pennies From Heaven (Stereo)
  • 12. Roll Em Pete
  • 13. Cherry Red Blues
  • 14. Morning Glories
  • 15. Low Down Dog

• - 2 -

  • 1. Cherry Red (Mono)
  • 2. Roll Em Pete (Mono)
  • 3. I Want a Little Girl (Mono)
  • 4. Low Down Dog (Mono)
  • 5. Wee Baby Blues (Mono)
  • 6. Re Driving Me Crazy (Mono)
  • 7. How Long Blues (Mono)
  • 8. Morning Glories (Mono)
  • 9. St. Louis Blues (Mono)
  • 10. Piney Brown Blues (Mono)
  • 11. Pennies From Heaven
  • 12. Testing the Blues
  • 13. St Louis Blues
  • 14. Re Driving Me Crazy
  • 15. I Want a Little Girl