I saw the name, TINA TURNER, in the headline of an article and thought to myself, “Oh, no, she can’t be dead—not this wonderful, vivacious, beautiful inside and out, ultra-talented dancer and singer! It seems I just saw her perform the other day, and she can’t be much older than I am!”
So, I grabbed up the paper and read closer and let out a sigh of relief! “AAAHHHH.”
As I read the article closely, I found out that Tina Turner is still very much alive and well and that she has been nominated for the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
“Well-deserved,” I thought out loud and then remembered that she had already been inducted way back around 1990 or so! However, that was an honor for the duo, “Ike and Tina Turner.” And, you know, I already then thought she was the most important and talented of the two and that he had “ridden her coat-tails in!”
Looking into the article a little deeper, I learned that Tina Turner and Carole King (already in as a songwriter and now nominated as a performer) will be only the 2nd and 3rd female artists to be inducted twice! The first was Stevie Nicks, already in as a member of “Fleetwood Mac” in 2019.
The “Class of 2021” will be announced in May, and John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, made the following statement, which includes all nominees: “They have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and have influenced countless artists that have followed them.”
But back to my “fav” of the group, TINA TURNER, who was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939 (O. K., so she is a little older than I am. When she sang and danced, she was always a “young knock-out” and still is today!) in Nutbush, Tennessee, to Floyd and Zelma Bullock, poor “share-croppers,” who reportedly split up early and left two daughters to be raised by “Grandma.” When “Grandma” died, Anna went to live with her biological mother, who apparently pretty well gave her daughter “free reign.”
In her early teen years, she became part of the rhythm and blues scene and after not too long joined up with the “Kings of Rhythm,” which featured IKE TURNER. However, SHE soon became the show’s “highlighter.”
Quite by accident, when another lead singer did not appear for a recording session with the “Kings,” Ike Turner stepped in during the recording, and “A Fool in Love” was released under the names of “Ike and Tina Turner.”
In 1966, the duo’s fame “zoomed” higher and higher as superstar record producer, Phil Spector, pushed them along and as their live performances became the “talk of not just the town!”
Touring with the “STONES” in 1969 certainly helped the duo’s popularity and respect, and in 1971, their “remake” of Credence Clearwater’s “Proud Mary” soared to the tops of U. S. music charts and won them a GRAMMY.
But, by the mid-1970s, though, Tina and Ike were “through,” amid rumors of discord and abuse by Ike!
This was the “starting over of hard times” for this talented lady, who worked low jobs and scrimped and saved and continued to perform if and when she could to support her children.
1983 and 1984, though, saw a momentous turnaround, as Tina “remade” Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and then exploded back onto the charts and the performing and recording scenes with the album, PRIVATE DANCER—four Grammys and 20 million copies in sales.
Tina Turner continued to make records and perform live and to “WOW” audiences worldwide, and her 50th Anniversary Tour in 1988—1989 was announced as her final one.
In 2013, one publication called her a “Luminary of the World,” fitting in my mind, and also during that year, at age 73, she married a Swiss record executive, Erwin Bach, not long after becoming a Swiss citizen.
Let me conclude this tribute by announcing, for those of you who do not know already, that in 2018, TINA TURNER was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, along with two more of my favorite icons—Neil Diamond and Emmylou Harris—and, as far as I know, she is still active with music and life; Don Themer figures she will dance her way to the podium when she receives her next award in 2021! “Proud Mary Keeps On Dancin’ and Dancin’ and Singing.”
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