This paper is a preliminary investigation on Tina Turner and her music endeavors. Known as “The Queen of Rock and Roll”, Turner has accomplished a variety of things from ground-breaking record sales to sold-out concerts. The writer will introduce some of her life biographical information. How she got her start in the music industry will be discussed along with her major obstacles, goals, and ambitions. The writer will address the techniques that made her a good performer and why her fans enjoyed her stage presence. Sources will be used from books called I, Tina written by Kurt Loder who was editor of Rolling Stone and Tina Turner written by D.L. Mabery as well as credible internet sources. The writer will substantiate who was influenced by her music and who influenced her. Turner should be recognized because of not just her popularity in the U.S. but also in Europe and in other parts of the world.
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee which is about 40 miles west of Memphis. Anna's parents were mixed with Native American and Black. Anna had six brothers and sisters. Her parents argued constantly which often made Anna feel unwanted; she was the youngest which made her feel the least important. This was also the time when segregation was involved, but Anna was always treated nicely since she knew how to “stay in her place”. Her first experience with music was when she was younger. During family picnics a visiting trombone player named Bootsey Whitelaw always used play and Anna would dance and sing along. He played country music and even though Tina loved to perform blues and rock she liked country music when she was younger because she was a country girl. The reason why her parents fought so much is because Anna's mom took her dad from another woman so there was no genuine love. At age 5 she began singing in the church choir which was wild and exciting for her because she never got to sing in the church choir before. Her musical dreams had begun since then, even though she wasn't even aware that she was singing about God, she knew that she loved it. Since her parent's marriage and fighting was getting worse and worse, her mom just decided to leave him and she moved to St. Louis. Shortly after, Anna and her sister moved to St. Louis as well. After that Anna began teaching herself songs that she heard which is how she really developed her voice.
She began going to a nightclub with her sister Alline called Club Manhattan because this is where Ike and his band the Kings of Rhythm performed. Ike's band was really major in East St. Louis and everybody went to see them. At age 17, Ann continued going to the clubs they performed at once in a while. One day she told her sister to ask Ike if she could sing and he said he would call her up, but he never did. One night she took the risk and got up on stage and started singing to a B.B. King tune and Ike was absolutely amazed, he didn't really believe she could actually sing. She then started performing with them on a regular basis which was exciting for her.
In 1960, Ike was ready to record the song, A Fool in Love, but the singer Art Lassiter that was scheduled cancelled because of the financial situation and that's when Ann filled in and recorded the demo. Ike had every intention to re-record when he got the chance, but Lassiter never changed his mind. Although all the record companies turned it down, it still ended up being a success because Henry “Juggy” Murray believed in it. After the record became a hit Ike changed her name from Anna Mae to Tina Turner because he thought it would be better for show business. Juggy was the one that gave Ike the idea to make Tina the lead singer instead of her singing back up. That's where the new group name the Ike and Tina Turner Revue came from. They began touring and Ike formed his new group of female backup singers named the Ikettes. But by the end of 1961, Ike and Tina's records were slowly fading from the charts. After Ike and Tina ended up getting married in Tijuana, Ike's recording contract had ended. After he re-signed his contract with someone else they continued their non-stop touring which was a nightmare for Tina because she was sick of all the hot, smoky clubs that made her throat sore and the dusty dressing rooms. Ike had also been physically abusing her which instilled a fear in her that could never make her leave Ike.
