IKE TURNER

'Ike Turner' (born 'Izear Luster Turner') is an African American musician, bandleader, talent scout and record producer, best known for his work with his former wife Tina Turner as one half of the Ike & Tina Turner duo. Spanning a career that has lasted half a century, Ike's repertoire has included blues, soul, rock and funk. Alongside his former wife, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.

Contents

Biography

Early life and career

Music career

Personal life

Ike & Tina Turner discography

Albums

Notes

External links

Biography

Early life and career

Izear Luster Turner was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on November 5, 1931. Going by the nickname "Ike" since childhood, Turner got his first taste of pleasing an audience at the age of eight working at the local Clarksdale radio station, WROX, located in the Alcazar Hotel in downtown Clarksdale. A man in charge of the station put Turner to work as he watched the record turntables. Said Turner:

Turner was soon carrying amplifiers for blues singer Robert Nighthawk, who often played live on WROX. Ike was mesmerized by Nighthawk's playing, but nothing could equal the experience of hearing Pinetop Perkins on piano for the first time. Growing up, his idol Pinetop Perkins helped teach the young Ike to play boogie-woogie on the piano. Ike soon was enamored of other blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Little Walter^[1].

Music career

Ike Turner's actual music career began in earnest in the late-1940s where he formed a group whom he christened ''The Kings of Rhythm''. In 1951, the band recorded what historians have debated as "the first rock and roll record" with "Rocket 88", listed on the charts as ''Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats''. Brenston was both the band's saxophonist and the leading vocalist of the song and Turner was the original writer though credits initially stated that Brenston had written it also. The song was one of the first examples of guitar distortion, which happened by accident when one of the amplifiers dropped before the recording. Ike and the Kings of Rhythm settled into local fame in St. Louis where the band locally recorded for a St. Louis label and even appeared on local television shows. Throughout this early period, Turner became a recording scout and A&R man for independent record companies including Sun Records - where "Rocket 88" was recorded at, helping the likes of Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James and Otis Rush get signed. He also became a sideman playing guitar for these blues acts and more. Musically, Turner was known for his hard-hitting guitar style. He was known to put the whammy bar of his Fender Stratocaster to frequent use.
Turner's music career changed drastically after meeting a teenage singer from Nutbush, Tennessee named Anna Mae Bullock, who demandingly grabbed a microphone during a singing session at one of St. Louis' nightspots and sung a BB King song in her now-trademark throated raspy vocals. Bullock's performance impressed Ike so much he allowed Anna to join his band as a background singer. However within a year, Ike's plans for Bullock changed after Anna recorded what he originally stated was a demo for a song that was to be sung by a male vocalist. After hearing her vocals, he let it be released under an independent label and in the process changed the name of the singer from ''Anna Mae Bullock'' to ''Tina Turner'' - naming her after ''Sheena'', and the name of the band to the ''Ike & Tina Turner Revue''. That song, "A Fool In Love", became a national hit reaching the top three of the R&B charts becoming a top thirty pop hit in the process in early 1960. From then until 1976, Ike and Tina Turner became one of the most explosive duos in rock & soul music. The creation of the revue also led to the soul revues of the 1960s. Inspired by Ray Charles, Turner created a trio of sexy background singers and dancers who were named ''The Ikettes'' who often had their moves choreographed by Tina and Ike. The Turners eventually scored several hit singles including "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "River Deep - Mountain High", "I Want To Take You Higher", "Proud Mary" and "Nutbush City Limits" in between thirteen years.
The success the duo contributed eventually led to the creation of the Los Angeles-based Bolic Sounds studio, founded by Ike. However, after Tina abruptly left Ike after a violent altercation in 1976, Ike struggled to find success and after releasing two failed solo albums found himself facing drug and weapons charges throughout the 1980s and 1990s. But shortly after Ike's release from prison in 1993, the musician went back on the road and back into recording music, which has continued to this day. In 2001, Ike released the Grammy-nominated ''Here & Now'' album. Three years later, he was awarded with an "Heroes Award" from the Memphis charter of NARAS. In 2005, he appeared on the Gorillaz' album, ''Demon Days'', playing piano on the track, "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead". He played live with the band on the band's world tour to that particular song. In 2007, Ike won his first solo Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for the album, ''Risin' With the Blues''. A collaboration between Turner and the rock band, The Black Keys, by Gorillaz' producer Danger Mouse, is expected for a release next year.

Personal life

Ike Turner is said to have been married 13 times but he has only been known to have married four times publicly. Turner's first marriage was to Lorraine Taylor, who had two sons with Ike. Although their marriage has been debated, it's believed Ike married Tina in 1962 due to worries over being sued for child support and alimony payments by Taylor. Ike and Tina married in Tijuana, Mexico and Tina had a son with Ike. However, their marriage was overshadowed by Ike's constant abuse towards her, most of which was brought on by drugs. Eventually, Tina left him after a violent dispute escalated while riding to a motel in Dallas in 1976. Tina later filed for divorce and it was finalized in 1978 with Ike keeping every asset attained during the marriage with the obvious exception of her given stage name. Ike openly cheated on Tina with other women, one of which was former Ikette Ann Thomas, whom he had a baby by and later married in 1981. In 1995, he married yet another Ikette, Jeanette Bazzell. Ike has five known children: sons Ike Jr., Michael and Ronald and two daughters Mia and Twanna Turner, who is herself a musician^[2] like her dad.
Turner suffered a brush with the law in the mid-1980s when he was convicted of drug-related charges and sentenced to several years in a California state prison. Unfortunately Turner was still in prison pleading parole when he and Tina were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, which Tina accepted on his behalf.
In 2001, Turner's long-awaited autobiography, ''Takin' Back My Name'' (ISBN 1-85227-850-1), was published. In her 1986 autobiography ''I, Tina'', later filmed as ''What's Love Got to Do with It?'', Tina accused Ike of violent spousal abuse, which Ike repeatedly denied for many years. However, in his 2001 autobiography Ike admitted, ''Sure, I've slapped Tina... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her.''
Turner has attributed many problems off the stage to his drug and alcohol addiction and intense use of cocaine, resulting in his abusive behavior and relationship with his wife and children. Since being released from prison in 1993, Turner has maintained sobriety and continues playing music.

Ike & Tina Turner discography

''For a list of singles and albums released by the duo, check out Ike & Tina Turner discography''.

Albums

★ 1969: ''Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm: A Black Man's Soul'' (Tuff City) -

★ 2004: ''Here & Now''

★ 2007: ''Rising with the Blues''

Notes

1. http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A80925
2. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFDB153EF936A3575AC0A967958260 New York Times

External links

★ Ike's Homepage on the internet

★ Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

★ Ike Turner Article - by Dr. Frank Hoffmann

★ Twanna's Homepage on the internet

★ http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/iketurner.txt