Ike Turner (b. Ike Wister Turner, 5th November 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.A. d. 12th December 2007, San Marcos, California, U.S.A.)
and
Tina Turner (b. Annie Mae Bullock, 26th November 1939, Brownsville, Tennessee, U.S.A. d. 24th May 2023, Kusnacht, Zurich, Switzerland.)
Ike and Tina Turner were married in 1958.
Their marriage was was born out of a musical liaison between the two, via Ike's R & B group Kings Of Rhythm. The arrangement turned to be a turbulent affair.
Ike Turner was a former piano player with Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Nighthawk.
Ike formed his Kings Of Rhythm ensemble during the late 1940's.
the kings of rhythm (clockwise):
billy gayles, eugene washington, jesse knight, ike turner, eddie jones and raymond hill
The Kings Of Rhythm recorded the song 'Rocket 88' in 1950.
rocket 88 jackie brenston and his delta cats - 1950 / kings of rhythm - 1960
The song is credited as being the very first Rock 'N' Roll recording, even though it was originally credited to the song's vocalist, Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats.
Ike later became a talent scout for Modern Records where he helped develop the careers of Bobby Bland, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf.
In 1956, a sixteen-year-old named Anna Mae Bullock relocated from her hometown of Nutbush, Tennessee, to live with her mother and sister in St. Louis.
The Kings of Rhythm were based in St. Louis, and were later joined by Annie Mae, who was originally billed as 'Little Ann'.
Annie Mae became the groups focal point, following her marriage to Ike in 1958.
The Kings of Rhythm changed their name to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue.
a fool in love - 1960 / it's gonna work out fine - 1961
Ike and Tina Turner's debut release, in 1960 was 'A Fool In Love', an album followed by a couple of 45's, the most successful of which was 'It's Gonna Work Out Fine' (written by Rose Marie McCoy in 1961).
A third hit, 1962's 'Poor Fool', was a follow up to 'A Fool in Love', which peaked at number thirty-eight.
Ike's group were hugely popular as a live act, however, singles sales were less successful at the time.
The group recorded for several labels, which included Sue, Kent and Loma.
They also recorded for Philles, where producer Phil Spector constructed his 'wall-of sound' around Tina's resounding vocal delivery.
The single 'River Deep Mountain High', hardly charted at all in the U.S.A. (number 88), a matter which Phil Spector took very much to heart.
Ike accepted $25,000 from Spector not to participate in the recording of the song, allowing Phil to record Tina as a solo singer.
The song did become a huge hit in the U.K., making the top 3, nationally.
Consequently, Ike, unhappy at losing control over the ensemble, took the duo elsewhere where further releases were less successful.
Supporting the Rolling Stones, on their 1969 North American tour introduced the husband and wife team to a wider, more multi-cultural audience.
The same year, that success was followed by the release of the albums 'Outta Season' and 'The Hunter'.
ike and tina turner revue live - 1964 / workin together - 1970
Later, their version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Proud Mary' was a gold disc in 1971 and won a Grammy award.
'Nutbush City Limits' (released in 1973) was also a huge international hit.
As the popularity of the duo faded somewhat, their marriage became strained.
Tina left the group in the middle of a tour, and the couple were divorced in 1976.
Ike then spent some 18 months in prison, as a result of various misdemeanours (including drug posession charges), contrasting his ex-wife's very public profile.
Tina later found solo success following the release of 1984's 'Private Dancer' album which sold 11 million copies.
The song 'What's Love Got to Do With It', taken from the album, peaked at number one on the U.S. pop chart, a position Ike & Tina never reached whilst together.
Ike was released from prison in 1993, and became a Blues musician, with some success.
The duo were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 (Phil Spector accepted their induction on the former duo's behalf).
Ike Turner passed away in 2007, whilst Tina still toured into 2008 with her 'Tina Live' tour.
Ike and Tina Turner received a NAACP Image Award and, individually, received stars and were inducted individually to the St. Louis Hall of Fame.
'River Deep, Mountain High' and 'Proud Mary' have been inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2003 respectively.
Tina received a solo star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.
Tina Turner died in May 2023 at the age of 83.
Albums:
The Soul Of Ike And Tina Turner (Sue 1960)
Dance With The Kings Of Rhythm (Sue 1960)
The Sound Of Ike And Tina Turner (1961)
Dance With Ike And Tina Turner (Sue 1962)
Festival Of Live Performances (Kent 1962)
Dynamite (Sue 1963)
Don't Play Me Cheap (Sue 1963)
It's Gonna Work Out Fine (Sue 1963)
Please, Please, Please (Kent 1964)
The Soul Of Ike And Tina Turner (Kent 1964)
Live! The Ike And Tina Turner Show (Warners 1964)
The Ike And Tina Show Live (Loma 1965)
River Deep, Mountain High (London 1966)
So Fine (Pompeii 1968)
In Person (Minit 1968)
Cussin', Cryin' And Carrying On (Pompeii 1969)
Get It Together! (Pompeii 1969)
A Black Man's Soul (Pompeii 1969)
Outta Season (Blue Thumb 1969)
In Person (Minit 1969)
River Deep - Mountain High (A&M/London 1969)
The Hunter (Blue Thumb 1969)
Come Together (Liberty 1970)
Workin' Together (Liberty 1970)
Her Man, His Woman (Capitol 1971)
Live In Paris (Liberty 1971)
Live At Carnegie Hall - What You Hear Is What You Get (Liberty 1971)
'Nuff Said (United Artists 1971)
Feel Good (United Artists 1972)
Let Me Touch Your Mind (United Artists 1973)
Nutbush City Limits (United Artists 1973)
Strange Fruit (1974)
Sweet Island Rhode Red (United Artists 1974)
Delilah's Power (United Artists 1977)
Airwaves (1978)
