1927 Hosea Leavy*
1937 Willie Buck*
1938 Travis "Moonchild" Haddix*
1939 Tina Turner*
1941 Amos Garrett*
1945 John McVie*
1953 Big Clara McDaniel*
1958 Tiny Bradshaw+
1965 Bernard Allison*
1968 Chris Hicks*
1999 Fred "Sweet Daddy Goodlow" Ford+
2005 Jay Owens+
2006 H-Bomb Ferguson+
Happy Birthday
Willie Buck *26.11.1937
Willie
Buck was born in 1937 in the small town of Houston, Mississippi. When
he was a boy, Willie spent most of his tme working at a local paper mill
making $5 during the day and honing his voice by evening. He began his
craft singing in the most popular form of the day, "Rock & Roll."
Inspite his vigor for the newly developing artform, his passions began
to lean more to the more traditional sound of the delta... Blues and it
didn't take him long to develop his sound. While still in "Da South,"
Willie performed on what became known as the "Chittlin Circuit" bouncin'
between Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, North & South Carolina,
Tennesee and Texas. Shortly after developing his reputation, Willie did
like a lot of Southerners during that time by migrating to Chicago in
1954. Once here, he truly immersed himself in the Chicago Blues scene.
He became a real force in the "Maxwell Street" blues scene which boasts
od the raw blues talent that it has produced. It was also here that he
made his first recording titled "The Disco Blues". This also marked the
beginning of his overseas travel to Canada, Mexico, France and
Amsterdam. Willie was recently inducted in the Blues Hall of Fame among
many of his fellow performers here in Chicago in the summer of 2004.
Soon after, he released his latest CD, "I Wanna Be Loved" in early 2005.
As the blues scene has declined here in the states, Willie has seen a
resurgence... more like a movement in blues overseas. His music is
profoundly affecting young and old alike in Europe. "I'm glad to see the
newfound appreciation of my music in Europe. I'll be heading back there
real soon!" he said. His sound is one that only gets better with age.
He's hoping you grow to appreciate the blues too.
Willie Buck has had the destinct pleasure of performing with some of the greatest names in the blues genre, these include but are in no way limited to "Pine Top" Perkins, Howling Wolf, The Meyers Brothers, "Moose" Walker and many others.
Willie Buck has had the destinct pleasure of performing with some of the greatest names in the blues genre, these include but are in no way limited to "Pine Top" Perkins, Howling Wolf, The Meyers Brothers, "Moose" Walker and many others.
Willie Buck - Blues Makers Soundstage - VORTV Studios
Tina Turner *26.11.1939
Tina Turner (* 26. November 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, Vereinigte Staaten;[1] eigentlich Anna Mae Bullock) ist eine Schweizer Sängerin und Schauspielerin.
Mit über 180 Millionen verkauften Tonträgern[2][3] gehört sie zu den weltweit erfolgreichsten Sängerinnen. Ihr Vermögen wurde 2012 vom Schweizer Wirtschaftsmagazin Bilanz auf 250 Millionen Schweizer Franken geschätzt.[4]
Kindheit und Jugend
Anna Mae Bullock war die jüngere von zwei Töchtern des afroamerikanischen Baptisten-Diakons Floyd Richard Bullock und von Zelma Bullock, geb. Currie, einer Arbeiterin mit indianischer Herkunft. Die ersten Erfahrungen als Sängerin sammelte die kleine Anna Mae im Kirchenchor der Gemeinde Nutbush (Tennessee), in der sie aufwuchs. Nach einer schwierigen Zeit, während der sie bei ihrer Großmutter Roxanne lebte und ihre Eltern sich trennten, zog sie 1955 zu Mutter Zelma Bullock und Schwester Alline nach St. Louis. Anna Mae Bullocks erster Sohn Raymond Craig (* 20. August 1958) stammt aus einer Beziehung mit dem Musiker Raymond Hill.[5]
Ike und Tina Turner
In St. Louis lernte Anna Mae Bullock 1958 Ike Turner mit seiner Band Kings of Rhythm kennen und wurde deren Backgroundsängerin.
1960 nahm sie das Lied A Fool in Love auf. Sie sprang dabei kurzfristig als Solosängerin ein, da der vorgesehene Sänger Art Lassiter ausfiel. Der Titel schaffte es im August 1960 auf Platz 27 der US-Charts. Aus Gründen der Promotion gab Ike Anna Mae daraufhin den Künstlernamen Tina und benannte seine Band in Ike & Tina Turner um. Tina und Ike, die inzwischen auch eine Liebesbeziehung verband, gingen in der Folge mit der Ike & Tina Turner Revue auf Tournee, zunächst in den USA, später auch durch Europa und Australien. Im Oktober 1960 wurde ihr gemeinsamer Sohn Ronald Renelle geboren. 1962 heirateten die beiden in Tijuana (Mexiko). Ike Turner brachte zwei 1958 und 1959 geborene Söhne mit in die Ehe.
Die Revue war viele Jahre sehr erfolgreich, auch finanziell. Die Turners gingen als Vorgruppe mit den Rolling Stones auf Tournee und Tina Turner nahm 1966 mit dem Produzenten Phil Spector die in Großbritannien erfolgreiche Single River Deep, Mountain High auf, wodurch Ike & Tina Turner auch in Europa wesentlich bekannter wurden. 1972 erhielten Ike und Tina Turner den Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal mit dem Song Proud Mary. Der Song Nutbush City Limits aus dem Jahr 1973, wofür sich Tina Turner selbst als Songwriterin betätigte, erreichte Platz 2 der deutschen Singlecharts und hielt sich 26 Wochen.[6] 1975 spielte sie in der Rolle der Acid Queen in der Verfilmung der Rockoper Tommy von The Who mit.
Zugleich mit ihrem zunehmenden musikalischen Erfolg häuften sich Probleme in Tina Turners Privatleben. Im Laufe der 1960er Jahre verfiel ihr Mann Ike Turner immer mehr den Drogen. Auch ließ er Tina wenig Freiheiten, sowohl privat als auch beruflich. So bestimmte Ike etwa bei Bühnenauftritten, wie Tina bestimmte Passagen zu singen hatte. Tat sie es nicht nach seinem Wunsch, schlug er sie oft, vor allem wenn er unter Drogeneinfluss stand. Tina beschuldigte ihn später, sie auch betrogen und mehrfach vergewaltigt zu haben.
Als Ike Turner seine Frau 1976 wieder einmal schlug, wehrte sie sich. Daraufhin kam es zu einer gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzung, nach der sie aus mehreren Wunden blutete. Noch am selben Tag verließ sie ihren Mann und beantragte die Scheidung. Diese wurde im Jahre 1978 rechtskräftig. Um den langwierigen Scheidungsprozess zu beenden, verzichtete Tina Turner dabei auf Unterhalt sowie alle Rechte an der gemeinsamen Musik. Sie behielt einzig ihren Künstlernamen.
1991 wurden Ike und Tina Turner in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen.[7]
Solokarriere
Anfänge
Tina Turner konnte als Solokünstlerin nicht direkt an die Erfolge der Revue anknüpfen. Sie verdiente ihr Geld durch verschiedene Tourneen, deren Konzerte allerdings meist in kleinen Räumlichkeiten vor oft nur wenigen hundert Zuschauern stattfanden. Das Album Rough, das 1978 erschien, verkaufte sich sehr schlecht, ebenso das ein Jahr später erschienene Album Love Explosion. In diesen Alben unternahm sie musikalisch unter anderem Ausflüge in die Disco-Musik. Mit ihren Bühnenprogrammen, insbesondere den Nice-’n’-Rough-Konzerten der frühen 1980er Jahre, arbeitete sich Tina Turner allmählich nach oben. Unterstützt wurde sie dabei ab 1979 von ihrem neuen Manager, dem Musikproduzenten Roger Davies, der sich zum Ziel gesetzt hatte, Tina Turner aus ihrem Karrieretief herauszubringen. Die Shows fanden beim Publikum großen Anklang und auch namhafte Berufskollegen wurden auf sie aufmerksam. Tina Turner hatte in der Folge Gastauftritte unter anderem bei Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, später bei David Bowie, und spielte im Vorprogramm bei einigen Konzerten der Rolling Stones in den USA. Die großen Plattenfirmen aber betrachteten Tina Turner zunächst noch als einen kaum vermarktbaren Altstar.
1980er-Jahre
1982 beteiligte sie sich als eine von mehreren Gaststars am Album Music of Quality and Distinction der Gruppe British Electric Foundation (B.E.F.), die aus Mitgliedern der Band Heaven 17 bestand. Tina Turners Version des Songs Ball of Confusion auf diesem Album wurde überraschend ein Hit in Norwegen.[8] Dieser Erfolg und vor allem ihre gesangliche Leistung überzeugten die Produzenten. Bei Capitol Records in London nahm Tina Turner dann unter Mitwirkung von B.E.F. eine Coverversion des Al-Green-Songs Let’s Stay Together auf, die 1983 als Single erschien. Let’s Stay Together wurde in vielen europäischen Ländern ein Hit und erreichte beispielsweise in England Platz sechs. Etwas später erreichte der Song in den USA Platz 26 der Singlehitparade und Platz drei der R&B-Charts. Daraufhin beschloss Capitol Records, ein ganzes Album mit Tina Turner zu produzieren.
Das Album Private Dancer wurde 1984 veröffentlicht. Gleich die erste Single-Auskopplung What’s Love Got to Do with It kletterte auf Platz eins der Billboard-Charts. Im Februar 1985 erhielt Tina Turner drei Grammy Awards für die beste weibliche Gesangsdarbietung, für die Schallplatte des Jahres (jeweils What’s Love Got to Do with It) und für die beste weibliche Rockgesangsdarbietung (Better Be Good to Me).
1985 spielte Tina Turner die Rolle der Aunty Entity im Film Mad Max – Jenseits der Donnerkuppel (Mad Max – Beyond Thunderdome, mit Mel Gibson). Schon Jahre zuvor hatte sie sich als großen Fan der Mad-Max-Reihe bezeichnet und in ihrer Biografie Ich, Tina den Film Mad Max II – Der Vollstrecker ihren Lieblingsfilm genannt. Mit dem Titelsong We Don’t Need Another Hero hatte sie 1985 einen Nummer-eins-Hit in Deutschland. Im gleichen Jahr sang sie bei der Wohltätigkeitssingle We Are the World mit und startete ihre erste Europatournee.
1986 folgte das Album Break Every Rule, das kommerziell sehr erfolgreich war. Der erste Teil wurde ausschließlich von Terry Britten (What’s Love Got to Do with It) geschrieben und produziert. Er enthält die Hitsingles Typical Male, Two People und What You Get Is What You See, während die weiteren Songs überwiegend in Vergessenheit geraten sind. Der zweite Teil des Albums enthält unter anderem Songs von Bryan Adams (Back Where You Started) und von Rupert Hine (Break Every Rule). Auch diese Songs sind auf Best-of-Alben nur selten zu finden.
Kurz nach Erscheinen des Break-Every-Rule-Albums wurde das von Tina Turner und Kurt Loder verfasste Buch Ich, Tina – Mein Leben veröffentlicht.
1988 trat Tina Turner im Maracanã-Stadion in Rio de Janeiro vor 188.000 Menschen auf, was ihr einen Eintrag ins Guinness-Buch der Rekorde als Solokünstlerin mit dem größten Konzertauftritt bescherte. Nachdem sie bei der Veröffentlichung des Live-Doppel-Albums Live in Europe angekündigt hatte, weniger auf Tour zu gehen und sich aus dem Musikbusiness zurückzuziehen, veröffentlichte sie 1989 ihr nächstes Album mit anschließender „Farewell“-Tour: Foreign Affair. Erdig-bluesige Aufnahmen (Steamy Windows, Undercover Agent for the Blues) mit Tony Joe White wechseln sich mit Mainstream-Popproduktionen ab. Die Tour führte sie durch Europa und war ein riesiger Erfolg. Tina Turner hielt damals für kurze Zeit den Rekord für die umsatzstärkste Tournee der Welt – bis die Rolling Stones mit ihrer „Steel Wheels“-Tour 1989 diesen Rekord übernahmen.
1990er Jahre bis heute
1992 erschienen der biografische Film Tina – What’s Love Got to Do with It? sowie als Album der entsprechende Soundtrack. Neben neuen Songs, darunter I Don’t Wanna Fight, nahm sie hierfür auch die alten Hits aus der Zeit von Ike & Tina Turner neu auf. Zu Werbezwecken ging sie 1993 hauptsächlich in den USA auf Tournee, aber auch in Europa fanden sechs Auftritte statt: viermal bei Rock over Germany und je ein Auftritt in Basel und Wien. 1995 sang Tina Turner das Titellied zum James-Bond-Film GoldenEye. Dieses ist auch auf dem 1996 erschienenen Album Wildest Dreams enthalten. 1999 veröffentlichte Tina Turner mit Twenty Four Seven ihr bisher letztes reguläres Album. Im Jahre 2000 ging sie mit der „24/7 Tour“ auf Tournee – nach ihren damaligen Angaben zum letzten Mal. Es war die bis dahin aufwändigste Tour Nordamerikas und Europas.
Im Herbst 2004 erschien mit Open Arms eine neue Single, die mit zwei weiteren bisher unveröffentlichten Liedern auf Turners zweiter Greatest-Hits-Sammlung All the Best zu finden ist. 2005 sollte Tina Turner in dem Film The Goddess die Rolle einer indischen Göttin (Kali) spielen; ob der Film jemals fertiggestellt und veröffentlicht wird, steht jedoch nach dem Tod des Produzenten und Regisseurs Ismail Merchant nicht fest. Im April 2006 erschien die Single Teach Me Again, die Turner mit der italienischen Sängerin Elisa Toffoli aufnahm. 2007 sang Turner als Duettpartnerin von Herbie Hancock auf der CD River.
Bei der Gala der Grammy Awards 2008 am 10. Februar 2008 trat Tina Turner mit Beyoncé Knowles auf und begeisterte das Publikum.[9] Einen Tag nach den Grammy Awards 2008 trat Tina Turner bei der Feier des russischen Energiekonzerns Gazprom zu dessen 15. Jahrestag in Russland auf. Als Abschluss des fünfstündigen Konzerts sang sie unter anderem ihre Hits Private Dancer und The Best.[10]
Bei der Aufzeichnung der Oprah Winfrey Show gab Turner am 28. April 2008 bekannt, erneut auf Tour zu gehen. Die Tour begann im Oktober 2008 in Nordamerika, der Vorverkauf der Karten startete am 12. Mai. Das Eröffnungskonzert am 1. Oktober in Kansas war bereits nach zwei Minuten ausverkauft.[11][12][13] Wegen der guten Vorverkäufe wurde die Zahl der Deutschland-Konzerte der Tour 2009 von ursprünglich angesetzten sieben auf sechzehn erhöht. Der erste Auftritt fand am 14. Januar in der Kölnarena statt. Auch hier wurde Tina Turner wieder von John Miles unterstützt.
Wie Tina Turner schon in ihrer Autobiographie Ich, Tina (1985) angekündigt hatte, wollte sie nach ihrer Karriere als Sängerin das spirituelle Wissen, das ihr im Leben geholfen habe, an andere weitergeben. So brachte Tina Turner im Juni 2009 gemeinsam mit der Yoga-Lehrerin und Musiktherapeutin Regula Curti und der Mantra-Sängerin Dechen Shak-Dagsay das Album Beyond heraus. Es enthält spirituelle, buddhistische und christliche Gesänge. Die gesamten Einnahmen wollen die Künstlerinnen in den Frieden zwischen verschiedenen Kulturen und Spiritualität fördernde Projekte in Erziehung, Bildung und Forschung für Kinder und Jugendliche fließen lassen.[14] Am 7. Oktober 2011 erschien das Album Children Beyond. Es enthält von Kindern gesungene spirituelle Gesänge und Mantras aus unterschiedlichen Religionen. An dem Album beteiligten sich wiederum die Christin Regula Curti und die gebürtige tibetische Buddhistin Dechen Shak-Dagsay mit Gesang sowie Tina Turner –die ebenfalls praktizierende Buddhistin ist–[15] mit Gesang und Vortrag. Im Juni 2014 erschien Love Within – Beyond, das dritte Album der Beyond-Reihe. Für dieses Album wurde das Team um eine junge Inderin namens Shende-Sathaye, die auf allen Titeln des Albums als Interpretin genannt wird, erweitert.
Privatleben
Tina Turner wurde als amerikanische Staatsbürgerin in den Vereinigten Staaten geboren. Dort verbrachte sie einen großen Teil ihres Lebens. Seit den 1990er Jahren lebt sie jedoch dauerhaft in der Schweiz.
Am 9. Januar 2010 gewann Tina Turner anlässlich einer Galaveranstaltung des Schweizer Fernsehens in Zürich den SwissAward in der Kategorie Show. Die sichtlich gerührte Sängerin sagte in einem Interview, dass sie stolz sei, den Preis als Nichtschweizerin erhalten zu haben. Sie fühle sich mit der Schweiz verbunden.
2012 beantragte sie die schweizerische Staatsbürgerschaft. In der Folge bekam Tina Turner-Bullock, so ihr amtlicher Name, im 4. Quartal 2012 das Küsnachter Bürgerrecht.[16] Im Januar 2013 wurde ihr das Kantonsbürgerrecht und die eidgenössische Einbürgerungsbewilligung erteilt, womit sie Schweizer Bürgerin wurde.[17] Im Oktober 2013 gab Turner ihre US-amerikanische Staatsangehörigkeit auf.[18][19] Gegenüber einer englischsprachigen Schweizer Online-Zeitung bestätigte ihre Pressesprecherin, der Verzicht stehe im Zusammenhang mit den verschärften Regeln der US-Behörden zur Besteuerung von im Ausland lebenden Amerikanern.[20]
2013 heiratete Tina Turner ihren langjährigen deutschen Lebensgefährten Erwin Bach zunächst standesamtlich in ihrer Wohngemeinde in Küsnacht. Am 21. Juli 2013 wurde auf ihrem Anwesen am Zürichsee eine buddhistische Hochzeitszeremonie gefeiert.[21][22] Einen weiteren Wohnsitz unterhält das Ehepaar in Villefranche-sur-Mer an der Côte d’Azur.
Die von ihr besuchte Einklassenschule "Flagg Grove School" in Nutbush sollte wegen Baufälligkeit abgerissen werden. Um das zu verhindern, sammelten Fans Geld und transportierten das Gebäude mit einem Tieflader auf das Gelände des Museums für die Kultur von West-Tennessee in Brownsville.[23][24] Nach der vollständigen Renovierung wurde dort am 26. September 2014 ein Tina-Turner-Museum eröffnet.
Auszeichnungen
1972: Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal mit dem
Song Proud Mary
1985: Grammy Award 4-mal in den Kategorien:
Record of the Year und Best Female Pop Vocal Performance mit dem Song What's Love
Got to Do with It
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance mit dem Song Better Be Good to Me
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance mit dem Song Let’s Stay Together
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance mit dem Song One Of the Living
1985: MTV Video Music Awards 3-mal in den Kategorien
Best Female Video mit dem Song What’s Love Got to Do with It
Best Stage Performance mit dem Song Better Be Good to Me
Best Choreography mit dem Song Private Dancer
1986: Best Stage Performance in a Video mit dem Song It’s Only Love (im Duett mit Bryan
Adams)
1986: Auszeichnung auf dem Hollywood Walk of Fame
1987: Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance mit dem Song Back Where
You Started
1989: Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance mit dem Live-Album Tina Live in
Europe
1991: Aufnahme in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame zusammen mit ihrem Ex-Ehemann Ike, der noch
nicht aus dem Gefängnis entlassen war
1991: World Music Awards: Auszeichnung für Outstanding Contribution to Music
1995: World Music Awards: Auszeichnung mit The Legend Award
2005: Auszeichnung mit dem Kennedy-Preis
2008: Grammy Award for Album of the Year mit dem Album River: The Joni Letters von Herbie
Hancock, auf dem Tina Turner den Song Edith and Kingpin sang
2010: Auszeichnung mit dem SwissAward in der Kategorie „Show"
Anna
Mae Bullock (born November 26, 1939), better known by her stage name
Tina Turner, is a singer, dancer, actress, and author, whose career has
spanned more than half a century, earning her widespread recognition and
numerous awards. Born and raised in the Southeastern United States, she
is now a Swiss citizen.
She began her musical career in the mid-1950s as a featured singer with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, first recording in 1958 under the name "Little Ann".[1] Her introduction to the public as Tina Turner began in 1960 as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.[2] Success followed with a string of notable hits credited to the duo, including "A Fool in Love",[3] "River Deep – Mountain High" (1966), "Proud Mary" (1971) and "Nutbush City Limits" (1973), a song which she herself wrote. In her autobiography, I, Tina, she revealed several instances of severe domestic abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. Raised as a Baptist, she melded her faith with Buddhism in 1971, crediting the religion and its spiritual chant of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for helping her to endure during difficult times.[4]
After her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career through live performances. In the early 1980s, she launched a major comeback with another string of hits, starting in 1983 with the single "Let's Stay Together" followed by the 1984 release of her fifth solo album Private Dancer which became a worldwide success. "What's Love Got to Do with It", the lead single won three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year. Her solo success continued with the multi platinum albums Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair and with singles such as "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)", "The Best" and "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. "What's Love Got to Do with It" was later used as the title of a loosely based biographical film adapted from her autobiography. In addition to her musical career, Turner has also experienced success in films, including the role of Acid Queen in the 1975 rock musical Tommy, a starring role alongside Mel Gibson in the 1985 action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and a cameo role in the 1993 film Last Action Hero.
One of the world's best-selling music artists of all time, she has also been referred to as The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.[5][6][7] Turner has been termed the most successful female Rock 'n' Roll artist,[8] receiving eleven Grammy Awards, including eight competitive awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame awards. Turner has also sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history.[9] Her combined album and single sales total approximately 100 million copies worldwide, making her one of the biggest selling females in music history.[10] She is noted for her energetic stage presence,[6] powerful vocals, and career longevity.[11] In 2008, Turner returned from semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.[12] Turner's tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–09.[13] Rolling Stone ranked her no. 63 on their 100 greatest artists of all time.[14] In 1991, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Early life
Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, an unincorporated area in Haywood County, Tennessee. Her parents were Zelma Priscilla (née Currie) and Floyd Richard Bullock. Anna was born at Poindexter Farm on Highway 180, where her father worked as an overseer of the sharecroppers.[15][16][17][18][19] She is of African-American descent, with around 33% European ancestry.[20][21][17][22][23] When she appeared on the PBS documentary African American Lives 2, results of blood tests, as revealed by host Henry Louis Gates, showed her to have 1% Native American ancestry.[24][25][19]
She had an older sister, Ruby Aillene. As young children, Anna Mae and Aillene were separated when their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee to do work at a defense facility during World War II.[16] Anna went to stay with her strict, religious paternal grandparents, Alex and Roxanna Bullock, who were deacon and deaconess at the Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church, which was located on Woodlawn Road off Highway 19.[26][16] After the war, the sisters reunited with their parents and moved with them to Knoxville, Tennessee.[16] Two years later, the family returned to Nutbush to live in the Flagg Grove community, where Anna attended Flagg Grove Elementary School from first through eighth grade. In 1889, her great-great uncle had sold the land on which the school was built to the school trustees.[19][27]
As a youngster, Anna sang in the church choir at Nutbush's Spring Hill Baptist Church.[28][29] When she was 11, her mother ran off without warning, seeking freedom from the abusive relationship with Floyd Bullock.[30] Zelma relocated to St. Louis to live with Anna Mae's great-aunt.[30] When Anna was 13, her father married another woman, and moved to Detroit. She and her sister were sent to live with their grandmother Georgeanna in Brownsville.[30] She later stated in her memoir I, Tina that she felt her mother had not loved her and that she "wasn't wanted", stating further that her mother had planned to leave her father when she was pregnant with her.[31] "She was a very young woman who didn't want another kid", she said.[31][32] As a preteen, Anna Mae worked as a domestic worker for the Henderson family.
A self-professed tomboy, she joined both the cheerleading squad and the female basketball team at Carver High School in Brownsville, and "socialized every chance she got".[15][30] When she was 16, her grandmother died suddenly. After the funeral, Anna went to live with her mother in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was reunited with her sister. There, she graduated from Sumner High School[33] in 1958. After her graduation, she worked as a nurse's aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and dreamed of becoming a nurse.
Ike & Tina Turner
Origins
Anna and her sister began to frequent nightclubs in the St. Louis and East St. Louis areas around this time.[30] At Club Manhattan, a nightclub in the East St. Louis area, she first saw Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm, perform.[30] Anna was impressed by the band's music and of Ike's talent, claiming the bandleader's music put her "into a trance".[34][30] Anna felt the urge to sing on stage with Ike's band despite the fact that few women had ever sung with him.[29] One night, 18-year-old Anna was given a microphone by Kings of Rhythm drummer Gene Washington during an intermission. Upon hearing her sing, Ike asked her if she knew more songs, she was allowed to sing that night, becoming a guest vocalist from then on.[35][36][37] Through this period, Ike taught her the points of voice control and performance.[35] Her first studio recording was in 1958, singing background, under the name "Little Ann", on the Ike Turner song, "Box Top", alongside singer Carlson Oliver.
In 1960, Ike wrote an R&B song, "A Fool in Love", originally for Kings of Rhythm vocalist Art Lassiter. Lassiter failed to show up to the recording studio and Anna eventually was allowed to sing the song after much pleading to Ike. Ike agreed to use her voice as a "dummy vocal", with the intention of erasing her vocals and adding Lassiter's at a later date.[35] Although some felt that the demo with Anna's voice was "high pitched" and "screechy", the song received decent airtime in St. Louis.[38] Local St. Louis deejay Dave Dixon convinced Ike to send the tape to Juggy Murray, president of R&B label, Sue Records.[38] Upon hearing the song, Murray was impressed with Anna's vocals, later stating that her vocals "sounded like screaming dirt... it was a funky sound."[39][38] Murray bought the track and paid Ike a $25,000 advance for recording and publishing rights.[38][40][41] Murray also convinced Turner to make Anna "the star of the show".[41] It was at this point that Ike Turner renamed Anna Mae Bullock "Tina", because the name rhymed with the television character Sheena.[38][42] It has also been said that the renaming of Anna Mae Bullock was intended to keep her from running off and making a name for herself. Ike Turner felt that, if Anna Mae Bullock left him, he could replace her with another singer and have her perform as Tina.[38] Ike later admitted that another reason for the name change was to discourage one of Tina's former lovers from returning to her.
Early success
"A Fool in Love" was released in July 1960 and became an immediate hit, peaking at number 2 on the Hot R&B Sides chart and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 that October. Kurt Loder described the track as "the blackest record to ever creep into the white pop charts since Ray Charles' gospel-styled 'What'd I Say' that previous summer".[38][43] A second pop hit, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (1961), reached the top 20 and earned the duo a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock and Roll Performance. Notable singles released during the duo's Sue Records period included the R&B hits, "I Idolize You", "Poor Fool" and "Tra-La-La-La". In 1964, Ike & Tina left Sue and signed with Kent Records, releasing the modest single, "I Can't Believe What You Say". The following year, they signed with Loma Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records and run by Bob Krasnow, who had become their manager shortly after they left Sue Records. Between 1964 and 1969, Ike & Tina signed with more than ten labels.[44]
The duo maintained a popularity through a rigorous touring schedule across the United States, gigging 90 days straight in dates around the country.[45] During the days of the chitlin' circuit, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue built a reputation that a writer for the History of Rock site cited as "one of the most hottest, most durable and potentially most explosive of all R&B ensembles" with its show rivaling that of the James Brown Show in terms of musical spectacle.[46] The shows, organized by Ike Turner, provided them financial success. Due to their successful performances, the couple were able to perform in front of diverse crowds in the American South due to the money they made from performing in Southern clubs.[47] Between 1963 and 1966, the band toured constantly without the presence of a hit single. Tina's own profile was raised after several solo appearances on shows such as American Bandstand and Shindig!, while the entire Revue appeared on shows such as Hollywood A Go-Go, The Andy Williams Show and, in late 1965, in the concert film The Big T.N.T. Show.
Mainstream success
In 1965, Phil Spector caught an Ike & Tina performance in Los Angeles and sought to work with Tina. Working out a deal, Spector gave Ike a $20,000 advance to keep out of the studio to which Ike agreed.[48][49] With Spector, Tina produced the song "River Deep - Mountain High", which was released in 1966 on Spector's Philles label. Spector considered that record, with Tina's maximum energy over a symphonic sound, to be his best work.[50] It was successful overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it eventually reached number 3 on the singles chart, but it failed to go any higher than #88 in the United States. Crushed, Spector never signed another act to Philles and seldom produced again. But the impact of the record gave Ike and Tina an opening spot for The Rolling Stones' UK tour later that fall, which the Revue later extended by performing all over Europe and Australia.[51] Signing with Blue Thumb Records in 1968, the Revue issued the blues-heavy albums, Outta Season and The Hunter. Outta Season produced the Revue's charted cover of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", while the latter earned Tina a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her rendition of the title track, originally recorded by Albert King. The success of the albums led to the Revue headlining at Las Vegas where their shows were attended by a variety of celebrities including David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley.[52]
In 1969, the Revue's profile in their home country was raised after opening for the Rolling Stones on their US tour. In 1970, they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. The tour's success resulted in the Revue signing with Liberty Records, where they released two albums, Come Together and Workin' Together, released in 1970 and 1971 respectively.[53] Come Together produced the duo's first top 40 single with their cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher". Come Together marked a turning point in their careers in which they switched from their usual R&B repertoire to incorporate more rock tunes. In early 1971, their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" became their biggest hit, reaching number 4 on the Hot 100 and selling over a million copies, winning them a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.[54][55][56] Later in 1971, their live album, What You Hear Is What You Get, taken from a performance at Carnegie Hall, was their first to be certified gold. In 1972, Ike Turner created the studio, Bolic Sounds, near their home in Inglewood.[57] After Liberty was bought by United Artists Records, the duo was assigned to that label, releasing ten albums in a three-year period. The duo's final major hit single, "Nutbush City Limits", was released in 1973, reaching number 22 on the Hot 100, and peaking at number 4 in the UK.[58] In 1974, Tina released her first solo album, Tina Turns the Country On!, winning a Grammy nomination.
That year, Tina traveled to London to participate in the filming of the rock musical, Tommy, in which she played The Acid Queen, and sang the song of the same name. Turner's performance was critically acclaimed. Shortly after filming wrapped, Turner appeared with Ann-Margret on her TV special in London. Returning to the United States, Turner continued her career with the Revue. Following the release of Tommy, another Turner solo album, Acid Queen, was released in 1975.
Decline of the duo
By the mid-1970s, Ike Turner's excessive cocaine habit had gotten out of hand. During this period, Tina adopted the Nichiren Buddhism faith and chanting nam myōhō renge kyō to help her deal through a stressful marriage and career. Due to Ike Turner's drug abuse, some shows were either canceled or postponed.[59] In July 1976, Ike Turner had plans to leave United Artists Records for a five-year, $150,000 deal with Cream Records. The deal was to be signed on July 6.[60] On July 2, 1976, Ike and Tina were en route from Los Angeles to Dallas where the Revue had a gig at the Dallas Statler Hilton. The couple engaged in a bloody fight during their ride to the hotel. Shortly after arriving to the hotel, Tina fled from the hotel and later hid at a friend's house.[61] On July 27, Tina sued for divorce in the grounds of irreconcilable differences.[62][63][64]
Tina later credited the Nichiren Buddhist faith and chanting Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō with giving her the courage to strike out on her own. However, by walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the canceled shows. After a year in court, their divorce was made final on March 29, 1978. In the divorce, she completely parted ways with him, retaining only her stage name and assuming responsibility for the debts incurred by the canceled tour as well as a significant Internal Revenue Service lien.[65]
First solo performances
In 1977, with finances given to her by United Artists executive Richard Stewart, Tina returned onstage, giving a round of shows in Las Vegas in a cabaret setting, influenced by the cabaret shows she witnessed while a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. She took her cabaret act to smaller venues in the United States. Turner earned further income by appearing on shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Donny and Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Brady Bunch Hour.[66] Later in 1977, Turner headlined her first solo concert tour, throughout Australia. In 1978, United Artists released Turner's third solo album, Rough, with distribution both in North America and Europe with EMI. That album, along with its followup, Love Explosion, which included a brief diversion to disco rhythms, failed to chart.[67]
The albums completed her United Artists/EMI contracts and Turner left the labels. Continuing her performing career with her second headlining tour, Wild Lady of Rock 'n' Roll, she continued to be a successful live act even without the premise of a hit record.[68] Following an appearance on Olivia Newton-John's US TV special, Hollywood Nights, in 1979, Turner sought contract with Newton-John's manager Roger Davies. Davies agreed to work with Turner as her manager after seeing her perform at the Venetian Ballroom in the Fairmont San Francisco hotel in February 1980.
Davies advised Turner to drop her band and remodel her show into a grittier rock'n'roll showcase. In 1981, Davies booked Tina at The Ritz in New York City. Following the performance, Rod Stewart hired Turner to perform a duet version of his hit, "Hot Legs", on Saturday Night Live, and later hired Turner to open for him on his U.S. tour. One show with Rod Stewart and Kim Carnes, on 19 December 1981, at the L. A. Forum, Inglewood, was filmed. Afterwards, Turner opened three shows for The Rolling Stones. A recorded cover of The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion" for the UK production team B.E.F. featuring Robert Cray, became a hit in European dance clubs in 1982.[69] Following performances with Chuck Berry and several short tours in the U.S. and Europe, Turner again performed at the Ritz in December of the year, which resulted in a singles deal with Capitol Records under the insistence of David Bowie.
Mainstream success
In November 1983, Tina released her cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", with Capitol. The record became a hit, reaching several European charts, including a top 10 placement in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Turner's first solo entry into the U.S. charts. It also peaked at the top ten of the Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Black Singles charts.[70][71][72][73][74] The success of the song forced Capitol to rethink its contract with Turner, offering the singer a three album deal, demanding an album on short notice, which had Turner staging what Ebony magazine later called an "amazing comeback".[75] Recorded in two months in London, the album, Private Dancer, was released in June 1984. That same month, Capitol issued the album's second single, "What's Love Got to Do with It". It reached the top ten within a month and in September had reached number 1 on the Hot 100 in the U.S. Featuring hit singles such as "Better Be Good to Me" and "Private Dancer", the album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling five million copies alone in the states and selling over twenty million copies worldwide, making it her most successful album.[8][76][77][78] Turner's comeback was culminated in early 1985 when she won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "What's Love Got to Do with It". In February of that year, she embarked on her second world tour supporting the Private Dancer album, where she toured to huge crowds. One show, filmed at Birmingham, England's NEC Arena, was later released on home video. During this time, she also contributed on vocals to the USA for Africa benefit song "We Are the World".
Turner's success continued when she travelled to Australia to star opposite Mel Gibson in the 1985 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The movie provided her with her first acting role in ten years—she portrayed the glamorous Aunty Entity, the ruler of Bartertown.[79] Upon release, critical response to her performance was generally positive, and the film became a global success, making more than $36 million in the United States alone.[80] Turner later received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress for her role in the film. She also recorded two songs for the film, "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and "One of the Living"; both became hits, with the latter winning Turner a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In July, Turner performed at Live Aid alongside Mick Jagger.[81] Encouraged by a performance together during Tina's filmed solo concert in England, singer Bryan Adams released their duet single together, "It's Only Love", later resulting in a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Subsequent releases
Turner followed up Private Dancer with Break Every Rule in 1986. Featuring "Typical Male", "Two People" and "What You Get Is What You See", the album sold over four million copies worldwide. Prior to the album's release, Turner published her memoirs, I, Tina, which later became a bestseller, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Turner's European Break Every Rule Tour, which culminated in March 1987 in Munich, Germany, contributed to record breaking sales and concert attendances. In January 1988, Turner made history alongside Paul McCartney when she performed in front of the largest paying audience (approximately 184,000) to see a solo performer in Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earning her a Guinness World Record.[82] The success of Turner's two live tours led to the recording of Tina Live in Europe which was released that April. Turner lay low following the end of her Break Every Rule Tour, emerging once again with Foreign Affair which included one of Turner's signature songs, "The Best". She later embarked on a European tour to promote the album. While Foreign Affair went gold in the United States, with its singles "The Best" and "Steamy Windows" becoming Top 40 hits there. It was hugely successful in Europe, where Turner had personally relocated.
In 1991, Ike & Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Phil Spector later accepted on their behalf. That same year, the ex-couple signed away their rights to have their lives dramatized in the semi-autobiographical film What's Love Got to Do with It, later released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike, with the actors receiving Best Actress and Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of the former husband-and-wife team. Turner contributed to the soundtrack for What's Love Got to Do with It, re-recording songs from her Revue days and recording several newer songs, including what turned out to be her last Top 10 U.S. hit, "I Don't Wanna Fight". Other than helping Bassett with her wardrobe and teaching her dance steps as well as providing songs for the soundtrack, and appearing as herself at the end of the film, she refused to be involved fully in the film, telling an interviewer, "Why would I want to see Ike Turner beat me up again? I haven't dwelled on it; it's all in the past where it belongs."[83] Following the film's and soundtrack's release, Turner embarked on her first US tour in seven years. Following the tour's end, Turner moved to Switzerland and took a year off from the road at the end of the tour.
Turner returned in 1995 with the U2 composition, "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. Its huge success in Europe and modest success in her native United States led Turner to record a new album, releasing the Wildest Dreams album in 1996. Though the album itself was not as hugely successful in the United States, thanks to a world tour and a much played Hanes hosiery commercial, the album went gold in the United States. The album reached platinum success in Europe where Turner had hits with "Whatever You Want", "Missing You", which briefly charted in the U.S., "Something Beautiful Remains", and the sensual Barry White duet "In Your Wildest Dreams". Following the tour's end in 1997, Turner took another break before re-emerging again in 1999 appearing on the VH-1 special Divas Live '99.
In 1998 the duet with Italian musician Eros Ramazzotti in "Cose della vita" became a European hit. Before celebrating her 60th birthday, Turner released the dance-infused song, "When the Heartache Is Over" and its parent album, Twenty Four Seven the following month in Europe, releasing both the song and the album in North America in early 2000. The success of "When the Heartache Is Over" and Turner's tour supporting the album once again helped in the album going gold in the U.S. The Twenty Four Seven Tour became her most successful concert tour to date and became the highest-grossing tour of 2000 according to Pollstar grossing over $100 million. Later, Guinness World Records announced that Turner had sold more concert tickets than any other solo concert performer in music history.[11][13] Afterwards Turner announced a semi-retirement.
Recent years
In 2002, Tennessee State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway".[84][85][86] The following year, she recorded the duet "Great Spirits" with Phil Collins for the Disney film, Brother Bear. In 2004, Tina made her first professional appearances following her semi-retirement, releasing the compilation album, All the Best, which produced the single "Open Arms", and sold more than a million copies in the US.
U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House on December 4, 2005. From left, the honorees are singer Tony Bennett, dancer Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, and actor Robert Redford.
In December of the following year, Turner was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was elected to join an elite group of entertainers.[87] President George W. Bush commented on Turner's "natural skill, the energy and sensuality",[88] and referred to her legs as "the most famous in show business".[89] Several artists paid tribute to her that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge (performing "River Deep - Mountain High"), Queen Latifah (performing "What's Love Got to Do with It"), Beyoncé (performing "Proud Mary"), and Al Green (performing "Let's Stay Together"). Winfrey stated, "We don't need another hero. We need more heroines like you, Tina. You make me proud to spell my name w-o-m-a-n,"[90] In November, Turner released All the Best – Live Collection and it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Turner participated in the soundtrack to All the Invisible Children, providing duet vocals to the song "Teach Me Again", with singer Elisa, finding success in Italy where it peaked at the top spot.
In 2007, Turner gave her first live performance in seven years, headlining a benefit concert for the Cauldwell's Children Charity at London's Natural History Museum. That year, Turner performed a rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Edith and The Kingpin" on Herbie Hancock's Mitchell tribute album, River: The Joni Letters. Turner's original vocals for Carlos Santana's "The Game of Love" were included in a Santana greatest hits compilation. Label demands led to Turner's vocals being replaced at the last minute by Michelle Branch.
On December 12, 2007, Turner's former husband Ike Turner died from a cocaine overdose. He had also been suffering from emphysema and cardiovascular disease. Reached for comment, Turner issued a brief statement through her spokesperson stating: "Tina hasn't had any contact with Ike in more than 30 years. No further comment will be made."[91] Turner made her public comeback in February 2008 at the Grammy Awards where she performed alongside Beyoncé.[92][93] In addition, she picked up a Grammy as a featured artist on River: The Joni Letters. In October 2008, Turner embarked on her first tour in nearly ten years with the Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.[94] In support of the tour, Turner released another hits compilation. The tour became a huge success and culminated in the release of the live album/DVD, Tina Live. In 2009, Turner participated in the Beyond singing project with fellow musicians Regula Curti, Selda Bagcan, and Dechen Shak Dagsay. This album combined Buddhist chants and Christian choral music along with a spiritual message read by Turner. The album was released only in Germany and a handful of other countries. It peaked at number 7 in Switzerland.
In April 2010, mainly due to an online campaign by fans of the Rangers Football Club, Turner's 1989 hit, "The Best", returned to the UK singles chart, peaking at number 9 on the chart.[95] In 2011, Children Beyond followed and charted again in Switzerland. Turner promoted the album by performing on TV shows in Germany and Switzerland in December that year. In May 2012, Turner was spotted attending a fashion show in Beijing to support Giorgio Armani.[96] Turner appeared on the cover of the German issue of Vogue magazine in April 2013, becoming at the age of 73 the oldest person worldwide to feature on the cover of Vogue.[97] On February 3, 2014, Parlophone Records released a new compilation titled Love Songs. Later in the year, Beyond 2: Love Within was released with Turner contributing some gospel tracks.
Personal life
Family
Turner has two sons. Her first, Raymond Craig, was born in 1958 when Turner was 18. Craig was the child of Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill.[35] Her second, Ronald, was born in October 1960.[98] Ronald was Turner's only child with Ike Turner. After moving to Los Angeles in 1960, Ike Turner's estranged wife Lorraine Turner left her and Ike's sons, Ike Jr. (born 1958) and Michael (born 1959), to be raised by Ike and Tina. During their divorce trial, the four boys were sent by Ike to live with Tina at her home.[99] In 1985, Ike Turner accused Tina of bad parenting, even alleging she had sent Michael Turner to a mental hospital.[100] Tina denied his claims, telling Australian magazine TV Week, "he gave me those children and not a penny to look after them with."[101] Tina's relationship with her mother Zelma Bullock remained estranged until Bullock's death in 1999.[102]
Relationship and marriage to Ike Turner
The early relationship between Tina and Ike was friendly and "like siblings". In late 1958, Tina moved in to Ike's home at East St. Louis.[103] During that period, Ike began musically training Tina.[104] At the beginning, there wasn't mutual attraction between the two of them; Tina felt Ike was not the "ideal-looking man" while Ike looked at her as a sister and favored "curvaceous women". Ike was still married to his common-law wife, Lorraine Taylor, during this period.[103] A sexual relationship began in 1959, much to Tina's chagrin.[105] Ike also felt guilt over the relationship, stating later that having sex with Tina felt as if he was having sex with a sibling.[106] In her book, Tina stated the couple married in Tijuana in 1962.[107] Tina recalled the first time Ike physically abused her began after she told Ike of her thoughts of leaving Ike's group due to financial disputes and their own confusing relationship. Tina said Ike grabbed a shoe stretcher and hit her in the head with it.[108][109] Afterwards, Tina said, Ike asked her to have sex with him.[108][43] Tina wrote in her memoirs, I, Tina, that the incident was the first time Ike had "instilled fear" in her.[108][43]
Ike's accounts of his relationship with Tina, including the incidents of abuse, differed. In a 1985 interview with Spin magazine, Ike admitted, "Yeah I hit her, but I didn't hit her more than the average guy beats his wife.... If she says I abused her, maybe I did."[110] He worded this slightly differently in his 1999 memoirs, Taking Back My Name, writing: "Sure, I've slapped Tina.... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I have never beat her." Ike also claimed on more than one occasion that he and Tina weren't even legally married. In the 1985 Spin article, Ike said, "As God is my judge, of all my wives, Tina is the only one I was never legally married to."[110] He explained in later years that Tina took his name in order to discourage a former lover from returning to her.[111] Ike himself said he had married at least 14 times and five times before he allegedly married Tina.[112] Tina herself admits she "never felt like [she] was married" to Ike.[113] A musician associate of Ike's later recounted that except for a few arguments, he never witnessed Ike being abusive to Tina or anyone else in his close circle.[60]
Before a show in Los Angeles in 1968, Tina tried to commit suicide by swallowing 50 Valiums after a fight with Ike.[29] After their July 1976 fight in Dallas, Tina filed for divorce.[114] In the final divorce decree, Tina took responsibility for missed concert dates as well as an IRS lien while also being allowed to retain use of her stage name as a means to find work as a performer.[115] Following the divorce, Turner claimed she had corrective surgery on her nasal septum, which she says was injured due to Ike's frequent hitting.[116] Turner dismissed popular notions that she was a "victim" of Ike Turner's abuse, stating she had argued with producers of her loosely based biopic What's Love Got to Do with It over her depiction in the film.[113] Friends and relatives of Ike Turner said he never fully got over their divorce. Their son Ronald once alleged that Ike used to come to his house occasionally and snoop through his address book to locate Tina.[112]
Religion
Throughout her childhood and early adulthood, Turner was Baptist.[117] Turner was introduced to Buddhism by a friend of hers and Ike's in 1971.[118] Turner wrote in her autobiography that she first used Buddhist chants (mainly Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō) before performing at a recording session at Ike's Bolic Sound studio.[118] She observed that Ike, instead of beating her or hitting her for supposed wrong notes, sent her money to go shopping, something she took to her advantage later on.[118] That same year, she adopted the Nichiren Buddhism faith and later credited the religion for getting her through the rough times. Turner considers herself a "Buddhist-Baptist".[119] Turner stated she still prays in the traditional Baptist sense while also meditating and chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.[119]
Other relationships and second marriage
Tina's first boyfriend, while living in Brownsville, was Harry Taylor, who originally came from a rival school apart from hers. Taylor relocated to Tina's school to be near her.[120] The relationship ended after Tina learned that Harry had married another woman.[121] After moving to St. Louis, she and her sister got acquainted by members of the Kings of Rhythm, with Tina dating the band's saxophonist Raymond Hill. After Tina gave birth to their son Craig, their relationship was strained. Allegedly, after a fight between the two broke out, Ike and other Kings of Rhythm members confronted Hill and beat him up, with one member tackling him to the ground, instantly breaking his leg. The injury was so severe that Hill had to return to his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi.[122] Ike Turner later adopted Tina's son adding his last name legally.[123] After divorcing Ike Turner in 1978, Tina abstained from relationships as she set on bringing her career back on track.[124]
While at a record label party in London in 1985, Tina met German music executive Erwin Bach. Initially starting out as a friendship, Turner and Bach began dating the following year and have remained together since. In July 2013, after a 27-year romantic partnership, the couple married in a civil ceremony on the banks of Lake Zurich in Küsnacht, northern Switzerland.[125]
Residences and citizenship
Turner has been living in a lake house, Château Algonquin in Küsnacht, next to Zurich, since moving there in 1994.[126][127][128] She owned property in Los Angeles, London, Cologne, and a villa on the French Riviera named Anna Fleur.[129]
On January 25, 2013, it was announced that Turner had applied for Swiss citizenship,[130][131] and that she would relinquish her U.S. citizenship.[132][133] In April, she undertook a mandatory citizenship test which included advanced knowledge of the German language and of Swiss history. On April 22, 2013, she was issued a Swiss passport and is now a citizen of Switzerland.[134] Turner signed the paperwork to give up her American citizenship at the U.S. embassy in Bern on October 24, 2013.[133]
Awards and accolades
Turner was listed at the 17th place on Rolling Stone's list "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time".[9] Turner is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee,[135] and three of her recordings, "River Deep – Mountain High" (1999), "Proud Mary" (2003) and "What's Love Got to Do with It" (2012) are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.[136] Turner has won eight Grammy Awards.[11]
Bryan Adams, who performed with her on the Private Dancer Tour, praised Turner's live performances, saying: "I never saw Tina walk through a performance, she always put on a great show, and was gracious and grateful to her audience." When Turner became a recipient of the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors, her legs were noted specifically by President George W. Bush.[137] At the age of 73, Turner became the oldest person to be on the front cover of Vogue magazine, surpassing Meryl Streep who covered American Vogue in 2012 aged 62.[7] Turner has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
She began her musical career in the mid-1950s as a featured singer with Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm, first recording in 1958 under the name "Little Ann".[1] Her introduction to the public as Tina Turner began in 1960 as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.[2] Success followed with a string of notable hits credited to the duo, including "A Fool in Love",[3] "River Deep – Mountain High" (1966), "Proud Mary" (1971) and "Nutbush City Limits" (1973), a song which she herself wrote. In her autobiography, I, Tina, she revealed several instances of severe domestic abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. Raised as a Baptist, she melded her faith with Buddhism in 1971, crediting the religion and its spiritual chant of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for helping her to endure during difficult times.[4]
After her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career through live performances. In the early 1980s, she launched a major comeback with another string of hits, starting in 1983 with the single "Let's Stay Together" followed by the 1984 release of her fifth solo album Private Dancer which became a worldwide success. "What's Love Got to Do with It", the lead single won three Grammy Awards including Record of the Year. Her solo success continued with the multi platinum albums Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair and with singles such as "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)", "The Best" and "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. "What's Love Got to Do with It" was later used as the title of a loosely based biographical film adapted from her autobiography. In addition to her musical career, Turner has also experienced success in films, including the role of Acid Queen in the 1975 rock musical Tommy, a starring role alongside Mel Gibson in the 1985 action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and a cameo role in the 1993 film Last Action Hero.
One of the world's best-selling music artists of all time, she has also been referred to as The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.[5][6][7] Turner has been termed the most successful female Rock 'n' Roll artist,[8] receiving eleven Grammy Awards, including eight competitive awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame awards. Turner has also sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history.[9] Her combined album and single sales total approximately 100 million copies worldwide, making her one of the biggest selling females in music history.[10] She is noted for her energetic stage presence,[6] powerful vocals, and career longevity.[11] In 2008, Turner returned from semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.[12] Turner's tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–09.[13] Rolling Stone ranked her no. 63 on their 100 greatest artists of all time.[14] In 1991, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Early life
Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, an unincorporated area in Haywood County, Tennessee. Her parents were Zelma Priscilla (née Currie) and Floyd Richard Bullock. Anna was born at Poindexter Farm on Highway 180, where her father worked as an overseer of the sharecroppers.[15][16][17][18][19] She is of African-American descent, with around 33% European ancestry.[20][21][17][22][23] When she appeared on the PBS documentary African American Lives 2, results of blood tests, as revealed by host Henry Louis Gates, showed her to have 1% Native American ancestry.[24][25][19]
She had an older sister, Ruby Aillene. As young children, Anna Mae and Aillene were separated when their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee to do work at a defense facility during World War II.[16] Anna went to stay with her strict, religious paternal grandparents, Alex and Roxanna Bullock, who were deacon and deaconess at the Woodlawn Missionary Baptist Church, which was located on Woodlawn Road off Highway 19.[26][16] After the war, the sisters reunited with their parents and moved with them to Knoxville, Tennessee.[16] Two years later, the family returned to Nutbush to live in the Flagg Grove community, where Anna attended Flagg Grove Elementary School from first through eighth grade. In 1889, her great-great uncle had sold the land on which the school was built to the school trustees.[19][27]
As a youngster, Anna sang in the church choir at Nutbush's Spring Hill Baptist Church.[28][29] When she was 11, her mother ran off without warning, seeking freedom from the abusive relationship with Floyd Bullock.[30] Zelma relocated to St. Louis to live with Anna Mae's great-aunt.[30] When Anna was 13, her father married another woman, and moved to Detroit. She and her sister were sent to live with their grandmother Georgeanna in Brownsville.[30] She later stated in her memoir I, Tina that she felt her mother had not loved her and that she "wasn't wanted", stating further that her mother had planned to leave her father when she was pregnant with her.[31] "She was a very young woman who didn't want another kid", she said.[31][32] As a preteen, Anna Mae worked as a domestic worker for the Henderson family.
A self-professed tomboy, she joined both the cheerleading squad and the female basketball team at Carver High School in Brownsville, and "socialized every chance she got".[15][30] When she was 16, her grandmother died suddenly. After the funeral, Anna went to live with her mother in St. Louis, Missouri, where she was reunited with her sister. There, she graduated from Sumner High School[33] in 1958. After her graduation, she worked as a nurse's aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and dreamed of becoming a nurse.
Ike & Tina Turner
Origins
Anna and her sister began to frequent nightclubs in the St. Louis and East St. Louis areas around this time.[30] At Club Manhattan, a nightclub in the East St. Louis area, she first saw Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm, perform.[30] Anna was impressed by the band's music and of Ike's talent, claiming the bandleader's music put her "into a trance".[34][30] Anna felt the urge to sing on stage with Ike's band despite the fact that few women had ever sung with him.[29] One night, 18-year-old Anna was given a microphone by Kings of Rhythm drummer Gene Washington during an intermission. Upon hearing her sing, Ike asked her if she knew more songs, she was allowed to sing that night, becoming a guest vocalist from then on.[35][36][37] Through this period, Ike taught her the points of voice control and performance.[35] Her first studio recording was in 1958, singing background, under the name "Little Ann", on the Ike Turner song, "Box Top", alongside singer Carlson Oliver.
In 1960, Ike wrote an R&B song, "A Fool in Love", originally for Kings of Rhythm vocalist Art Lassiter. Lassiter failed to show up to the recording studio and Anna eventually was allowed to sing the song after much pleading to Ike. Ike agreed to use her voice as a "dummy vocal", with the intention of erasing her vocals and adding Lassiter's at a later date.[35] Although some felt that the demo with Anna's voice was "high pitched" and "screechy", the song received decent airtime in St. Louis.[38] Local St. Louis deejay Dave Dixon convinced Ike to send the tape to Juggy Murray, president of R&B label, Sue Records.[38] Upon hearing the song, Murray was impressed with Anna's vocals, later stating that her vocals "sounded like screaming dirt... it was a funky sound."[39][38] Murray bought the track and paid Ike a $25,000 advance for recording and publishing rights.[38][40][41] Murray also convinced Turner to make Anna "the star of the show".[41] It was at this point that Ike Turner renamed Anna Mae Bullock "Tina", because the name rhymed with the television character Sheena.[38][42] It has also been said that the renaming of Anna Mae Bullock was intended to keep her from running off and making a name for herself. Ike Turner felt that, if Anna Mae Bullock left him, he could replace her with another singer and have her perform as Tina.[38] Ike later admitted that another reason for the name change was to discourage one of Tina's former lovers from returning to her.
Early success
"A Fool in Love" was released in July 1960 and became an immediate hit, peaking at number 2 on the Hot R&B Sides chart and number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 that October. Kurt Loder described the track as "the blackest record to ever creep into the white pop charts since Ray Charles' gospel-styled 'What'd I Say' that previous summer".[38][43] A second pop hit, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (1961), reached the top 20 and earned the duo a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock and Roll Performance. Notable singles released during the duo's Sue Records period included the R&B hits, "I Idolize You", "Poor Fool" and "Tra-La-La-La". In 1964, Ike & Tina left Sue and signed with Kent Records, releasing the modest single, "I Can't Believe What You Say". The following year, they signed with Loma Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records and run by Bob Krasnow, who had become their manager shortly after they left Sue Records. Between 1964 and 1969, Ike & Tina signed with more than ten labels.[44]
The duo maintained a popularity through a rigorous touring schedule across the United States, gigging 90 days straight in dates around the country.[45] During the days of the chitlin' circuit, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue built a reputation that a writer for the History of Rock site cited as "one of the most hottest, most durable and potentially most explosive of all R&B ensembles" with its show rivaling that of the James Brown Show in terms of musical spectacle.[46] The shows, organized by Ike Turner, provided them financial success. Due to their successful performances, the couple were able to perform in front of diverse crowds in the American South due to the money they made from performing in Southern clubs.[47] Between 1963 and 1966, the band toured constantly without the presence of a hit single. Tina's own profile was raised after several solo appearances on shows such as American Bandstand and Shindig!, while the entire Revue appeared on shows such as Hollywood A Go-Go, The Andy Williams Show and, in late 1965, in the concert film The Big T.N.T. Show.
Mainstream success
In 1965, Phil Spector caught an Ike & Tina performance in Los Angeles and sought to work with Tina. Working out a deal, Spector gave Ike a $20,000 advance to keep out of the studio to which Ike agreed.[48][49] With Spector, Tina produced the song "River Deep - Mountain High", which was released in 1966 on Spector's Philles label. Spector considered that record, with Tina's maximum energy over a symphonic sound, to be his best work.[50] It was successful overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it eventually reached number 3 on the singles chart, but it failed to go any higher than #88 in the United States. Crushed, Spector never signed another act to Philles and seldom produced again. But the impact of the record gave Ike and Tina an opening spot for The Rolling Stones' UK tour later that fall, which the Revue later extended by performing all over Europe and Australia.[51] Signing with Blue Thumb Records in 1968, the Revue issued the blues-heavy albums, Outta Season and The Hunter. Outta Season produced the Revue's charted cover of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", while the latter earned Tina a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her rendition of the title track, originally recorded by Albert King. The success of the albums led to the Revue headlining at Las Vegas where their shows were attended by a variety of celebrities including David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley.[52]
In 1969, the Revue's profile in their home country was raised after opening for the Rolling Stones on their US tour. In 1970, they performed on The Ed Sullivan Show. The tour's success resulted in the Revue signing with Liberty Records, where they released two albums, Come Together and Workin' Together, released in 1970 and 1971 respectively.[53] Come Together produced the duo's first top 40 single with their cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher". Come Together marked a turning point in their careers in which they switched from their usual R&B repertoire to incorporate more rock tunes. In early 1971, their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" became their biggest hit, reaching number 4 on the Hot 100 and selling over a million copies, winning them a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group.[54][55][56] Later in 1971, their live album, What You Hear Is What You Get, taken from a performance at Carnegie Hall, was their first to be certified gold. In 1972, Ike Turner created the studio, Bolic Sounds, near their home in Inglewood.[57] After Liberty was bought by United Artists Records, the duo was assigned to that label, releasing ten albums in a three-year period. The duo's final major hit single, "Nutbush City Limits", was released in 1973, reaching number 22 on the Hot 100, and peaking at number 4 in the UK.[58] In 1974, Tina released her first solo album, Tina Turns the Country On!, winning a Grammy nomination.
That year, Tina traveled to London to participate in the filming of the rock musical, Tommy, in which she played The Acid Queen, and sang the song of the same name. Turner's performance was critically acclaimed. Shortly after filming wrapped, Turner appeared with Ann-Margret on her TV special in London. Returning to the United States, Turner continued her career with the Revue. Following the release of Tommy, another Turner solo album, Acid Queen, was released in 1975.
Decline of the duo
By the mid-1970s, Ike Turner's excessive cocaine habit had gotten out of hand. During this period, Tina adopted the Nichiren Buddhism faith and chanting nam myōhō renge kyō to help her deal through a stressful marriage and career. Due to Ike Turner's drug abuse, some shows were either canceled or postponed.[59] In July 1976, Ike Turner had plans to leave United Artists Records for a five-year, $150,000 deal with Cream Records. The deal was to be signed on July 6.[60] On July 2, 1976, Ike and Tina were en route from Los Angeles to Dallas where the Revue had a gig at the Dallas Statler Hilton. The couple engaged in a bloody fight during their ride to the hotel. Shortly after arriving to the hotel, Tina fled from the hotel and later hid at a friend's house.[61] On July 27, Tina sued for divorce in the grounds of irreconcilable differences.[62][63][64]
Tina later credited the Nichiren Buddhist faith and chanting Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō with giving her the courage to strike out on her own. However, by walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the canceled shows. After a year in court, their divorce was made final on March 29, 1978. In the divorce, she completely parted ways with him, retaining only her stage name and assuming responsibility for the debts incurred by the canceled tour as well as a significant Internal Revenue Service lien.[65]
First solo performances
In 1977, with finances given to her by United Artists executive Richard Stewart, Tina returned onstage, giving a round of shows in Las Vegas in a cabaret setting, influenced by the cabaret shows she witnessed while a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. She took her cabaret act to smaller venues in the United States. Turner earned further income by appearing on shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Donny and Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Brady Bunch Hour.[66] Later in 1977, Turner headlined her first solo concert tour, throughout Australia. In 1978, United Artists released Turner's third solo album, Rough, with distribution both in North America and Europe with EMI. That album, along with its followup, Love Explosion, which included a brief diversion to disco rhythms, failed to chart.[67]
The albums completed her United Artists/EMI contracts and Turner left the labels. Continuing her performing career with her second headlining tour, Wild Lady of Rock 'n' Roll, she continued to be a successful live act even without the premise of a hit record.[68] Following an appearance on Olivia Newton-John's US TV special, Hollywood Nights, in 1979, Turner sought contract with Newton-John's manager Roger Davies. Davies agreed to work with Turner as her manager after seeing her perform at the Venetian Ballroom in the Fairmont San Francisco hotel in February 1980.
Davies advised Turner to drop her band and remodel her show into a grittier rock'n'roll showcase. In 1981, Davies booked Tina at The Ritz in New York City. Following the performance, Rod Stewart hired Turner to perform a duet version of his hit, "Hot Legs", on Saturday Night Live, and later hired Turner to open for him on his U.S. tour. One show with Rod Stewart and Kim Carnes, on 19 December 1981, at the L. A. Forum, Inglewood, was filmed. Afterwards, Turner opened three shows for The Rolling Stones. A recorded cover of The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion" for the UK production team B.E.F. featuring Robert Cray, became a hit in European dance clubs in 1982.[69] Following performances with Chuck Berry and several short tours in the U.S. and Europe, Turner again performed at the Ritz in December of the year, which resulted in a singles deal with Capitol Records under the insistence of David Bowie.
Mainstream success
In November 1983, Tina released her cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together", with Capitol. The record became a hit, reaching several European charts, including a top 10 placement in the United Kingdom. The song peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Turner's first solo entry into the U.S. charts. It also peaked at the top ten of the Hot Dance Club Songs and Hot Black Singles charts.[70][71][72][73][74] The success of the song forced Capitol to rethink its contract with Turner, offering the singer a three album deal, demanding an album on short notice, which had Turner staging what Ebony magazine later called an "amazing comeback".[75] Recorded in two months in London, the album, Private Dancer, was released in June 1984. That same month, Capitol issued the album's second single, "What's Love Got to Do with It". It reached the top ten within a month and in September had reached number 1 on the Hot 100 in the U.S. Featuring hit singles such as "Better Be Good to Me" and "Private Dancer", the album peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling five million copies alone in the states and selling over twenty million copies worldwide, making it her most successful album.[8][76][77][78] Turner's comeback was culminated in early 1985 when she won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "What's Love Got to Do with It". In February of that year, she embarked on her second world tour supporting the Private Dancer album, where she toured to huge crowds. One show, filmed at Birmingham, England's NEC Arena, was later released on home video. During this time, she also contributed on vocals to the USA for Africa benefit song "We Are the World".
Turner's success continued when she travelled to Australia to star opposite Mel Gibson in the 1985 post-apocalyptic film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. The movie provided her with her first acting role in ten years—she portrayed the glamorous Aunty Entity, the ruler of Bartertown.[79] Upon release, critical response to her performance was generally positive, and the film became a global success, making more than $36 million in the United States alone.[80] Turner later received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress for her role in the film. She also recorded two songs for the film, "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and "One of the Living"; both became hits, with the latter winning Turner a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In July, Turner performed at Live Aid alongside Mick Jagger.[81] Encouraged by a performance together during Tina's filmed solo concert in England, singer Bryan Adams released their duet single together, "It's Only Love", later resulting in a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Subsequent releases
Turner followed up Private Dancer with Break Every Rule in 1986. Featuring "Typical Male", "Two People" and "What You Get Is What You See", the album sold over four million copies worldwide. Prior to the album's release, Turner published her memoirs, I, Tina, which later became a bestseller, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Turner's European Break Every Rule Tour, which culminated in March 1987 in Munich, Germany, contributed to record breaking sales and concert attendances. In January 1988, Turner made history alongside Paul McCartney when she performed in front of the largest paying audience (approximately 184,000) to see a solo performer in Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, earning her a Guinness World Record.[82] The success of Turner's two live tours led to the recording of Tina Live in Europe which was released that April. Turner lay low following the end of her Break Every Rule Tour, emerging once again with Foreign Affair which included one of Turner's signature songs, "The Best". She later embarked on a European tour to promote the album. While Foreign Affair went gold in the United States, with its singles "The Best" and "Steamy Windows" becoming Top 40 hits there. It was hugely successful in Europe, where Turner had personally relocated.
In 1991, Ike & Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Phil Spector later accepted on their behalf. That same year, the ex-couple signed away their rights to have their lives dramatized in the semi-autobiographical film What's Love Got to Do with It, later released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike, with the actors receiving Best Actress and Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of the former husband-and-wife team. Turner contributed to the soundtrack for What's Love Got to Do with It, re-recording songs from her Revue days and recording several newer songs, including what turned out to be her last Top 10 U.S. hit, "I Don't Wanna Fight". Other than helping Bassett with her wardrobe and teaching her dance steps as well as providing songs for the soundtrack, and appearing as herself at the end of the film, she refused to be involved fully in the film, telling an interviewer, "Why would I want to see Ike Turner beat me up again? I haven't dwelled on it; it's all in the past where it belongs."[83] Following the film's and soundtrack's release, Turner embarked on her first US tour in seven years. Following the tour's end, Turner moved to Switzerland and took a year off from the road at the end of the tour.
Turner returned in 1995 with the U2 composition, "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. Its huge success in Europe and modest success in her native United States led Turner to record a new album, releasing the Wildest Dreams album in 1996. Though the album itself was not as hugely successful in the United States, thanks to a world tour and a much played Hanes hosiery commercial, the album went gold in the United States. The album reached platinum success in Europe where Turner had hits with "Whatever You Want", "Missing You", which briefly charted in the U.S., "Something Beautiful Remains", and the sensual Barry White duet "In Your Wildest Dreams". Following the tour's end in 1997, Turner took another break before re-emerging again in 1999 appearing on the VH-1 special Divas Live '99.
In 1998 the duet with Italian musician Eros Ramazzotti in "Cose della vita" became a European hit. Before celebrating her 60th birthday, Turner released the dance-infused song, "When the Heartache Is Over" and its parent album, Twenty Four Seven the following month in Europe, releasing both the song and the album in North America in early 2000. The success of "When the Heartache Is Over" and Turner's tour supporting the album once again helped in the album going gold in the U.S. The Twenty Four Seven Tour became her most successful concert tour to date and became the highest-grossing tour of 2000 according to Pollstar grossing over $100 million. Later, Guinness World Records announced that Turner had sold more concert tickets than any other solo concert performer in music history.[11][13] Afterwards Turner announced a semi-retirement.
Recent years
In 2002, Tennessee State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway".[84][85][86] The following year, she recorded the duet "Great Spirits" with Phil Collins for the Disney film, Brother Bear. In 2004, Tina made her first professional appearances following her semi-retirement, releasing the compilation album, All the Best, which produced the single "Open Arms", and sold more than a million copies in the US.
U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House on December 4, 2005. From left, the honorees are singer Tony Bennett, dancer Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, and actor Robert Redford.
In December of the following year, Turner was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was elected to join an elite group of entertainers.[87] President George W. Bush commented on Turner's "natural skill, the energy and sensuality",[88] and referred to her legs as "the most famous in show business".[89] Several artists paid tribute to her that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge (performing "River Deep - Mountain High"), Queen Latifah (performing "What's Love Got to Do with It"), Beyoncé (performing "Proud Mary"), and Al Green (performing "Let's Stay Together"). Winfrey stated, "We don't need another hero. We need more heroines like you, Tina. You make me proud to spell my name w-o-m-a-n,"[90] In November, Turner released All the Best – Live Collection and it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Turner participated in the soundtrack to All the Invisible Children, providing duet vocals to the song "Teach Me Again", with singer Elisa, finding success in Italy where it peaked at the top spot.
In 2007, Turner gave her first live performance in seven years, headlining a benefit concert for the Cauldwell's Children Charity at London's Natural History Museum. That year, Turner performed a rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Edith and The Kingpin" on Herbie Hancock's Mitchell tribute album, River: The Joni Letters. Turner's original vocals for Carlos Santana's "The Game of Love" were included in a Santana greatest hits compilation. Label demands led to Turner's vocals being replaced at the last minute by Michelle Branch.
On December 12, 2007, Turner's former husband Ike Turner died from a cocaine overdose. He had also been suffering from emphysema and cardiovascular disease. Reached for comment, Turner issued a brief statement through her spokesperson stating: "Tina hasn't had any contact with Ike in more than 30 years. No further comment will be made."[91] Turner made her public comeback in February 2008 at the Grammy Awards where she performed alongside Beyoncé.[92][93] In addition, she picked up a Grammy as a featured artist on River: The Joni Letters. In October 2008, Turner embarked on her first tour in nearly ten years with the Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.[94] In support of the tour, Turner released another hits compilation. The tour became a huge success and culminated in the release of the live album/DVD, Tina Live. In 2009, Turner participated in the Beyond singing project with fellow musicians Regula Curti, Selda Bagcan, and Dechen Shak Dagsay. This album combined Buddhist chants and Christian choral music along with a spiritual message read by Turner. The album was released only in Germany and a handful of other countries. It peaked at number 7 in Switzerland.
In April 2010, mainly due to an online campaign by fans of the Rangers Football Club, Turner's 1989 hit, "The Best", returned to the UK singles chart, peaking at number 9 on the chart.[95] In 2011, Children Beyond followed and charted again in Switzerland. Turner promoted the album by performing on TV shows in Germany and Switzerland in December that year. In May 2012, Turner was spotted attending a fashion show in Beijing to support Giorgio Armani.[96] Turner appeared on the cover of the German issue of Vogue magazine in April 2013, becoming at the age of 73 the oldest person worldwide to feature on the cover of Vogue.[97] On February 3, 2014, Parlophone Records released a new compilation titled Love Songs. Later in the year, Beyond 2: Love Within was released with Turner contributing some gospel tracks.
Personal life
Family
Turner has two sons. Her first, Raymond Craig, was born in 1958 when Turner was 18. Craig was the child of Kings of Rhythm saxophonist Raymond Hill.[35] Her second, Ronald, was born in October 1960.[98] Ronald was Turner's only child with Ike Turner. After moving to Los Angeles in 1960, Ike Turner's estranged wife Lorraine Turner left her and Ike's sons, Ike Jr. (born 1958) and Michael (born 1959), to be raised by Ike and Tina. During their divorce trial, the four boys were sent by Ike to live with Tina at her home.[99] In 1985, Ike Turner accused Tina of bad parenting, even alleging she had sent Michael Turner to a mental hospital.[100] Tina denied his claims, telling Australian magazine TV Week, "he gave me those children and not a penny to look after them with."[101] Tina's relationship with her mother Zelma Bullock remained estranged until Bullock's death in 1999.[102]
Relationship and marriage to Ike Turner
The early relationship between Tina and Ike was friendly and "like siblings". In late 1958, Tina moved in to Ike's home at East St. Louis.[103] During that period, Ike began musically training Tina.[104] At the beginning, there wasn't mutual attraction between the two of them; Tina felt Ike was not the "ideal-looking man" while Ike looked at her as a sister and favored "curvaceous women". Ike was still married to his common-law wife, Lorraine Taylor, during this period.[103] A sexual relationship began in 1959, much to Tina's chagrin.[105] Ike also felt guilt over the relationship, stating later that having sex with Tina felt as if he was having sex with a sibling.[106] In her book, Tina stated the couple married in Tijuana in 1962.[107] Tina recalled the first time Ike physically abused her began after she told Ike of her thoughts of leaving Ike's group due to financial disputes and their own confusing relationship. Tina said Ike grabbed a shoe stretcher and hit her in the head with it.[108][109] Afterwards, Tina said, Ike asked her to have sex with him.[108][43] Tina wrote in her memoirs, I, Tina, that the incident was the first time Ike had "instilled fear" in her.[108][43]
Ike's accounts of his relationship with Tina, including the incidents of abuse, differed. In a 1985 interview with Spin magazine, Ike admitted, "Yeah I hit her, but I didn't hit her more than the average guy beats his wife.... If she says I abused her, maybe I did."[110] He worded this slightly differently in his 1999 memoirs, Taking Back My Name, writing: "Sure, I've slapped Tina.... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I have never beat her." Ike also claimed on more than one occasion that he and Tina weren't even legally married. In the 1985 Spin article, Ike said, "As God is my judge, of all my wives, Tina is the only one I was never legally married to."[110] He explained in later years that Tina took his name in order to discourage a former lover from returning to her.[111] Ike himself said he had married at least 14 times and five times before he allegedly married Tina.[112] Tina herself admits she "never felt like [she] was married" to Ike.[113] A musician associate of Ike's later recounted that except for a few arguments, he never witnessed Ike being abusive to Tina or anyone else in his close circle.[60]
Before a show in Los Angeles in 1968, Tina tried to commit suicide by swallowing 50 Valiums after a fight with Ike.[29] After their July 1976 fight in Dallas, Tina filed for divorce.[114] In the final divorce decree, Tina took responsibility for missed concert dates as well as an IRS lien while also being allowed to retain use of her stage name as a means to find work as a performer.[115] Following the divorce, Turner claimed she had corrective surgery on her nasal septum, which she says was injured due to Ike's frequent hitting.[116] Turner dismissed popular notions that she was a "victim" of Ike Turner's abuse, stating she had argued with producers of her loosely based biopic What's Love Got to Do with It over her depiction in the film.[113] Friends and relatives of Ike Turner said he never fully got over their divorce. Their son Ronald once alleged that Ike used to come to his house occasionally and snoop through his address book to locate Tina.[112]
Religion
Throughout her childhood and early adulthood, Turner was Baptist.[117] Turner was introduced to Buddhism by a friend of hers and Ike's in 1971.[118] Turner wrote in her autobiography that she first used Buddhist chants (mainly Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō) before performing at a recording session at Ike's Bolic Sound studio.[118] She observed that Ike, instead of beating her or hitting her for supposed wrong notes, sent her money to go shopping, something she took to her advantage later on.[118] That same year, she adopted the Nichiren Buddhism faith and later credited the religion for getting her through the rough times. Turner considers herself a "Buddhist-Baptist".[119] Turner stated she still prays in the traditional Baptist sense while also meditating and chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.[119]
Other relationships and second marriage
Tina's first boyfriend, while living in Brownsville, was Harry Taylor, who originally came from a rival school apart from hers. Taylor relocated to Tina's school to be near her.[120] The relationship ended after Tina learned that Harry had married another woman.[121] After moving to St. Louis, she and her sister got acquainted by members of the Kings of Rhythm, with Tina dating the band's saxophonist Raymond Hill. After Tina gave birth to their son Craig, their relationship was strained. Allegedly, after a fight between the two broke out, Ike and other Kings of Rhythm members confronted Hill and beat him up, with one member tackling him to the ground, instantly breaking his leg. The injury was so severe that Hill had to return to his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi.[122] Ike Turner later adopted Tina's son adding his last name legally.[123] After divorcing Ike Turner in 1978, Tina abstained from relationships as she set on bringing her career back on track.[124]
While at a record label party in London in 1985, Tina met German music executive Erwin Bach. Initially starting out as a friendship, Turner and Bach began dating the following year and have remained together since. In July 2013, after a 27-year romantic partnership, the couple married in a civil ceremony on the banks of Lake Zurich in Küsnacht, northern Switzerland.[125]
Residences and citizenship
Turner has been living in a lake house, Château Algonquin in Küsnacht, next to Zurich, since moving there in 1994.[126][127][128] She owned property in Los Angeles, London, Cologne, and a villa on the French Riviera named Anna Fleur.[129]
On January 25, 2013, it was announced that Turner had applied for Swiss citizenship,[130][131] and that she would relinquish her U.S. citizenship.[132][133] In April, she undertook a mandatory citizenship test which included advanced knowledge of the German language and of Swiss history. On April 22, 2013, she was issued a Swiss passport and is now a citizen of Switzerland.[134] Turner signed the paperwork to give up her American citizenship at the U.S. embassy in Bern on October 24, 2013.[133]
Awards and accolades
Turner was listed at the 17th place on Rolling Stone's list "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time".[9] Turner is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee,[135] and three of her recordings, "River Deep – Mountain High" (1999), "Proud Mary" (2003) and "What's Love Got to Do with It" (2012) are in the Grammy Hall of Fame.[136] Turner has won eight Grammy Awards.[11]
Bryan Adams, who performed with her on the Private Dancer Tour, praised Turner's live performances, saying: "I never saw Tina walk through a performance, she always put on a great show, and was gracious and grateful to her audience." When Turner became a recipient of the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors, her legs were noted specifically by President George W. Bush.[137] At the age of 73, Turner became the oldest person to be on the front cover of Vogue magazine, surpassing Meryl Streep who covered American Vogue in 2012 aged 62.[7] Turner has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Keith Richards & Eric Clapton & Tina Turner - Keep A Knocking (LIVE)
Ike & Tina Turner "Fool In Love" & "Work Out Fine" medley
R.I.P.
Jay Owens +26.11.2005
Jay Owens (September 6, 1947 – November 26, 2005)[2] was a blind American electric blues and soul blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[1]
Life and career
Isaac Jerome Owens was born in Lake City, Florida, United States.[1] His mother was a minister in a local church, where Owens first learned to sing. He learned to appreciate blues from an uncle of his.[3] Having obtained his first guitar, Owens was playing music professionally by the time he left high school.[4]
Owens played alongside his friend, Johnny Kay, in the 1970s and 1980s, leading a succession of bands playing in the Tampa Bay and St. Petersberg area of Florida.[1] In such a role he supported many other musicians such as O. V. Wright, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Aaron Neville and Little Milton.[4]
Mike Vernon produced Owens' debut solo album, The Blues Soul of Jay Owens, which was released on Atlantic Records in 1993, and featured Pete Wingfield playing keyboards[5] It won Living Blues magazine's 'Best Blues Album' and 'Best Debut Album' awards.[3] In 1995, EastWest issued Movin' On, which included contributions as before from Vernon and Wingfield, whilst Dave Bronze played bass guitar on the collection.[6]
He was also a prolific songwriter, and his songs have been recorded by Jim Leverton ("Only Human"),[7] James Booker ("1-2-3" and "One Hell of a Nerve"),[8][9] and K. T. Oslin ("Come On-A My House").[10]
In 1997, Owens moved to Orlando, Florida after spending twenty years in New York.[4]
Owens died at his home in Orlando, at the age of 58, from complications of diabetes in November 2005.
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