No one swung the blues with more joy or heart than Big Joe Turner, the Kansas City legend who pioneered a rhythmic, uptempo approach to the idiom that paved the way for rock & roll. This definitive three-CD anthology combines the classic '50s sides Turner made for Atlantic with tunes (some obscure) he recorded for other labels between 1939 and 1983. Not every song is worthy of Turner's majestic talents, but his vibrant voice makes even the slight ones uplifting.

