Tina Turner

Background

Tina Turner was one of the greatest Swiss-American exports of all time. She was born in Brownsville, Tennessee, and she was the youngest daughter of Zelma and Floyd Bullock, making Turner of both African and European descent. As a youth, she sang in the church choir and worked as domestic staff for the Henderson family. She attended Carver High School, where she joined the cheerleading squad and basketball team.

In 1957, after hearing Ike Turner play, Turner began a career with his band called Kings of Rhythm. Ike taught Turner vocal control and performance. In 1958, she made her first single, ‘Boxtop,’ under the name Little Ann. In 1960, she wrote ‘A Fool in Love’ for Art Lassiter, but when he failed to show up for the recording session, she sang lead and sent the demo to Juggy Murray, Sue Records’ president. Murray loved the demo and convinced Ike to make her the star of the show. Ike renamed her ‘Tina’ and added his last name ‘Turner’ as her trademark in case she left him. By 1960, ‘A Fool In Love’ was dropped by Ike & Tina Turner. The song peaked on the U.S. Billboard charts. Turner toured with the band and produced more singles. The duo released their debut studio album “The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner” in 1961. In May 1966, they released their charting single, ‘River Deep — Mountain High.’ This was a highly successful and powerful record that gave Ike and Turner the opening spot on the Rolling Stones U.K. Tour of 1966. The duo released more songs like ‘Proud Mary’ (1969) and 20 more studio albums before disbanding in 1976. At this time, Turner had released her second solo album, “Acid Queen” (1975). In 1984, she released her multi-platinum album “Private Dancer.” The album featured the hit single ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It,’ which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Turner released 10 solo albums, with the last being “Twenty Four Seven” (1999). She had an enviable career that included endless awards. A few of these awards include; the Guinness World Record for the largest paying audience in 1988, 12 Grammys, a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a duo in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. Her talents are endless, as she also has an impressive filmography! Turner even won an N.A.A.C.P. Image Award for her role in “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” (1985). The personal life of Tina Turner has been very public. She had a child with a former band member, Raymond Hill, but their relationship ended in 1958, the same year her child was born. She began dating Ike and had a child with him in 1960. By 1962, Ike and Turner were married. She filed for divorce in 1976 and married Erwin Bach in 2013. On May 24, 2023, Turner passed away at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, following a long illness.