Already from the beginning of his career he attracted attention. pure dynamite. In the posters of her, she was listed in second place in the Ike and Tina Tuner alliance, but the public understood that her star was her.
Tina Turner, the exuberant, wild-haired rock goddess, who filled stadiums -she treasured a dozen Grammy Awards-, with a tormented life and who won the adoration of fans around the world with her electric shows, this woman who marked five decades died this Wednesday at his residence in Switzerland, near Zurich. She was 83 years old and in recent times she had suffered a stroke, kidney ailments and various illnesses.
"With his death, the world loses a legend and a role model," Bernard Doherty, his representative, wrote on social media when announcing the death. “His music of him and his boundless passion for life thrilled millions of fans and inspired the stars of the future,” he added.
Her high-flying but tumultuous life journey, capable of rising from her ashes, made her a myth, as well as the subject of a successful biography, I,Tina, a biopic and a Broadway show.
He rose from his rural roots to the national podium after breaking into the public consciousness as part of the duo Ike
Her massive success broke barriers for the coming generations of black women in this industry. It was not an easy road. She suffered ups and downs and traumas. She claimed that her ex-husband and musical collaborator, Ike Turner, subjected her to horrific physical abuse for years and tried to control every aspect of her existence.
From their beginnings as a duo, Tina was the one who set fire to the stage with her raw voice, her frenetic dance, drenched in sweat. They went on to tour with the Rolling Stones in that prodigious decade and their recording of Proud Mary made even the crushed stone followers of John Fogerty and the Credence Clearwater Revival passionate about their version. Fogerty himself expressed praise for him on more than one occasion.
And it was Tina who, after sinking into poverty and breaking up with her husband, managed to recompose herself as a solo artist and sell more than 100 million records, a luminary from the age of 40. Her sexy wardrobe and her way of dancing were imitated by numerous artists, from Mick Jagger to Beyoncé.
She recounted her problems and her defiant return in her song What's love got to do with it (what love has to do with it), with which in 1984 she achieved enormous success.
She was born as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, in Tennessee. In the late 1950s, she was living in St. Louis, Missouri, when her older sister introduced her to Ike Tuner, who was playing at a local club. She was 18 and he was already a recognized musician at 26. She had co-written Rocket 88, a song that is considered the first Rock and Roll recording.
Tina didn't much like Ike's gaunt, serious appearance. “I thought I had never seen anyone so skinny,” she declared in 1986. “But walking he had such a presence and he could play that music. The right place to start, I wanted to get up and sing,” she explained.
That day, at intermission, the drummer (sister's boyfriend) gave her a microphone and she performed a B.B.King song. “When Ike heard me, he came to me and said, 'I didn't know you could sing like that.' The band came back and I continued, ”she evoked.
In this way, she began to work with Ike and his group, The Kings of Rhythm, although it was not until 1960 that she managed to be the figure. A singer didn't show up to the studio for a recording, and she took the microphone and sang A Fool in Love, a song Ike had written. It was just a demo, but her impressive performance got it released on a small label with Ike's credit.
That record sold 800,000 copies, went to number two on the R
Offstage, Tina cared for four children, two of her own and two of Ike's from another relationship. The first of her children came from her affair with the band's saxophonist. The second one was from Ike, born in 1960. The couple married in 1962.
On stage, Tina and the Ikettes, three women who sang choirs and danced, developed dynamic, high-voltage choreography. As he recounted in his autobiography, Ike controlled women as if it were a sect. He carried a gun and Tina lacked financial independence.
Producer Phil Spector glimpsed that Tina could be a huge star. Spector agreed that recording credit would go to the duo, but only if Ike stayed out of the studio.
His River Deep was a radical turn. Tina saw that she didn't need Ike. And their relationship was made worse by the drug problem in which he fell. In 1976, Tina ran away from the Dallas hotel they were staying at. She left without a penny. She took refuge at a friend's house in exchange for cleaning.
She lived on donations, started practicing Buddhism and, once divorced in 1978, she never saw Ike again.
Then he collaborated on television programs and shows in Las Vegas. Until Australian producer Roger Davies, who had guided Olivia Newton-John, took over her career. He was the architect of one of the most memorable comebacks in living memory. From there, Tina Tuner brought the title of her 1991 compilation album to life: Simply the Best.
