Anna Mae Bullock was born in Brownsville, Tennessee in 1939 and raised nearby in the small town of Nutbush. She and her older sister Alline relocated to St. Louis in 1956 after being deserted by their mother and later, their father. The sisters became regulars at local dance clubs, and Anna Mae would repeatedly ask Ike Turner if she could sing with his band. He said that she could, but never called her to the stage. One night, 16-year-old Anna Mae, who had never sung professionally but had been appearing in talent shows since childhood, simply grabbed the microphone and started singing. Ike invited her to join the band and gave her the stage name of Tina. While touring with the group, she became pregnant by Ike's saxophone player and gave birth to her first son, Raymond. Tina later moved into Ike's house, began a relationship with Ike, and eventually, also gave birth to Ike's baby. They were married in a quickie Tijuana ceremony, which turned out to be illegal, since Ike never bothered to divorce his first wife.
Even so, they first recorded as Ike and Tina Turner in 1960 after a singer failed to appear for a session. Tina stood in for the missing vocalist, and the song, "A Fool In Love" became a hit in 1960 (#27 Pop, #2 R&B). Ike then developed his entire revue around Tina. With nine musicians and three scantily clad female background singers called The Ikettes, The Ike and Tina Turner Revue became a major Soul act. In 1961 they charted with "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (#14 Pop, #2 R&B) and "I Idolize You" (#5 R&B). The following year, "Poor Fool" (#38 Pop, #4 R&B) and "Tra La La La La" (#9 R&B) added to their collection of hits. From the mid-Sixties on they were major stars in England, where artists such as The Rolling Stones were unabashed fans. In 1966, Phil Spector produced what proved to be his last Wall Of Sound single, "River Deep, Mountain High". It went to #3 in England, but did so poorly in the U.S. that Spector did not produce again until 1969.
The Turners continued to make Pop hits into the late Sixties. They opened for The Rolling Stones on their 1969 tour. They were especially successful into the early Seventies with steamy cover songs like "Come Together" (#57 Pop, #21 R&B), "I Want to Take You Higher" (#34 Pop, #25 R&B), and "Proud Mary" (#4 Pop, #5 R&B), featuring Tina's "We never, ever do nothin' nice and easy" spoken intro. In 1973, "Nutbush City Limits" (written by Tina) hit #4 in England and #13 R&B and #22 Pop in the U.S. Two years later, Tina got her first movie role, playing the Acid Queen in one of the most memorable scenes of Ken Russell's film version of The Who's Tommy.
Ike had assumed complete control over Tina's life, forcing her to work a gruelling tour schedule and beat her if she got out of line. According to Tina, and as she wrote in her 1986 bestselling autobiography, I, Tina, her life with Ike was marked by near-constant physical and emotional abuse. By the late Sixties, Ike had become deeply involved with cocaine and alcohol and was prone to violent outbursts. Tina's litany of his crimes against her include hitting her, pouring hot coffee on her face, burning her lip with a lighted cigarette, and forcing her to perform while ill and pregnant. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1968, Tina finally walked out on Ike in 1975, carrying nothing more than thirty-six cents and a gas station credit card. Career-wise, it seemed like the end for Tina, who many thought would disappear without Ike's musical muscle. Tina relinquished almost all claims for compensation, deciding her complete freedom from Ike was more important than the money. In debt, she briefly lived on food stamps before climbing her way back up by working small-time nightclub gigs six days a week. Two years later her divorce from Ike was final. Ike has often indicated publicly that, while he did not deny having battered Tina, he denied that her version of events is entirely true.
In 1979, Tina met Roger Davies, a young Australian manager who had recently relocated to Los Angeles. Davies took the challenge of helping Tina redefine and revamp her career. With his guidance, she rediscovered the Rock 'n' Roll raunch of her best records, infused it with the intuitive soulfulness she had never lost, and started over again. Tina's comeback began in earnest in 1981, when The Rolling Stones offered her a few opening spots on their U.S. tour. Around that time she also opened some shows for Rod Stewart and toured the world. In 1983 she landed a solo recording deal and by year's end had a UK hit with her steamy cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" (#26 Pop; #6 U.K.).
And as 1984 dawned, Tina prepared for the release of a new album, "Private Dancer". Propelled by the single "What's Love Got To Do With It", "Private Dancer" went on to attain worldwide sales in excess of 11 million copies, and ushered in an extraordinary catalogue of achievements for Tina over the next decade, achievements made all the sweeter by the rough times which preceded them. She follow with "Better Be Good to Me" (#5 in 1984) and "Show Some Respect" (#37 in 1985). Her next two singles were non-album songs from the Mel Gibson film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), in which Tina co-starred as Auntie Entity: "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" (#2, 1985) and "One Of The Living" (#15, 1985). Tina swept the 1984 Grammys, with "What's Love Got to Do With It" winning Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and "Better Be Good to Me" taking Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. "What's Love" was also recognized as Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year.
Break Every Rule (#4, 1986), another Platinum release, included "Typical Male" (#2, 1986), "Two People" (#30, 1986), and "What You Get Is What You See" (#13, 1987). In late 1985 she released a live duet with Bryan Adams, "It's Only Love", which went to #15 in the U.S. Tina, long legendary for her live shows, toured tirelessly. She was always especially popular in Europe and in England, where the LP "Tina Live in Europe" went to #8 as compared to #86 in the States. She duetted with Mick Jagger at Live Aid in 1985 and was a favorite of British Rock stars. Her international tours broke records in many cities.
In 1989, Tina's first album of new material in over three years, "Foreign Affair" went to #31 on the album charts. Its singles included "The Best" (#15, 1989), which featured a sax solo by Edgar Winter, and Tony Joe White's "Steamy Windows" (#39, 1990). While it was not her most successful album in the U.S., it outsold "Private Dancer" in the UK. Also in 1989, Tina celebrated her 50th birthday with a star-studded party that included Mark Knopfler (who wrote "Private Dancer"), Eric Clapton, and other admirers. Tina and Rod Stewart's remake of the Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell hit "It Takes Two" went to #5 in the UK in 1990. A year later, her greatest-hits package, "Simply the Best" went to #1 in the UK, but only #113 in North America. In 1992, Turner signed with Virgin Records. Her first single for that label, "I Don't Wanna Fight" (#9, 1993), was co-written by Steve DuBerry and Lulu.
Around the time Tina left him, Ike Turner retired to his studio in Inglewood, California, and released two solo LPs. The studio was destroyed by fire in 1982. After 11 arrests on various charges in 1990, Ike was convicted on several indictments, including possessing and transporting cocaine, and sentenced to 18 months in jail. He was in prison when he and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 1991. In September of that year, he was released from jail and has since attempted to sell his own autobiography. Tina's book was made into a hit feature film, What's Love Got To Do With It in 1993.
Following an extended period of relative silence, though she did show off her legs in a series of pantyhose commercials, Tina Turner once again got ready to strut her stuff on stage. In 1997, she embarked on her first North American tour in six years. Proving her staying power, Turner's outing proved to be the seventh most popular draw of 1997, earning $24.8 million. Two years later, Tina was once again ready to prove her stage prowess. On April 13th, she joined Whitney Houston, Cher, and Brandy on the stage of New York City's Beacon Theater as one of VH1's second wave of Divas Live. Other events on Turner's 1999 calendar included a "Greatest Hits" album as well as a Fall tour with Elton John.
In the Autumn of 2000, at age 61, Tina announced that she would no longer be involved with large scale tours. She played the final show of her farewell tour in front of 18,000 fans who packed the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, thirty miles South of downtown Los Angeles, on December 6th. At year's end, she was declared the most popular touring act of 2000, earning over 80 million dollars, outselling The Back Street Boys, N'Sync and Brittany Spears. Tina continued to give some live performances however, working from her home in Switzerland, where she lived since 1994. In September, 2004, she released a new "Greatest Hits", double CD, which contained all of her hits dating back to her days with Ike, as well as three new songs. The broad-ranging accomplishments of her forty year career underscore Tina Turner's status as one of the consummate performers of our time. Although she is deeply private person, in her professional life she is one of the world's most widely recognized entertainers and her recordings will continue to touch millions of fans with the same energy and urgency that she has displayed since her teens.
Meanwhile, Ike managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in his later years, touring around the world with his band The Kings Of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the Traditional Blues album category for "Risin' With the Blues". Sadly, Ike Turner died at his home in suburban San Diego on December 12th, 2007 after suffering a heart attack. He was 76.
In early May of 2008, it was announced that 68-year-old Tina Turner would return to the stage in October with a forty show tour of North America, to be followed by shows in Europe and other international dates. Tina performed her final show on May 5th, 2009, and went into a well deserved retirement. A new live album was released by Parlophone in September of '09 entitled "Tina Live". The double disc set included the full concert recorded in the Netherlands as part of her 50th Anniversary Tour. In April, 2010, Tina once again had a hit in the UK when her 1989 single "The Best" peaked at #9 after an internet campaign by supporters of Glasgow Rangers Football Club.
On January 25th, 2013, Tina announced that she had applied for Swiss citizenship and that she would relinquish her U.S. passport. In July, she wed 57-year-old record executive Erwin Bach on the banks of Lake Zurich in Kusnacht, northern Switzerland. On February 4th, 2014, Parlophone Records released an 18-track collection that includes familiar favorites like "What's Love Got To Do With It", "The Best", "Private Dancer" and "I Don't Wanna Fight", but contained no new songs or previously unreleased tunes. Tina announced in December, 2016 that she has been working on Tina, a new musical based on her life, in collaboration with Phyllida Lloyd and Stage Entertainment. Adrienne Warren was confirmed for the title role, scheduled to open April 17, 2018 at London's Aldwych Theatre. Her autobiography, called Tina Turner: My Love Story, was also in the works. In January, 2018 the Recording Academy announced that Tina would be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy at their summer ceremony.
In June, 2019, Tina told CBS News that she considers her marriage to Edwin Bach to be her first, despite having been married to her musical partner Ike Turner through the '60s and '70s. She also confirmed that she had no inclination to perform again. She did, however, make a surprise appearance at the Broadway opening of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 7th, 2019 in New York City. Joining the cast onstage, she gave an emotional speech, noting that "This musical is my life, but it's like poison that turned to medicine. I can never be as happy as I am now."
In mid-March, 2021, HBO released the official trailer for a documentary called Tina, in which the singer opens up about her life. The film tells the story of her musical career and features vintage performance footage, audio tapes, and personal photos. In reference to years of abuse suffered at the hands of her late husband Ike, Tina says, "It hurts to have to remember those times, but at a certain stage, forgiveness takes over." Two months later, Tina received the ultimate honor when Cleveland's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame announced that she would be inducted the following October 30th. Next came the news that her 1989 album, "Foreign Affair" was getting a deluxe reissue in the form of four CDs or one DVD. The set contains the original LP, concert performances, B-sides, remixes, and an unreleased demo version of her 1989, #15 hit, "The Best". Tina's name was back in the news again in early October when the German music rights company BMG paid an estimated $50,000,000 for the rights to her music catalogue, name, image, and likeness for future sponsorship and merchandising deals. BMG boss Hartwig Masuch said, "We are honored to take on the job of managing Tina Turner's musical and commercial interests. It is a responsibility we take seriously and will pursue diligently. She is truly and simply, the best."
In January, 2022, Tina and her husband reportedly bought a 70-million-Swiss-franc ($76 million) estate on Lake Zurich in Switzerland. Tragic news came in December of that year when it was announced that Tina's son, Ronnie had died due to complications related to colon cancer at the age of 62. He was Tina's younger child whom she shared with her late ex-husband Ike Turner.
In her last few years, Tina suffered a number of health issues, including cancer, a stroke and kidney failure. She passed away peacefully at her home on May 24th, 2023 at the age of 83. During the height of her solo success from 1984 to 1993, she had amassed fourteen Billboard Top 40 hits, six of which rose to the Top Ten.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of her album, "What's Love Got To Do With It", a 4CD / 1DVD boxed set was scheduled for release on April 26th, 2024. The collection includes the original album remastered plus edits, remixes and a capella, along with a poster and a 24-page booklet. The first four Tina Turner solo albums were also slated for reissue on CD and vinyl on November 15th of that same year.
CLASSIC TRIVIA:
Ike and Tina Turner recorded for over fifteen different record labels.
