Ike Turner

Background

Born Izear Luster “Ike” Turner on November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Turner was the son of Izear Luster Turner, a Baptist minister, and Beatrice Cushenberry, a seamstress. He quit school during eighth grade to work as an elevator operator at the Alcazar Hotel in Clarksdale. He developed his interest in music when DJ John Friskillo took Turner under his wing and taught him to play music in the record room of the WROX radio station in the hotel.

At just 16 years of age, Turner moved to West Memphis, and he discovered B.B. King, who introduced him to the Bihari Brothers, the founders of Modern Records. While working for the Bihari Brothers, Turner also wrote several songs that the former copyrighted under their name, thus denying Turner the royalties from them. The road to success for Turner did not come easy, but it did eventually come. Over his lifetime, Turner received several awards, including seven nominations and two wins at the Grammy Awards. He released several hit songs and albums which peaked on the Billboard R&B charts.

While Turner thrived in his musical career, his private life was not doing well. His life was marred by several controversies, most notably the accusations of domestic violence from his ex-wife, Tina Turner. His drug addiction also came to light in the 1980s, and he was charged multiple times for drug possession. While in prison, he attempted to get sober and was successful for almost a decade, during which time he also visited high schools to speak against drug use. Unfortunately, he died from a cocaine overdose in 2007. Turner was survived by six children, three sons and three daughters, from his marriages