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Quick Facts
- NAME: Tina Turner
- OCCUPATION: Singer
- BIRTH DATE: November 26, 1939 (Age: 73)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Nutbush, Tennessee
- Originally: Anna Mae Bullock
- AKA: Anna Bullock
- AKA: Tina Turner
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress who topped the pop music charts in the 1980s.
Videos see all videos
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Tina Turner - The Ikettes (2:55)
Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939 in a two room sharecroppers shack in Nutbush, Tennnessee.
Tina Turner - River Deep, Mountain High
In 1966, Phil Spector offered Tina $20,000 to record with him and together they recorded the song, “River Deep, Mountain High.”
Tina Turner - What’s Love Got to Do with It
In 1993, Tina Turner’s autobiography "I, Tina" adapted into the film "What’s Love Got to Do with It" starring Angela Bassett as Tina Turner and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.
Tina Turner - The Ikettes
In order to better highlight Tina Turner’s voice and presence, Ike decided to add three backup singers to her act called called the Ikettes.
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Play NowTina Turner. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:26, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276.
Tina Turner. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Tina Turner." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 10:26 http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276.
"Tina Turner," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Tina Turner," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Tina Turner [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276.
Tina Turner, http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Tina Turner. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/tina-turner-9512276. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Born in Tennessee on November 26, 1939, Tina Turner moved to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1950s and met Ike Turner, a musician with whom she began to perform and record. In the early '60s, they became known as the Ike and Tina Turner Review, achieving popular acclaim for the powerful live performances and recordings. Tina left Ike in the '70s, however,
Quotes
"I believe that if you'll just stand up and go, life will open up for you."
"There is no strict regimen that says when you are in your late 40s you cannot wear a minidress."
"I don't like to dwell on the past."
"I need that on stage. I need a burst of life. That's entertainment for me."
after enduring years of physical abuse. Following a slow start to her solo career, Turner achieved massive success with her 1984 album, Private Dancer, which sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Since that time, she has continued to top the pop music charts with subsequent recordings, has won countless awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has starred in several films.
Early Life
Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee. Her parents, Floyd and Zelma Bullock, were poor sharecroppers, who, early in her life, split up and left Turner and her sister to be raised by their grandmother. When her grandmother died in the early 1950s, Turner moved to St. Louis, Missouri, to be with her mother.
Barely in her teens, Turner quickly immersed herself in St. Louis's R&B scene, spending much of her time at Club Manhattan. It was there, in 1956, that she met rock-and-roll pioneer Ike Turner, whose band the Kings of Rhythm was a fixture at the club. It wasn't long before Turner was performing with the group, and she quickly became the highlight of their show.
Making the Charts
In 1960, when another singer failed to show up for a Kings of Rhythm recording session, Turner sang the lead on a track titled "A Fool in Love." The record was then sent to a radio station in New York, and was released as "Ike and Tina Turner." The song became a huge R&B success, and soon crossed over into the pop charts. Before long, the group was touring as the Ike and Tina Turner Review and became known for their electrifying stage performances. The group also capitalized on the success of "A Fool in Love" by releasing a string of successful follow-up singles in 1961, including "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "Poor Fool" and "Tra La La La La."
With their popularity growing, Ike and Tina were married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1962, and two years later their son, Ronnie, was born (they had four sons in all, one from an earlier relationship of Tina's, and two from an earlier relationship of Ike's).
In 1966, Tina and Ike's success reached new heights when they recorded the album River Deep, Mountain High with superstar record producer Phil Spector. The title track was unsuccessful in the United States, but it was a massive hit in Europe and brought the duo new fame. In 1969 they toured as the opening act for the Rolling Stones, winning themselves still more fans. Their popularity continued well into the 1970s, with the group charting with tracks such as "Proud Mary" and "Nutbush City Limits." In 1975, Tina also appeared in her first film, playing the Acid Queen in the Who's Tommy.
Going Solo
But despite their success as a musical duo, by the mid-1970s, Tina and Ike's marriage was in shambles.
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Included In These Groups
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- In this group:
- Tina Turner
- Ike Turner
Ike and Tina Turner
View groupAs rock 'n' roll couples go, Ike and Tina Turner's relationship was one of the most volatile. Ike was a successful blues singer when he met Tina, who was a teenager trying to break into singing. Tina started singing for Ike's band, and in 1960 she had his baby. In 1962 the couple married. Even as Tina's career took off, and Ike produced her albums, the relationship was famously turbulent. Tina accused Ike of many instances of spousal abuse, and she even attempted suicide in 1968. In 1978, the couple finally divorced, and Tina launched a successful career comeback, on her own, in the 1980s.
Ike and Tina Turner 2 people in this group
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Influential Female Musicians of the 1960s
View groupAmerican society experienced a revolution in the late 1960s and early 70s, especially for African-Americans and women. Janis Joplin was the finest white blues singer of her generation; female singer-songwriters like Carole King and Joni Mitchell shared their innermost thoughts and feelings; Aretha Franklin emerged as the Queen of Soul; and Bonnie Raitt established herself as both a strong vocalist and a brilliant guitarist. Through their music, the women of this era created the soundtrack of social progress.
Influential Female Musicians of the 1960s 17 people in this group
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African-American Biopics
View groupWho can forget Angela Bassett as Tina Turner or Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles? Do you remember who played Billie Holiday? Or who Beyoncé performed as in the film Cadillac Records? More recent African-American biopics include the Lifetime original movie Betty & Coretta (2013), starring Angela Bassett as Coretta Scott King and Mary J. Blige as Betty Shabazz, and The Butler (2013), starring Forest Whitaker and based on the life of Eugene Allen.
View our photos of African-American biopics to compare these famous figures to the actors and actresses who have portrayed them.
African-American Biopics 39 people in this group
