Information about Tina Turner

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Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) is a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Turner's success, dominance, and popularity in rock music earned her the title, "The Queen of Rock & Roll",^[1][2] and she has won eight Grammy Awards. But despite her reputation as a rock artist, she has performed in the styles of R&B, soul, dance, pop, and funk.

Turner is known for her energetic stage presence^[3], powerful vocals, spectacular rock concerts^[4] as well as for her long, well-proportioned legs. ^[5][4]

Turner has been acclaimed as one of the world's most popular and biggest-selling music artists of all time. Tina Turner is the most successful female rock artist of all time^[7]with record sales in excess of 180 million^[8] and selling more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history^[9][10]. To date Turner has 7 Billboard top 10 singles^[8], 16 US top ten R&B singles and over 20 Top 40 hits in the UK^[12]. Turner has had a healthy international following.

Tina Turner has been referred to as "the truest rock diva of all"^[13], considered "soul's first real diva"^[13], "the most dynamic female soul singer in the history of the music"^[14] and "one of soul music's most incendiary performers"^[13].

Overview

At age 16, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and became well known for her high energy performances with The Ike & Tina Turner Revue during the 1960s and 1970s. At the height of The Revue's success, Tina Turner developed a reputation as a consummate live entertainer.

Although well-known and respected as a performer before she separated from Ike Turner, it was in 1984 that she staged what is considered by some the most amazing comeback in rock music history^[13] and achieved international super-stardom.

Turner's long-term partner is German Erwin Bach, a record executive. They live together in Küsnacht, Zürich, Switzerland, and Nice, France.

Biography

Early life and career

Main article: Ike Turner

Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee on November 26, 1939 to Zelma Currie, a factory worker, and Floyd Richard Bullock, a Baptist deacon, farm overseer and factory worker.^[16] Turner and her elder sister, Alline Bullock, were abandoned by their father and temporarily by their mother. They moved from Nutbush, Tennessee to St. Louis to reunite with their mother in 1956. In St. Louis, Anna Bullock met Ike Turner, a noted pioneer of rock and roll, and later asked him if she could sing for him. Ike was initially skeptical, but after much persistence on Anna's part, Ike Turner eventually decided to let her perform for him.

Anna Mae first started working with Ike Turner in 1958. Anna Mae began as an occasional vocalist in his show at the age of 18, but within a couple of years, not only did she have a new name - Ike named her Tina after Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, but was also the spotlight of a popular soul revue led by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm.

When a singer scheduled to record the famous R&B song, "A Fool In Love", didn't appear, Tina stepped in and recorded the song instead. "A Fool In Love" was a huge R&B hit reaching #2 crossing over to the top 30 of the US pop chart. After this, Ike changed the name of his band to the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Ike & Tina rose to superstardom. As times and musical styles changed, Tina developed a unique stage persona as a singer-dancer-performer that people very much enjoyed in live concert.

Tina Turner and the Revue's backup singers, The Ikettes, wove intricate and electrifying dance routines into their performances and influenced many other artists including Mick Jagger (for whose Rolling Stones 1969 American Tour they opened). Ike and Tina Turner recorded a string of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, including "A Fool In Love," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "I Idolize You," "Nutbush City Limits" and "River Deep, Mountain High" with producer Phil Spector in his Wall of sound style. They also carved out a successful niche for themselves by covering songs made popular by other artists such as "Come Together", "Honky Tonk Woman," and "I Want to Take You Higher". In fact, their high-energy cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 "Proud Mary" remains Turner's signature hit and one of Tina's longest enduring standards. "Proud Mary" was the duo's greatest commercial success peaking at number four in March 1971. "Proud Mary" also won a Grammy for "Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group."

While many of their original recordings failed to chart, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was well known for its live act and electrifying television appearances. Its supporters included The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley. The band was always performing anywhere and everywhere. A one-night gig at a small predominately black supper club in the South could be followed in the same week by a show at a major venue in Las Vegas or a national TV appearance. Ike acted as the group's manager and lead musical director, calling all the shots and ruling the act -- and Tina -- with an iron fist. While a fine musician and an early rock-and-roll influence, Ike's control of the Revue's management, recording contracts and performances eventually led to their decline as his drug abuse worsened. This controlling (and often violent) atmosphere caused the musicians and backup singers to come and go frequently, and Tina later reported being isolated and physically abused by Ike on a regular basis for most of their marriage.

Tina has four sons: Ike Jr. and Michael (from her former husband Ike's previous relationship), Ronnie (son of Ike and Tina; born 1961), and Craig (born 1960, son of Tina and Raymond Hill, who was a saxophone player in Ike's band).

1970s

By the mid-1970s, Tina's personal life and marriage began to deteriorate. Ike's drug use led to increasingly erratic and physically abusive behavior. Their act was losing speed largely due to Ike's refusal to accept outside management of their recording or touring as well as the cost of maintaining a rather voracious alleged cocaine habit. Touring dates began to decline and record sales were down. Having opened his own recording studio - Bolic Sound - following the lucrative success of Proud Mary, Ike produced Tina's first solo album, Tina Turns the Country On! in 1974. It failed to make an impact on the charts, as did the follow-up, Acid Queen (1975), released to tie in with Tina's critically acclaimed big-screen debut in the role of the same name in The Who's rock opera, Tommy.

After a final vicious beating before an appearance in Dallas over the Fourth of July weekend in 1976, Tina abruptly left Ike fleeing with nothing more than thirty-six cents and a gas-station credit card. She spent the next few months hiding from Ike, staying with various friends and relying on food stamps to exist. Additionally in 1976, Turner covered the Beatles song "Come Together" for the transitory musical documentary All This and World War II.

Tina credits her newfound Buddhist faith with giving her the courage to eventually strike out on her own. By walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the cancelled tour. Needing to earn a living, Tina decided to strike out on her own as a solo performer pulling a lounge act together and supplementing her income with TV appearances on shows like The Hollywood Squares, Donny and Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and even the The Brady Bunch Hour.

Tina finalized her divorce in 1978 after 18 years of marriage, later accusing Ike of years of severe spousal abuse and rampant drug addiction in her autobiography I, Tina that was later made into the film What's Love Got to Do with It?. To put the marriage (and Ike) behind her, Tina walked away with no money or property, asking for and retaining only the sole use of the stage name Ike had given her, and assuming responsibility for the huge debts incurred by the cancelled tour, as well as a significant IRS lien.

Tina ended the decade by releasing her first album since her separation from Ike. Rough (1978) was a departure from the R&B sound of the Revue, and featured strong readings of rock songs, demonstrating the direction in which she wished her musical career to progress. The record did not sell well, and 1979's Love Explosion - an attempt to attract the disco market - was similarly overlooked, leaving Tina wondering if she would ever shake off the bad reputation with which her association with Ike Turner had left her.

1984-1985: Private Dancer era

Main articles: Private Dancer and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Turner began touring extensively around the world but her career stalled until teaming up in 1982 with BEF(British Electric Foundation) for a remake of the Temptations' Ball of Confusion and recording a remake of Al Green's Let's Stay Together, which was included on 'Private Dancer', drew the attention of Capitol.

While she was largely considered to be unmarketable by the American recording industry, her popularity as a top stage act never faded in Europe and other parts of the world. Capitol signed her to a limited deal with their UK label. She divided her time between appearing at small venues in the US in order to keep herself in the public eye but continued to sell out major venues in Europe and other parts of the world despite her problems in the United States.

When Tina Turner's version of "Let's Stay Together" was released in the United Kingdom, it became a huge hit that peaked at number six and marked a major turning point in Turner's solo career. Capitol released the record in the US where it made the Top 20 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance - Female. It was a major success on the R&B charts reaching number four and also reached number one on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Charts. Given this turn of events, Capitol Records was quickly forced to review their previous assessment of Turner's chart ability and put forth the resources to let her record an album.

In the spring of 1984, Tina Turner released her fifth solo album, Private Dancer. The album was a huge success and established Turner as a credible solo artist. Private Dancer charted a total of five top forty singles and three singles reached the top ten in the states. After the success of "Let's Stay Together", Capitol issued the number-one hit " What's Love Got to Do With It", which helped Turner win Record Of The Year, Song of the Year (won by the songwriters Graham Lyle and Terry Britten) and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards. The third single, "Better Be Good To Me" reached number five on the charts and won the 1985 Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy. Originally, Tina hated the song "What's Love Got To Do With It" because she felt it was too "Pop" and not "rough" enough. She thought that "Better Be Good to Me" should be the second single from the album but Capitol convinced her otherwise and Tina grew fond of What Love Got To Do With It after it inched up the American charts. The album's title track, written by Mark Knopfler, peaked at number seven pop in early 1985. The Private Dancer album additionally received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. The fifth single, "Show Some Respect" entered the top forty and stayed there for a respectable three weeks. Private Dancer peaked at number three on the US album sales chart and sold consistently throughout the year. It also remained at number-one for five weeks on the US R&B album sales chart. Private Dancer remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Worldwide the album has been estimated having sold up to ten to eleven million copies^[17][18][19], but also some sources estimating it sold over 20 million copies^[20], thus making Private Dancer Turner's most successful solo album.

In 1985, Turner recorded a duet with Bryan Adams entitled "It's Only Love" which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. Turner also contributed her voice to the best-selling charity song "We Are the World", along with various famous musicians including, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Dionne Warwick. In July of that same year, Turner famously duetted with Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in a performance of "State of Shock" and "It's Only Rock 'N Roll" at the Live Aid benefit concert at JFK Stadium.

Tina Turner appeared as the character, "Aunty Entity" in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with Mel Gibson and scored additional hits with the movie's soundtrack: "We Don't Need Another Hero," and "One of the Living". "We Don't Need Another Hero" (which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal performance, Female) was a huge success on the radio charts, peaking at number two in the US and hitting number one across Europe. The song remains one of Turner's most popular and powerful songs. "One of the Living", the second single from Thunderdome, peaked at number fifteen on Billboard's Hot 100, was also quite popular later winning Turner a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance.

1986-1990: Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair

Main articles: Break Every Rule and Foreign Affair

Tina's popularity throughout Europe had never faded during the tough times. She moved there permanently in 1986 to share a home with Erwin Bach, a German-born EMI record company executive 16 years her junior. In addition to a lakeshore home on the Goldküste (literally, "the Gold Coast"), the most exclusive district of Zurich, Switzerland, Turner has an estate in France at Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small town about four miles (six kilometers) east of the city of Nice. Her home there sits atop Mont Vinaigrier, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1986, Tina Turner released her sixth solo studio album, Break Every Rule. The album was another big-seller, and the accompanying world tour was a record-breaking success in tickets sales. It spawned a number of hit singles including "Typical Male", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number two and went number-one on the United World Chart. "Typical Male" received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance. Break Every Rule garnered Turner her third consecutive Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy for the Bryan Adams-penned "Back Where You Started."

Tina entered the Guinness Book of World Records during her Break Every Rule tour when she performed in front of the largest paying audience ever to see a single performer. The audience was made up of over 184,000 fans at the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The concert, sponsored by Pepsi, was broadcast live to a worldwide audience.

In 1988, Turner released "Tina Live In Europe" which brought her a fourth and final Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy Award. She shares the title for most, and most consecutive, Female Rock Vocal Grammy Awards with Pat Benatar.

In 1989, Tina Turner released her last album of the 1980s, Foreign Affair. This album sold over 6 million copies worldwide^[21]. The album received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal performance at 1989 Annual Grammy Awards. The following year, Steamy Windows, received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal performance. It spawned a variety of different hit singles with the most enduring being the hit "The Best" (often referred to as "Simply the Best"), originally a song on a Bonnie Tyler album. The song peaked at number 15 on the U.S. Hot 100, and peaked at number five in the United Kingdom. Also, "I Don't Wanna Lose You," peaked at #8 on the UK Charts. The album package was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Packaging Design, but lost to David Bowie.

1990s

Main articles: Wildest Dreams, What's Love Got to Do with It? (movie), and Twenty Four Seven (album)

Tina began the decade with her record-breaking Foreign Affair European Tour, which ran throughout the spring and summer of 1990. Also in that year, she contributed a song - Break Through The Barrier - to the soundtrack of the Tom Cruise film, Days of Thunder, and recorded a version of It Takes Two with Rod Stewart for use in a high-profile Pepsi advertising campaign, this song was a big success in Europe, reaching Top 5 in the UK and other countries.

During the early 1990s, "The Best" became the theme song of three athletes: the legendary boxer Chris Eubank (who made an unannounced appearance on stage with Tina at one year's MOBO Awards), the Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna (she even called him onstage in an Australian concert in 1993, a few months before his death), and retired tennis legend Martina Navratilova. A version of the song featuring Jimmy Barnes was also used to promote Australia's professional rugby league football competition. This advertising campaign brought a great deal of interest to the game and reached its height when Turner performed the song at the 1993 New South Wales Rugby League premiership's Grand Final. A rugby league version of the song's video clip was also released at around the same time and remained in the top ten videos in Australia for a long time. The song was also used very successfully in advertisements for HBO, previewing shows and movies, unofficially becoming HBO's second theme, for years.

In 1991, she released her first greatest hits compilation, Simply the Best which contained three new tracks. The compilation album went platinum in the U.S. In 1993, Tina received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal performance, Female, for her cover of Elton John's "The Bitch is Back" from the Two Rooms tribute CD. She also had a cameo in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film, The Last Action Hero.

This was also the year that her 1986 autobiography I, Tina (an international best-seller) was made into a motion picture entitled What's Love Got to Do with It?. Angela Bassett won the role of Tina Turner in the movie (Whitney Houston had declined due to imminent maternity; Halle Berry had also auditioned for the role) and was nominated for an Oscar for her performance. Laurence Fishburne played Ike and also received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal.

She returned to the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with the film's theme song, "I Don't Wanna Fight" (which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal performance, Female) and embarked on a tour of North America. Tina, What’s Love Live! was broadcast by FOX in the United States at the conclusion of her tour.

In 1995, she recorded the title theme of the James Bond movie GoldenEye, penned by Bono and The Edge of U2. Shortly thereafter, at the age of 56, Tina released her eighth original studio album which was a success, entitled Wildest Dreams. In this same year Tina embarked in her record breaking "Wildest Dreams World Tour" becoming one of the most extensive tours ever by a single performer grossing over $100 million in Europe alone. The video, "Tina Turner Live in Amsterdam," was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Video, Long Form. And, in 1999, Tina recorded the theme song for "" called "He Lives In You". She also performed on VH1 Divas Live '99 in April 1999, along with artists such as Cher, Whitney Houston, Elton John and Mary J. Blige.

Tina Turner's ninth studio album was released in November 1999. The album was called Twenty Four Seven. "Twenty Four Seven" produced several hits including "Whatever You Need" and "When the Heartache Is Over" which was a UK Top 10 hit and peacked at #3 on the US Dance/Club Play Charts. It was not as successful as Tina's past albums, but was still a success. It sold one million copies in the US, becoming platinum. Following the release of her album, Tina officially announced that she would embark on her last major arena and stadium promotional tour. Ending on a high note, her Twenty Four Seven World Tour grossed over $80 million in the US alone^[22] (23 international sold out stadium shows were not taken into consideration—with mid-range ticket prices) during the summer becoming the 5th biggest concert tour ever in the U.S. earning her the title of top-grossing tour in the year 2000.^[23]

2000-present

Turner retired from major tours after her most recent in 2000. However, she continues to make public appearances and collaborations. In 2001, Tennessee State Highway 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway".^[24] In 2003, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record the song "Great Spirits" for the Disney film Brother Bear.

In 2005, Turner released her latest greatest hits compilation album, All the Best. The album is both her highest debut on the Billboard 200 and her highest-charting album ever in the U.S. (Private Dancer peaked at #3)^[25]. The album included a new single, "Open Arms"; the song failed to crack the Billboard Hot 100 in the US but reached the UK Top 25.

In early 2005, Tina continued to do several live television performances in the US and Europe, highlighted by an interview and performance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in spring 2005 and a charity ball in St. Petersburg, Russia in November, highlighted by performances of "What's Love Got to do with it", "We Don't Need Another Hero", "Private Dancer" and "The Best". In October, she re-released an abridged version, "All the Best: The Hits." Tina was later honored as one of Oprah Winfrey's Legendary Women and appeared at her Color Purple Premiere in New York City on December 1, 2005.

Later that year, she was honored at a show-stopping event at the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC where Turner was elected to an elite group of entertainers including contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. Several artists paid tribute to Tina that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé Knowles, and the Reverend Al Green. Oprah 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," and "Tina Turner didn't just survive, she triumphed."

In early 2006, the All the Invisible Children soundtrack was released. Turner sang "Teach Me Again" with Elisa which charted at #1 in Italy. In April, the NRL (National Rugby League), one of the most popular sporting competitions in Australia and New Zealand, announced that Tina would return as the face and spokesperson of the rugby league in 2008 due to the overwhelming popularity of Tina's previous campaign.

In October 2006, in an interview with Billboard Magazine, Guy Chambers, Robbie Williams' former producer, revealed that his next project is Tina Turner's comeback album. At the premiere of the new Bond film Casino Royale in Zurich November 16, 2006, Tina confirmed that she has recorded several new tracks for the album. This will be her first full recording of new material in 8 years. In May of 2007, Tina returned to the stage to headline a benefit concert for the Cauldwell Children's Charity at London's Natural History Museum. This was her first show in seven years. A new Tina DVD will be released on August 28th, 2007.

Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released an album paying tribute to his longtime associate and friend, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell entitled on September 25, 2007 which features Tina singing 'Edith And The Kingpin'. Also guitar legend Santana has released an album on October 16th, 2007 entitled Ultimate Santana, which features Tina singing The Game Of Love which she actually recorded in 2002 but the track was unreleased until now.

Discography

''For a full Tina Turner discography (including Ike & Tina Turner discography) of singles, albums and DVD releases, see Tina Turner discography.

Awards

Grammy Awards

For a list of Grammy award wins and Grammy Award nominations, check Grammy nominations for Tina Turner.

Other awards

For a list of awards won by Tina Turner, check List of Tina Turner awards and accolades.

Filmography

• The Big T.N.T. Show (1966) (documentary)
• It's Your Thing (1970) (documentary)
• Gimme Shelter (1970) (documentary)
• Taking Off (1971)
• Soul to Soul (1971) (documentary)
• Cocksucker Blues (1972) (documentary) (unreleased)
• Tommy (1975)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) (also singing voice for Angela Bassett)
• Last Action Hero (1993)

Tours

For a timeline through Tina Turner's worldwide tours, check out .

• Tina Turner has sold more concert tickets than anyone in history. Tina Turner's second world tour Break Every Rule had record breaking ticket sales. The 230 date tour kicked off in March of 1987 and ended in March of 1988, which brought over four million fans.
• Her world record-breaking Break Every Rule Tour show of 1988 held in a single night at the Maracana Soccer Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was also released on video and now DVD too. With this particular show alone, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records because she set the record of drawing 184,000 fans to a one-night show alone.
• Turner also beat out The Rolling Stones by touring Europe with 121 shows during her sold out Foreign Affair Tour in 1990. She ended up playing to four million people in just six months.
• Turner's 1996 Wildest Dreams Tour was performed to 3.5 million people over 250 dates through 2 years. Tina Turners shows did attract more ticket buying public. At the time Tina Turners average Ticket price was comparable to today's top concert ticket prices.
• Turner's most recent tour was 2000's "Twenty Four Seven Millennium Tour". This tour ended up as the highest grossing tour of the year and one of the biggest tours in North American history.

See also

• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of female rock singers
• River Deep Mountain High
• Proud Mary
• Nutbush City Limits

References

External links

• Official site
• Official fan club site
• Tina Turner at MySpace
• Tina Turner at the Internet Movie Database
• Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Tina Turner on all music guide
• Tina Turner Star Pulse

Preceded by Gladys Knight License to Kill, 1989

James Bond title artist GoldenEye (song), 1995

Succeeded by Sheryl Crow Tomorrow Never Dies (song), 1997

•  • [ e] The James Bond title themes

"Official" (EON Productions) films John Barry & Orchestra "James Bond Theme" • Matt Monro "From Russia with Love" • Shirley Bassey "Goldfinger" • Tom Jones "Thunderball" • Nancy Sinatra "You Only Live Twice" • John Barry "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" • Shirley Bassey "Diamonds Are Forever" • Paul McCartney & Wings "Live and Let Die" • Lulu "The Man with the Golden Gun" • Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better" • Shirley Bassey "Moonraker" • Sheena Easton "For Your Eyes Only" • Rita Coolidge "All Time High" • Duran Duran "A View to a Kill" • a-ha "The Living Daylights" • Gladys Knight "Licence To Kill" • Tina Turner "GoldenEye" • Sheryl Crow "Tomorrow Never Dies" • Garbage "The World Is Not Enough" • Madonna "Die Another Day" • Chris Cornell "You Know My Name" "Unofficial" (licensed, non-EON) films Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass "Casino Royale" • Lani Hall "Never Say Never Again"

•  • [ e] Tina Turner
Album discography
Private Dancer • Break Every Rule • Tina Live in Europe • Foreign Affair • Simply the Best • What's Love Got to Do with It • Wildest Dreams • Twenty Four Seven • All the Best
Private Dancer Tour - Break Every Rule Tour - Foreign Affair Tour - What's Love? Tour - Wildest Dreams Tour - Twenty Four Seven Tour
See also
List of Tina Turner awards and accolades - Grammy nominations for Tina Turner - Ike Turner - Ike & Tina Turner - Ike & Tina Turner discography