03.04.2013, 00:05 von Christian Cargnelli
Big Joe Turner: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954)
Big Joe Turner war ein Gigant - und das ist das mitreißende R&B-Original des Songs, dessen textlich entschärfte Version von Bill Haley & His Comets kurz danach herauskam. "It's a classic illustration of what happened to black music at the time", schrieb Dave Gelly in seinem Joe Turner-Nachruf im Observer. Und weiter: "From this immense frame issued a voice of similar proportions, a sort of controlled bellow, developed during his early years as a singing bartender in Kansas City. It could hardly be called a subtle instrument, but there was more to it than mere noise. It was just right for the simple declamation of blues phrases against a swing or boogie beat - the style actually known as 'blues shouting' - and it had at its centre an oily, wheedling lewdness that was all his own." (Observer, 15 December 1985)