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Tina Turner
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How many 69-year old women do you know can strut their stuff on stage in a mini-skirt and high heels and have the audience falling at their feet? How many have sold nearly 200 million records, appeared in films and are a Buddhist? Say hello to Tina Turner, a 50-year veteran of the music industry and one of life’s true survivors.
Tina Turner, then known as Anna Mae Bullock, was born just after the start of the Second World War in Nutbush, Tennessee, a place she later immortalised in her 1973 hit “Nutbush City Limits”. As a teenager, she moved to St Louis, Missouri where her older sister introduced her to the nightclubs of the city. It was there that she met the man who changed her life, for better and for worse. Ike Turner was a rhythm and blues musician who toured the clubs of the city. Using her charm and much persuasion, Anna began singing with him. Her break came in 1960 when she stood in for a singer who was due to record “A Fool in Love”. Anna’s voice captured the R&B audience and the single became a number two hit in the US pop chart. Ike persuaded Anna to change her name and Tina Turner was born.
Throughout the 1960s, the couple, by now married, racked up numerous hits on the pop charts with their group “The Ike and Tina Turner Review”. One of the best known was “River Deep, Mountain High” which was produced by Phil Spector but it wasn’t their best selling single. That award went to “Proud Mary”, which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy in 1971 for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or a Group.
Whilst commercially, the group were doing well, behind the scenes it was a different story. Ike had taken on the role of the group’s manager and musical director but as his drug use worsened, the atmosphere within the group deteriorated. With Ike becoming more and more controlling, the group’s success declined. The group’s success wasn’t the only thing suffering at the hands of Ike. Anyone who has seen the 1993 film “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” will know all about the violence and abuse meted out on Tina by her husband. The climax to the violence came at a concert in Dallas in July 1976, where fearing for her life and deciding she could not take any more, Tina left Ike with barely nothing more than the clothes upon her back. The dream had turned into a nightmare.
Tina continued to make albums and appearances on US TV shows throughout the late seventies and early eighties but with ever decreasing success. She released her third solo album around the time of her divorce but it fared badly and over the next few years, Tina found it increasingly difficult to secure a record deal.
The turning point came at the end of 1983 when her version of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” that immediately became a hit throughout Europe. It took a few more months before the American public caught the Tina bug and sent the single to number five in the R&B charts, but it was the sign that Tina was back.
She hit the big-time again with the release of her album “Private Dancer” which included the single “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” which reached number one in the US and shattered top ten charts around the world. The album went on to sell over 11 million copies worldwide, spawning hits and swept up music awards.
Turning away from music for a while, Tina accepted the role of Aunty Entity opposite Mel Gibson in the third Mad Maxfilm, “Beyond Thunderdome”. She also recorded part of the soundtrack for the movie. “We Don’t Need Another Hero” reached number two in the US and number three in the UK charts. Mad Max wasn’t her first venture in front of the camera. In 1975, she had starred in The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” as the Acid Queen and followed it up three years later with a blink-and-you’ll miss it role in “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Tina capitalised on her renewed success by releasing the “Break Every Rule” album in 1986 and published her autobiography, which laid bare her volatile relationship with Ike. She also began appearing at big venues again and made history in January 1988 by appearing alongside Paul McCartney in front of 184,000 fans in Rio, Brazil.
The “Break Every Rule” album was followed by a live album of her tour, “Tina Live in Europe” and her seventh studio album, “Foreign Affair” in 1989 which included the top-ten hit and probably one of her best known songs, “The Best”.
Tina spent the 1990s touring and making music, including recording the theme song for the James Bond film, Goldeneye. Her 1996/97 world tour broke records for the number of ticket sales and made over $130 million worldwide. She also embarked on a different musical adventure by co-writing an English version of an Italian song, “Cose della vita” with Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti. Her final album of the decade was “Twenty Four Seven” which was followed by another tour that again broke all attendance and sales records.
By now in her sixties, Tina cut back on recording and touring preferring to spend time at her new home in Switzerland. She did release a compilation album in 2004, “All The Best” which became her first album in over a decade to go platinum in the American market. Although she made numerous appearances over the next few years and released several more albums, it wasn’t until October 2008 that Tina went back on the road again to celebrate her 50 years in the business.
And what a 50 years it has been for Tina. From humble backgrounds in Tennessee, to top of the music charts, to hitting the rock bottom and climbing back up again, Tina has seen and done it all. She is a true survivor and an inspiration to all female aritsts, whether musicians or actresses.
