Joe Turner had a tremendous voice and a talent for improvising lyrics. He was called the "Boss of the Blues," and during the 1930s part of Kansas City's musical heyday, "Big Joe" Turner was the greatest blues singer in town. An innovator, he made enormous contributions to both jazz and rhythm and blues. He also played a seminal (though largely unappreciated) role in the development of rock 'n' roll and was a major influence on such later stars as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Elvis Presley. In th