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Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939) is a Grammy Award-winning American pop/rock singer, Buddhist and occasional actress. She was born of African American, Navajo, and Cherokee ancestry in the Haywood Memorial Hospital in Brownsville, Tennessee and raised in Nutbush, Tennessee. Tina Turner's dominance in rock and roll throughout the 1980s and 1990s earned her the title "Queen of Rock & Roll".[1]

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 became as popular a live performer as other very popular live entertainers during her time such as James Brown.

Tina Turner was a very popular performer before she split with Ike Turner, but it was her solo comeback in the mid-1980s that propelled her to a level where she would become one of the most successful musicians and rock artists of all time, selling more concert tickets than any other female performer in history. Tina Turner is noted for her overpowering stage presence. Her physical trademarks are her long, well-proportioned legs, big hair, and raspy voice.

Throughout her career, Tina Turner has received many awards and honors. Tina has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the 1990s. In addition, she is a member of the St. Louis Walk of Fame. She is the winner of seven Grammy Awards.

Her spouse is German record executive Erwin Bach. Turner and Bach live together in Küsnacht, Zürich, Switzerland and Nice, France. She was a mezzo-soprano in her youth, and later developed into an alto.

Biography

Early life

Anna Mae Bullock (Tina Turner) and her elder sister, Alline Bullock, were abandoned by their father, and temporarily by their mother. They moved out of Nutbush, Tennessee and into 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's initial response was no, but after much persistence on Anna's part, Ike eventually agreed.

Early career

Young Anna Mae started working with Ike Turner in 1958, He gave her her stage name of Tina Turner. They married in 1962. She 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, but she 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, and it crossed over and made it into 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 and the Revue's backup singers, The Ikettes, wove intricate and electrifying dance routines into their performances, which 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 signature hit became their high-energy cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 "Proud Mary". "Proud Mary" was the duo's greatest commercial successes, peaking at number four in March 1971.

While many of their original recordings failed to chart, by the late 1960s and early 1970s, 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 were always performing anywhere and everywhere. A one-night gig at a small predomininately 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.

Ike and Tina had one child together, born in 1960, although their extended family consisted of two older sons of Ike's from a previous relationship and a son whom Tina bore in 1958 by Raymond Hill, a onetime saxophone player in Ike Turner's band.

1970s

By the mid-1970s, Tina Turner's personal life and marriage had began to further deteriorate. Ike's drug use led to increasingly erratic and physically abusive behavior toward Tina. Their act was losing speed, largely due to Ike's refusal to accept outside management of their recording or touring, preferring to keep management costs down. Touring dates began to decline and record sales were down. Despite Tina's successful big-screen appearance in The Who's rock opera, Tommy (in which she played the Acid Queen), Ike placed the blame for the Revue's decline on Tina.

After a final vicious beating right before they were due to appear in Dallas over the Fourth of July, 1976, Tina abruptly decided to leave Ike, fleeing with nothing more than thirty-six cents and a gas-station credit card. She spent the next few months hiding from Ike by 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. Legally, by walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was liable for sizable damages to the tour promoters. 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 Comedy Hour and even the The Brady Bunch Hour.

Tina finalized her divorce in 1978 after 18 years of marriage, accusing Ike of years of severe spousal abuse and rampant drug addiction in her autobiography I, Tina, which was later made into the film What's Love Got to Do with It?. To put the marriage (and Ike) behind her, Tina left the marriage with no money or property, asking for and retaining only the 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.

Solo career

Private Dancer

Tina Turner began touring extensively in the US and abroad to pay the bills and released several solo albums in the 1970s, but her career stalled until teaming up in 1982 with BEF for a remake of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion" and recording a remake of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," which drew the attention of Capitol Records.

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 various clubs and smaller venues in the US in order to keep herself in the public eye. She 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, peaking at number six. This record marked a major turning point in Tina's solo career. Capitol shrewdly released the record in the US, where it made the Top 30. Given this turn of events, Capitol Records was quickly forced to review their previous assessment of Tina's chartability and put forth the resources to let her record an album.

In 1984, after much anticipation, Tina Turner was able to release her long-awaited solo album Private Dancer. The album was an enormous success and established Tina Turner as a solo artist. Private Dancer had three very popular top ten singles in the United States, two of which won Grammy Awards. Tina Turner won a total of four Grammy Awards in 1985 thanks to the success of her debut solo album and its singles.

The Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit "What's Love Got to Do With It?" won Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards. The album's title track, written by Mark Knopfler, peaked at number seven on the Top 100. The third single, "Better Be Good To Me", reached number five on the charts and won the 1985 Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy.

"What's Love Got to Do With It?" was one of the most popular songs of 1984, and remains one of Tina Turner's most loved songs. Private Dancer went on to sell over six million copies in the United States alone and well over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming the most successful album of the 1984-1985 period. It peaked at number three on the US album sales chart and remained at number one for five weeks on the US R&B album sales chart. More than twenty years after its release, Private Dancer is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

Break Every Rule and beyond

In 1984, she also recorded a duet with Bryan Adams entitled "It's Only Love". In 1985, she appeared as 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" was a huge success on the radio charts, peaking at number two in the US. The song remains one of Tina Turner's most popular and powerful songs. Later that year, Tina Turner also contributed her voice to the famous song "We Are the World" along with various famous musicians.

"One of the Living", a second single from Thunderdome, was also quite popular and won Turner a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance. That same year, Tina famously duetted with Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones in a performance of "State of Shock" at the Live Aid benefit concert at JFK Stadium.

In 1986, Tina Turner released her second solo studio album, Break Every Rule. The album was a great sales, music chart, and tour success. It spawned a number of hit singles including the most popular, "Typical Male", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number two. "Typical Male" is noted for its powerful, fast-paced beats and strong vocals. Break Every Rule sold nearly 12 million copies worldwide. Tina entered the Guinness Book of World Records during her Break Every Rule tour when she performed in front of the largest paying audience to see a single performer. The audience was made up of over 182,000 fans in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The concert, sponsored by Pepsi, was broadcast live to a worldwide audience.

In 1989, Tina Turner released her last album of the 1980s, Foreign Affair. This album was another great success for Turner, selling over ten million copies worldwide. Foreign Affair sold 1.5 million copies in the United States. It spawned a variety of different hit singles. One of the album's most popular singles was the hit "The Best" (often referred to as "Simply the Best"), originally a song on a Bonnie Tyler album. The song peaked at number six on the U.S. Hot 100, and peaked at number five in the United Kingdom.

1990s

During the early 1990s, "The Best" became the theme song of two athletes: the legendary boxer Chris Eubank (who made an unannounced appearance on stage with Tina at one years MOBO Awards) and the Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna (she even called him onstage in an Australian concert in 1993, a few months before his death). The song was also used to promote rugby league in Australia. This advertising campaign brought a great deal of interest to the game and reached its height when Turner performed the song at the 1993 NSWRL 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 1993, 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.

Tina Turner released an official sound-track album to the movie, also titled 'What's Love Got to Do with It?. She returned to the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with the theme song for the film I Don’t Wanna Fight, and embarked on a tour of North America. The album went double platinum in the U.S. for sales of two million copies, and sold over nine million copies throughout the world. Tina, What’s Love Live! was broadcast by FOX in the United States at the conclusion of her tour. That same year at the World Music Awards, Tina was honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award.

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 embarked on a world tour to promote her Wildest Dreams album. In 1996, Tina Turner released her fourth official studio album, titled Wildest Dreams. This album sold over eight million copies worldwide, including 1.3 million in the United States. In 1998, Tina recorded the theme tune for "The Lion King II: Simba's Pride" called "He Lives In You".

Tina Turner's most recent official studio album was released in 1999. The album was called Twenty Four Seven. 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, and six million copies throughout the world. Tina also performed on VH1 Divas Live '99 in 1999, along with artists such as Cher, Whitney Houston and Elton John.

Tina's great popularity throughout Europe had never faded during the tough times, and 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.

"The most consummate professional" - Janis Joplin on Tina Turner.

Tina Turner today

Tina Turner is now semi-retired. She does, however, continue to make appearances and collaborations: in 2003, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record the song "Great Spirits" for the Disney film Brother Bear.

In 2004, Tina Turner released her latest greatest hits compilation album, All the Best, which made Tina's highest Billboard 200 debut of her career, entering at number two. The album includes a new single, "Open Arms"; the song was a hit in US radio and reached the UK Top 25. All The Best has so far sold over five million copies around the world.

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". Also in 2005, Tina was honored as one of the top legends in the entertainment business by Winfrey and her peers and appeared at Oprah Winfrey's Color Purple Premiere in New York City on December 1, 2005. She closed the year with the Kennedy Center Honors, in a show-stopping event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC on December 4. Turner joined an elite group of entertainers including contemporaries Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Little Richard and Chuck Berry.

In early 2006, the Teach Me Again soundtrack was released. Turner sang the song with Elisa. In August, Billboard Magazine reported that Tina was working on a new album. She had said in 2005 on the Oprah Winfrey Show that any future tours would be conducted before she turns 70, which would be in 2009. Guy Chambers, Robbie Williams' former producer, announced during an interview in October that his next project is Tina Turner's comeback album. If this is correct, she may be touring next year.

Solo discography

For a full Tina Turner solo discography, see Tina Turner discography. An Ike & Tina Turner discography can be found at the Ike Turner article.

Top 10 US Billboard Hot 100 Singles

Top 10 UK Chart Singles

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)
• CS Blues (1972) (documentary) (unreleased)
• Tommy (1975)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) (Cameo)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• What's Love Got to Do with It? (1993) (Cameo; biography) (singing voice for Angela Bassett)
• Last Action Hero (1993)

Tour DVDs:

• Tina Turner- All The Best- The Live Collection (2005) Many Tina Turner songs from her new album All The Best, sang Live throughout the years. This DVD also includes an interview with Tina Turner talking about the songs on her new album All The Best.

• One Last Time Live! (2000) Tina Turner performing at her last UK concert at Wembley Stadium in London, in 2000. Performing in front of about 74,000 people, Tina Turner put on a very good show. Between pyro going off, the stage splitting and moving, and a 60 ft. moving stage arm, that goes over the audience, the show was a great show.

• Tina Turner- Celebrate! (1999) Tina Turner's 60th birthday show, featuring guests like Oprah Winferey, Will Smith, Mariah Carey, Cher, Al Green, and many more! Tina Turner gave a very good birthday show, while performing older songs, and songs from her new album Twenty-Four Seven. Also, throughout the show, big celebraties, including Tina Turner, talk about her past history and more.

• Tina Turner- Live In Amsterdam (1996) Tina Turner performing in Amsterdam during her Wildest Dreams tour in 1996. This DVD includes her older hits, and new songs from her album Wildest Dreams.

• Tina Turner- What's Love, Live (1993) VHS Only. It was never released on DVD. It wasn't officially released, but it was still a great concert. Tina Turner performs in Reno, Nevada in 1993, during her What's Love, Live Tour. She sings older songs, plus newer songs from her Foreign Affair album, and her What's Love Got To Do With It? soundtrack album.

• Tina Turner- Do You Want Some Action? Live in Barcelona (1990) Tina Turner performing in Barcelona during her Foreign Affair tour. The Foreign Affair tour was one of the biggest in Europe.

• Tina Turner- Live in Rio 1988 (1988) Tina Turner performing in Rio during her Break Every Rule tour. This concert was one of her largest concerts ever. There were over 184,000 people at the concert, setting a World Record.

• Tina Turner- Tina Live! (1985) Tina Turner performing during her Private Dancer tour. Performing older hits, along with new songs from her Private Dancer album.

Tours

Throughout her extensive pop career, Tina Turner has embarked on six major tours. These tours are:

• Private Dancer Tour
• Break Every Rule Tour
• Foreign Affair Tour
• What's Love? Tour
• Wildest Dreams Tour
• Twenty Four Seven Tour

Tina Turner has sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history.

Tina Turner's second world tour Break Every Rule not only broke rules but records for the star. the 230 date tour kicked off in March of 1987 and ended in march of 1988 which brought over 4 million fans closer to Tina's big fame. 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 182,000 fans to a one-night show alone.

Tina Turner also beat out The Rolling Stones by touring Europe with 121 shows during her sold out Foreign Affair Farewell Tour in 1990. She ended up playing to 3.5 million people in just 6 months making her the biggest female artist in Europe! (and probably the world)

Tina Turner's 1996 Wildest Dreams Tour was performed to 3.5 million people over 250 dates through 2 years, making it the largest tour ever by a female performer.

The 2000 Twenty Four Seven Tour was the top-grossing tour of its year.

Trivia

• A rather obvious impersonator of Miss Turner is occasionally featured on Brainiac: Science Abuse in a segment entitled Tina Turner and Her Bunsen Burner.
• According to VH1, she is second on the list of Rock legends
• Tina was the last star to perform in the old Wembley Stadium before it was torn down.
• Turner was offered the role of "Shug Avery" in the film The Color Purple, but turned it down because she said she'd "already lived that story."
• In 1984, Tina Turner beat Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" winning record of the year for "What's Love Got to Do With It".
• In 1986, Tina Turner received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Tina Turner has won seven Grammy Awards throughout her entire career so far.
• As a young adult, Tina tried to bleach her hair with too much bleach, and it fell out. Since then, she has worn wigs when performing to cover her own natural hair.
• George W. Bush noted about Tina Turner that "People stand in wonder at the natural skill, the energy and sensuality, and the most famous legs in show business....who set a standard of excellence that is admired throughout the world" before the Kennedy Centre Honors on 4 December 2005. [2]
• Born into a Baptist family, she credits her adopted religion, Nichiren Buddhism, with giving her the strength to endure difficult times.
• Tina has two natural sons (one is Ike's, the other from a previous relationship with a musician from the Kings of Rhythm). She also raised Ike's two sons from his previous marriage, and considers them her sons.
• Her duet with Elisa, "Teach Me Again", from the soundtrack of All the Invisible Children, entered the Italian singles chart at Number 1 in 2006.
• Tina and the Ikettes appear uncredited as backup singers on Frank Zappa & The Mothers' 1973 album, Over-Nite Sensation.
• Since the beginning of her career, Tina Turner's record sales have grown close to 100 million.
• She also contributed her voice to the famous USA for Africa - famine charity song "We are the World".
• A show at Six Flags Great America theme park called Tribute to the Stars features a Tina Turner impersonator.
• In the Fairly Oddparents show, the episode Hassle in the Castle there is a reference about Tina Turner in the hall of fame of the godchildren, where Timmy sees her portrait thinking it is him, it is revealed the name Tina Turner.

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

External links

• Official site
• Absolutely Nothing's Changed- Tina Turner Fansite
• Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Tina Turner on all music quide
• Tina Turner Star Pulse

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