Tina Turner

Tina Turner
Tina Turner at a show in Norway in 1985
Background information
Birth name	Anna Mae Bullock
Born	November 26 1939 (1939-11-26) Nutbush, Tennessee, United States
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress
Instrument(s)	Vocals
Voice type(s)	Contralto
Years active	1956–present
Label(s)	Capitol, EMI, Parlophone, Virgin
Associated acts	Ike Turner, Ike and Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, David Bowie

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is a muplitple Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, dancer, author and actress, known as the "Queen of Rock & Roll." Her energetic stage presence, powerful vocals, spectacular concerts as well as for her long, well-proportioned legs that are considered the most famous in show business. Besides rock, she has also performed R&B, soul, dance and pop music. Turner is represented in the Grammy Hall of Fame by two of her recordings: "River Deep - Mountain High" (1999) and "Proud Mary" (2003).

Turner has been acknowledged as one of the world's most popular and biggest-selling music artists and is the most successful female rock artist ever and having sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in music's history.

Turner has accumulated many hit albums and singles worldwide as a solo act and with former husband, Ike Turner, (as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue)

Early life

Nutbush, the childhood home of Tina Turner.

Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee on November 26, 1939, the daughter of Zelma (née Currie), a factory worker, and Floyd Richard Bullock, a Baptist deacon, farm overseer and factory worker. Her mother was half Cherokee Indian, a quarter European, and a quarter African-american making her a quarter native american, an eighth caucasian, and nearly three quarters African-american. The younger of two sisters, Turner and her sister, Allene, grew up with their grandmother after their parents split when Turner was ten. They moved from Nutbush to St. Louis to reunite with their mother in 1956.

Ike & Tina Turner Revue

At age 16, Bullock moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she attended Sumner High School. In St. Louis, Anna met Mississippi-born rhythm and blues musician Ike Turner and later asked him if she could sing for him. Ike was initially skeptical, but after much persistence on Bullock's part, Ike Turner eventually decided to let her perform for him. Thus, Bullock became an occasional vocalist in Ike's shows at the age of 18. She was also the spotlight of a soul revue led by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm band.

Mainstream success

In 1960, when a singer scheduled to record the song, "A Fool In Love," didn't appear, Bullock stepped in and recorded the vocals instead. "A Fool In Love" was a huge R&B hit reaching #2 crossing over to the top 30 of the US pop chart. Ike changed Bullock's name to Tina (after Sheena: Queen of the Jungle) and that of his band to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue. In 1962, the two married in Tijuana, Mexico.

Turner raised four sons — Ike Jr. and Michael (from Ike's previous relationship), Craig (born 1958, from her earlier relationship with Raymond Hill, a saxophone player in Ike's band) and Ronald (son of Ike and Tina; born 1961).

Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Ike and Tina rose to stardom. As times and musical styles changed, Tina developed a unique stage persona as a singer-dancer-performer which thrilled audiences of the group's live concerts. Tina and the Revue's backup singers, The Ikettes, wove intricate and electrifying dance routines into their performances and influenced many other artists including Mick Jagger (for whose 1966 UK tour they opened).

Ike and Tina Turner recorded a string of hits in the 1960s, including "A Fool In Love," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "I Idolize You," and the groundbreaking "River Deep, Mountain High" with producer Phil Spector in his Wall of Sound style. By the end of the decade, Tina had discovered rock and roll and the duo began including their interpretations of classics such as "Come Together," "Honky Tonk Woman," and "I Want to Take You Higher" in their act. In fact, their high-energy cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 "Proud Mary" remains Tina's signature hit and one of her longest enduring standards. "Proud Mary" was the duo's greatest commercial success peaking at $#4 in March 1971. The single won a Grammy for "Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group.by rachel fields"

Decline in popularity

While many of its original recordings failed to chart, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was lauded by The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley. A one-night gig at a small, predominantly-black supper club in the South could be followed in the same week by a show at a major venue in Las Vegas or a national TV appearance. Ike acted as the group's manager and musical director, calling all the shots and ruling the act - and Tina - with an iron fist. While a fine musician and an early rock and roll influence, Ike's control of the Revue's management, recording contracts and performances eventually led to their decline as his drug abuse worsened. This controlling (and often violent) atmosphere caused the musicians and backup singers to come and go frequently, and Tina later reported being isolated and physically abused by Ike on a regular basis for most of their marriage.

Marital problems

By the mid-1970s, Turner's personal life and marriage began to deteriorate. Ike's drug use led to increasingly erratic and physically abusive behavior. Their act was losing speed largely due to Ike's refusal to accept outside management of their recording or touring as well as the cost of maintaining a rather voracious alleged cocaine habit. Touring dates began to decline and record sales were low, their last success being "Nutbush City Limits," a song penned by Tina about her home town, that reached US #22 and UK #4 in 1973.

Having opened his own recording studio - Bolic Sound - following the lucrative success of "Proud Mary," Ike produced Tina's first solo album, Tina Turns the Country On in 1974. It failed to make an impact on the charts, as did the follow-up, Acid Queen (1975), released to tie in with Tina's critically acclaimed big-screen debut in the role of the same name in The Who's rock opera, Tommy.

After a final vicious beating before an appearance in Dallas over the Fourth of July weekend in 1976, Tina abruptly left Ike fleeing with nothing more than thirty-six cents and a gas-station credit card. She spent the next few months hiding from Ike staying with various friends and relying on food stamps to exist.

Tina credited her newfound Buddhist faith with giving her the courage eventually to strike out on her own. By walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the canceled tour. Needing to earn a living, she became a solo performer, supplementing her income with TV appearances on shows such as The Hollywood Squares, Donny and Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Brady Bunch Hour.

Her divorce was finalized in 1978 after 16 years of marriage. She later accused Ike of years of severe spousal abuse and rampant drug addiction in her autobiography I, Tina which was later made into the film What's Love Got to Do with It?. She parted ways with him, retaining only her stage name, and assuming responsibility for the debts incurred by the canceled tour as well as a significant IRS lien.

Life after the Revue

Turner ended the decade by releasing her first album since her separation from Ike. Rough (1978) was a departure from the R&B sound of the Revue, and featured strong readings of rock songs, demonstrating the direction in which she wished her musical career to progress. The record did not sell well, and 1979's Love Explosion - an attempt to attract the disco market - also failed.

Turner began touring extensively around the world but her career stalled until teaming up in 1982 with B.E.F. for a remake of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion". The producers were so impressed by the recording, they persuaded her to record a cover of Al Green's Let's Stay Together.

While she was largely considered to be unmarketable by the American recording industry, her popularity as a top stage act never faded in Europe and other parts of the world. Capitol signed her to a limited deal with their UK label. She divided her time between appearing at small venues in the US in order to keep herself in the public eye but continued to sell out major venues in Europe.

In December, 1983, her cover of Let's Stay Together hit #6 in the U.K. and became a huge hit across all of Europe. Capitol Records still weren't interested in signing Tina until thousands of import copies flooded into the U.S. So, Capitol Records USA decided to release the single. On March 24, 1984 Let's Stay Together hit #26 on the pop charts. It was a bigger success on the R&B and Dance Charts reaching the Top 5 on both charts. Given this turn of events, Capitol Records was quickly forced to review their previous assessment of Turner's chart ability and put forth the resources to let her record an album. Shortly after Capitol released a European promotion single, Help! , a Beatles cover, reached the top 40 in the U.K., #18 in the Netherlands, and #16 in Austria.

Return to prominence

Although well-known and respected as a performer before she separated from Ike Turner, it was in 1984 that she staged what has been widely considered the most "amazing comeback in rock music history". In May, Capitol released the single What's Love Got To Do With It in the U.S. to promote the upcoming album. Only 11 radio stations had taken it to their playlists. Tina's manager Roger Davies enforced Capitol to promote it more. Two weeks after its release, the song was on the playlists of over 100 stations and was now in the Top 50. In June What's Love? was released to Europe it reached #3 in the U.K. and hit the Top 5 in many other countries. R&B/Rock/Pop-fused Private Dancer was released in the spring of 1984. Private Dancer peaked at number three on the US album sales chart and sold consistently throughout the year. It also remained at number-one for five weeks on the US R&B album sales chart. In Europe the album sold millions of copies hiting #1 in Austria, #2 in the U.K., Netherlands, and Germany, #3 in Switzerland, #5 and #7 in Norway & Sweden and also was a top ten hit in every European country. The album remained in the Top 10 until May 1985. The critics praised the album and by mid-August What's Love? was #2 in the U.S. At the end of the month Private Dancer had been certified gold by the RIAA.

On September 1, What's Love Got To Do With It hit #1. At the time Tina was the oldest person ever to have a #1 hit (a record later broken by James Brown). Also in September the third single Better Be Good To Me was released in both Europe and the U.S. It peaked at #45 in the U.K. and was a Top 10 hit in other European countries, peaked at #5 on the U.S. pop charts and #6 on the R&B charts. In November Tina performed "What's Love Got to Do With It" at the 1984 MTV Music Awards and picked up an award for the song at the same ceremony a year later. In December Private Dancer ,the title track, was released in Europe and reached #26 in the U.K. and reached the Top 10 in numerous European countries. Also in December she released Tonight , a duet with her friend David Bowie that reached #53 in both the U.S. and the U.K. At the end of 1984, Rolling Stone Magazine Critics' Poll awarded her with the following awards: Artist Of The Year, Female Vocalist Of The Year, R&B Artist Of The Year and Album and Single Of The Year. Also the Reader's Poll awarded her with Female Vocalist Of The Year and R&B Artist Of The Year. In addition Billboard Music Awards awarded her with the following awards: Comeback Of The Year, Artist, R&B Artist, and Female Vocalist Of The Year, and both Album and Song Of The Year.

Tina started off the new year with a performance at the Rock N' Rio Festival in Brazil with friends Rod Stewart and Queen. After winning two American Music Awards (Favorite Female Vocalist and Favorite Female Video Artist), Tina participated in the recording of USA For Africa's We Are The World. On February 8, Tina started her Private Dancer Tour, the tour toured the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan with over 170 dates. Her European tour broke box office records, her original 8 German dates were extended to over 30. On February 26, Tina attended the 27th annual Grammy Awards and at the end of the night won 4 Grammy Awards. She also performed at the Grammys that night. She performed What's Love Got To Do With It and,although having the stomach flu, she received a standing ovation for an outstanding performance. What's Love? received Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Better Be Good To Me also received a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In addition she was nominated for Album Of The Year and Best R&B Female Vocal Performance for Let's Stay Together.

In March, Private Dancer, the single, was released in the U.S. where it reached #7 on the pop charts and became a bigger success on the R&B charts peaking at #3. In the same month Tina performed five sold-out performances at Wembley Arena. In June, the fifth single Show Some Respect was released to North America where it reached the top forty in the U.S. and #42 in Canada. Also in Europe, a sixth single was released an Ann Pebbles cover I Can't Stand The Rain it only managed to reach #57 in the U.K. but was a huge success in France and Germany reaching the top ten in both. Private Dancer remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Worldwide the album has been estimated having sold up to ten to eleven million copies, but also some sources estimating it sold over 20 million copies, thus making Private Dancer Turner's most successful solo album.

After learning that What's Love Got to do With It went number one, Tina received a call from Australian director George Miller who offered her a role in the up-coming Mad Max movie. Tina had been a fan of Mad Max and accepted the offer. She had to travel to Australia to shoot the movie. In June the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome was released. Tina played the role of Aunty Entity, a ruler of Bartertown. The movie was praised and grossed nearly $40 million. Tina received tons of praise and was awarded a NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. This role opened the door for new roles. Steven Spielberg offered her a lead role in The Color Purple three times but Tina refused because the character was too close to her real life. In July, Tina performed at Live Aid alongside with Mick Jagger. They performed three songs togther and rocked JFK Stadium. They appeared on many magazines the day after including Time Magazine. In August the first single We Don't Need Another Hero was released to promote the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome Soundtrack. The single was a huge worldwide success reaching #2 in the U.S. and reaching #3 on both the U.K. and R&B charts. It also went #1 in 6 European countries and went to the top 5 in nearly every European country. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song. Shortly after the soundtrack was released and reached the top forty in the U.S. and #47 in Canada, it sold over one million copies worldwide. In October the second single One Of The Living was released and was also popular reaching #15 in the U.S., #55 in the U.K., and it reached the top twenty in some countries. It later on won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In November a new single was released entitled It's Only Love , a duet with Bryan Adams, it too was popular and reached #15 in the U.S. and #29 in the U.K. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance By A Group. In 1985 Tina moved to Europe and met her boyfriend Erwin Bach. Tina is sixteen years his senior and they are together to this day.

Breaking all the rules

Tina started off the new year attending the 13th annual American Music Awards and winning the Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist Award. On June 20, she participated in Prince's Trust Concert with friends Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, and Elton John. The highlight of the show was Tina's duet with Paul McCartney. They performed the song Get Back together. In July Tina's autobiography I, Tina was released worldwide. Tina received half-million dollars for writing the book before the book was even released. It was a huge worldwide bestseller and in the book Tina openly writes about her through her tough childhood and the abuse she went through with her ex-husband. On August 28, she received her star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame outside of Capitol Records' headquarters on Vine Street.

In September Tina released the first single in Europe to promote the upcoming album, the single was Typical Male. It was first released in Europe and the next month followed in the U.S. In Europe the single reached #33 in the U.K. and was #1 smash hit in Spain and also was a top ten hit in other countries. Tina's friend Phil Collins was on the drums. On September 15, Tina and Bryan Adams won the Best Stage Performance Award for their single It's Only Love at the MTV Video Music Awards. In October Typical Male was released in the U.S. and became a smash hit, reaching #2 on the pop charts and #3 on the R&B charts. It was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal. Later on that month the album Break Every Rule was released. Break Every Rule was a worldwide hit peaking at #2 in the U.K., #4 in the U.S., #7 on the R&B charts, and reaching the top ten in nearly every country in Europe. The album has sold nearly nine million copies worldwide. By mid-November it was certified platinum by the RIAA. Also in November Tina released another single in North America entitled Back Where You Started, it was a huge success on the rock charts reaching #9. Tina then released the second single from the album in Europe, Two People it reached #43 in the U.K. but reached #1 in Spain and reached the top ten in many European countries. By the end of 1986, Tina was again on top of the world and Rolling Stone Magazine awarded her with Best Female Singer and Comeback Of The Year.

In January 1987, she released the second U.S. single Two People and it reached #30 in the U.S. and was a huge success on the R&B charts reaching #9. On March 4, Tina embarked on her Break Every Rule Tour in Munich, Germany and toured North & South America, Europe, Australia, and Japan with nearly 180 dates. 40 of those dates alone were in Germany, where Tina remains to be one of the most popular and successful artists there. Her tour broke box office records in 13 countries and made Tina one of the richest women in the world. The tour was sponsored by Pepsi Cola for whom she shot a commercial. By now the album had hit #1 in nine countries. On April 4 the third single What You Get Is What You See hit #30 in the U.K. and #13 in the U.S. Also the title track was release as the fourth single and reached #43 and #44 in the U.S. and U.K. In June Tearing Us Part , a duet with Eric Clapton, reached #5 on the U.S. rock charts and #56 in the U.K. Also in June Tina performed 11 sold-out shows in London at both Wembley & N.E.C. Arenas. In August she started her U.S. tour. Shortly after she released the fifth single Paradise Is Here it's highest peak position was in Ireland where it reached #21. Then the sixth single was released the title Afterglow it was a success in the U.S. reaching #20 on the A.C. charts and was a dance sensation reaching #2.

On January 16, 1988, Tina entered The Guinness Book Of World Records when she performed in front of the largest paying audience to see a single performer. The audience was made up of over 184,000 spectators. She performing in Brazil at the time was the largest stadium in the world, the Maracana Stadium. Tina still holds the record till this very day.

In March, the 1st single for the upcoming live album was released ,a Robert Palmer cover, Addicted To Love it reached #19 in the Netherlands. On the 23rd she joined Mick Jagger on stage in Toyko, they performed Brown Sugar and It's Only Rock N' Roll together. Tina's tour ended on the 28th in Japan. Altogether she performed nearly 180 dates in 25 countries and over four million people came to see her. The tour was the biggest and most successful tour in Europe ever. Later that month she released the second single Tonight Live! and it was a #1 smash in the Netherlands and Poland. In April she released Tina Live in Europe, a double disc live album that featured recordings from both of Tina's latest tours. It also featured duets with friends David Bowie, Robert Cray, and Bryan Adams. The album was successful in Europe and other countries. It peaked at #2 in Germany, #3 in the Netherlands, #4 in Switzerland, #8 in the U.K., and was a top 20 hit in most countries. The album sold over 4 million copies world wide and also won Tina her fourth consecutive Best Rock Female Vocal Performance Grammy for the song "Back Where You Started" which was written and produced by Bryan Adams. She shares the title for most consecutive Grammys in that category with Pat Benatar. In addition Better Be Good To Me (Live) was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance. A month after, the third and final single was released 634-5789 , a duet with Robert Cray, reached #15 in the Netherlands.

Return to R&B roots

In 1989, she started off the year by inducting Phil Spector , the man behind River Deep, into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. She also performed Brown Sugar alongside with Mick Jagger. In June she recreated her role as the Acid Queen in Tommy for a Los Angeles charity event. Also in the month she finished her new upcoming album in Paris and Los Angeles. In September she released the first single for the upcoming album, the title The Best. The single became one of the most successful of her career, it was a huge success in nearly every country in the world reaching the Top 10 in the U.K., Ireland, Canada, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Australia, Poland, Spain and reaching #15 in the U.S. In addition it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal, Female. It was so successful during the early 1990s, "The Best" became the theme song of three athletes – boxer Chris Eubank, Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna and retired tennis player Martina Navratilova. A version of the song featuring Jimmy Barnes was also used to promote the National Rugby League, Australia's professional rugby league football competition. This advertising campaign brought interest to the game and reached its height when Turner performed the song at the 1993 New South Wales Rugby League premiership's Grand Final. A rugby league version of the song's video clip was also released at around the same time and remained in the top ten videos in Australia for a long time. The song was also used successfully in advertisements for HBO, previewing shows and movies, unofficially becoming HBO's second theme, for years.

In October, Tina's new album Foreign Affair was released worldwide. The album was a huge success worldwide, going #1 in over 7 countries. It entered the U.K. charts at #1 ,selling hundreds of thousands copies in its first week, and spent altogether over 70 weeks on the chart. In the U.S. the album reached #31 and was certified gold by November. The album has sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide. On November 26, she celebrated her 50th birthday with a lavish party attended by a host of stars including Eric Clapton, Bryan Adams, Mark Knopfler, and Duran Duran at London's Reform Club. Also in December, she released the second single I Don't Wanna Lose You and became a smash hit reaching #8 in the U.K. and on the A.C. charts and also reached #10 in France. Late in the month the Foreign Affair Tour was announced and 150,000 tickets were sold for England's Woburn Abbey show in record time.

On January 6 1990, the third single Steamy Windows was released. The single was a success reaching #7 in Ireland, #13 in the U.K., #30 in the U.S., and reaching the top 20 in most European countries. In March it was reported the Tina's new album ,Foreign Affair, had sold more copies in the U.K. than Private Dancer. It had gone quintuple platinum in the U.K. and reached multi-platinum status in 14 countries selling millions of copies in Europe. On April 27, Tina started her Foreign Affair Tour in Antwerpen, Belgium. The tour would become the biggest in Europe beating Tina's last record. On June 28 she performed at the Palace Of Versailles and became the first female artist to perform there. In July she performed 5 sold out performances at the N.E.C. Arena in England. In August the fourth single Look Me In The Heart was released and became a hit, reaching #4 on the A.C. charts, #14 in Poland, and #31 in the U.K. Also a European promotion single You Can't Stop Me Loving You was released in Poland reaching #20. Shortly after the fifth single was released Foreign Affair ,the title track, it reached #7 in Poland and reached the top 40 in both the U.K. and the U.S. It was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal, Female. The next month the sixth and final single was released entitled Be Tender With Me Baby it reached #18 in Ireland and #28 in the U.K. In September she performed seven sold out shows at Wembley Arena. In November the Foreign Affair Tour ended and Tina altogether played 125 shows to nearly four million people making her tour the biggest ever in Europe again. The tour surpassed a record set by the Rolling Stones by touring Europe with 121 shows, playing to nearly 4 million fans in just six months. Shortly after that Tina contributed a song Break Through The Barriers to the Days Of Thunder soundtrack. In December a new single was released a duet with Tina's close friend Rod Stewart. It Takes Two was a European smash hit reaching #3 in the Netherlands, #4 in Ireland, #5 in the U.K. and Italy, #10 in Switzerland and became successful in other countries as well. Both of these artist reportedly got $1 million for their work.

Turner's handprints at the Rotterdam Walk of Fame.

In 1991, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Tina didn't attend the event because she was not doing any public appearances and Ike was in jail at the time for drug abuse. Phil Spector accepted the award on their behalf. In September, the first single was released for the new album, a new 90's version of Tina's classic Nutbush City Limits. The single was a success in Europe, it reached #9 on the U.K. Airplay chart, #23 in the U.K., and #11 in the Netherlands and Italy. The new album was also released in September and was an entitled Simply The Best. The album was a compilation of her most popular hits in the 80's and some tracks from her early career. The album was a huge success worldwide and sold over 7 million copies worldwide. It reached #1 in the Netherlands, #2 in the U.K., #3 in Switzerland, #4 in Germany, and became a top ten hit in Austria, Australia, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, and numerous other countries. The album is Tina's biggest seller in the U.K., selling 2.4 million copies and going 8x platinum there alone. It is one of the biggest selling albums of all time in the U.K., spending nearly 400 weeks on the chart. On her birthday, Tina received a quintuple-platinum award in London to mark the sales of Foreign Affair in the U.K. She also received a solid silver award in honor of her 52nd birthday from label boss, Rubert Perry. Four days later Way Of The World, the second single was released and became a European hit reaching #6 on the U.K. Airplay charts, #12 in Australia and Ireland, #13 in the U.K., and was a success in most of Europe.

In January, Tina was featured on Two Rooms, a tribute to Elton John, singing the song The Bitch Is Back. The song was a success in Europe and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal, Female in 1993. In February, the second single Love Thing was released in Europe. The song was a success reaching #13 on the U.K. Airplay and #29 in the U.K. The video was directed by Michael Bay and featured a young Tyra Banks. Also in February BCC1-TV broadcast A Girl From Nutbush, a TV program about Tina's extraordinary life including interviews, videos, and concert clips. In April she participated in the opening of Euro-Disney near Paris. In July the fourth single entitled I Want You Near Me was released in the U.K., where it reached #22. In July, Tina signed a new contract with Virgin Records in America. Shortly after that the fifth and final single was released, a remake of The Best featuring Tina and Jimmy Barnes. The single was a success in Australia where it reached #13.

Success after 50

Tina started off the new year by donating $50,000 to help Exchange Club- Tina Turner Child Abuse Center in Ripley, Tennessee. On March 24, she was one of the presenters at the 35th annual Grammy Awards and gave Eric Clapton the award for Record Of The Year. In April she was one of the eight honorees at the sixth annual Essence Awards, at the Paramount in New York. She also guested on the Late Night Show with David Letterman. On May 12 she was honored with the award Outstanding Contribution To The Music Industry at the World Music Awards at the Sporting Club, Monaco. She performed her upcoming single and the theme song made of her life, I Don't Wanna Fight in the show. The next day the single was released in Europe. She also performed I Don't Wanna Fight on BCC1's Top Of The Pops. A couple of days later the single hit #7 in the U.K. The single was a huge hit in Europe reaching #3 on the U.K. Airplay, #4 on the Spanish singles chart and became a top ten hit in Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and numerous other European countries.

Autobiographical film

In June, 1993 Tina started her first North American tour in six years, the What's Love? Tour. The tour had nearly 70 dates and was one of the highest grossing tours of the year. At the same time Touchstone Pictures released What's Love Got to Do with It?, a movie based on the autobiography I, Tina. The film paints a dark picture of Tina's relationship with Ike Turner, but shows her finding herself through Buddhism. The screen play was adapted by Kate Lanier and the film directed by Brian Gibson. Angela Bassett played the role of Tina Turner. Many popular actress were auditioning for the role of Tina including Halle Berry, Whitney Houston, Robin Givens, and Janet Jackson. The role of Ike was played by Laurence Fishburne. He had turned down the part several times, but took it when he learned that Bassett was cast as Tina. Both stars were nominated for an Academy Award—the first time in history two African American actors were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor at the same time. The film was critically acclaimed and also popular, grossing nearly $50 million in the U.S. and just under 10 million in the U.K. Bassett received a Golden Globe and an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress, just as Tina did in 1986. The film won an American Choreography Award and grossed around $20 million in U.S. rentals.

The soundtrack was released in June also entitled What's Love Got To Do With It. It included updated recordings from the Ike & Tina days plus three new singles. It was a worldwide smash hit reaching #1 in the U.K. and Ireland, #5 in Switzerland and Sweden, #6 in Australia and Norway, #8 in Germany and the U.S. R&B Charts, and became a top ten hit in other countries as well. It was certified platinum in the U.S. a few months later and has sold nearly seven million copies worldwide to date. In August, I Don't Wanna Fight was released to North America where it became a smash hit reaching #1 in Canada for 5 weeks, #1 on the U.S. A.C. charts for 7 weeks, and #9 on the pop charts. In addition, it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Tina starred in the 1993 hit Last Action Hero as the mayor and sang at the Australian Rugby National Championship game in Sydney, Australia that September. Also in September, the second single Disco Inferno, a Trammps cover, was released. It was a huge success peaking at #3 on the U.K. Airplay charts, #8 on the U.S. dance charts, #12 in the U.K. (4 spots higher than the original version), and #13 in Ireland. In October, the third single, Why Must We Wait Until Tonight, was released. It was written by Bryan Adams and was a success reaching #12 on the R&B charts, #16 in the U.K., and #19 in Poland. In December, Tina's star was unveiled in an inaugural ceremony with 15 others at the Sidewalk Of Stars outside New York's Radio City Music Hall where Tina performed 5 sold out shows the previous July. A few weeks later, Tina's What's Love? Tour Special was aired on Fox-T.V. It was recorded at the Blockbuster Stadium in San Bernardino, California.

In March, Tina moved to Switzerland, where she resides today, and took a well-deserved year off. On October 23, I Don't Wanna Fight was named one of the Most Performed Songs Of The Year at the annual BMI Awards Ceremony.

Goldeneye

The new year was started by the producers of the upcoming James Bond movie Goldeneye asking Tina to record the title song for the movie. Because Tina had been working on a new album since mid-August, she asked Bono from U2 to write a song for her new album. When Bono heard Tina was going to perform a title song for the Bond film, he wanted to write the song. Eventually Goldeneye was written by Bono and the Edge who are neighbors of Tina in the South of France. The single was released in Europe in November and became one of the biggest hits in Europe in the 1995-1996 period. The single reached #2 in France , #3 on the European Top 100 chart and in Finland and Switzerland, and #7 in the U.K. It also became a top ten in Austria, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands, and other European countries. The video of the single was as awesome as the song; it featured a gorgeous-looking Tina wearing a stylish silver dress and clips from the movie. The Goldeneye movie became the highest grossing movie of the series. In December she announced she would go on a massive world tour. On December 3, she performed her new hit at the VH1 Fashion & Music Awards. She also performed with friend Elton John. Three days later she performed the same song at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards. In addition she received the Legend Award at the annual World Music Awards.

In February Tina was made a Chevalier of Arts and Letters, which is France's highest honor. Philippe Douste-Blazy, France's cultural minister, pinned the metal on Tina's lapel during a ceremony at Paris' Palais de Congres. The medal is awarded to artists who are considered to have made notable contributions toward pop culture in France. The first single from the upcoming album was released in March, the title Whatever You Want. The single was a European hit reaching #2 in Spain, #4 in Poland, #9 in Italy, #11 on the U.K. Airplay chart and the European Top 100 chart. It was a top ten hit in most European countries. In April the new album was released and titled Wildest Dreams. The album was a massive success in Europe and the world. It reached #1 in Switzerland and New Zealand, #2 in Germany and Austria, #3 in Belgium and Finland, #4 in the U.K., #5 in the Netherlands and Sweden, #6 in Norway, and was a top ten hit in numerous European countries. The album sold sold nearly 3 million copies in Europe and well over six million copies worldwide. Shortly after that the second single On Silent Wings was released in Europe. The song was a duet with friend Sting. It was a European smash hit reaching #1 in Poland for 5 weeks, #8 in France, #13 in the U.K., and became a top ten in most European countries.

Touring

A month after the release of the album Tina started her Wildest Dreams Tour it became a record-breaking world-wide concert tour that lasted from May 1, 1996 to August 10, 1997. It sold out stadiums and arenas all over the world. The European leg of the tour was a total of 152 shows in eight months. The tour itself lasted over 250 shows including 18 shows in Australia, 2 shows in Africa and 2 shows in Asia before heading off to North America in May 1997. It became the biggest grossing tour in Europe and the most successful there too. The tour grossed a reported $100 million in Europe alone and around $30 million in the North American leg. The opening act for the North American and Canadian tour was Cyndi Lauper. The tour prove to be a big success, all Dates in Europe were sold out and that even before the Album "Wildest Dreams" was released. A month later the third single was released to Europe, a cover of John Waite's Missing You. It too was successful and reached #9 in France, #12 in the U.K., and became a top twenty hit in most European countries. Shortly after the fourth single Something Beautiful Remains was released and too became a European hit reaching #27 in the U.K. and becoming a hit in some European countries.

Tina started off the new year by releasing the fifth and final single titled In Your Wildest Dreams, a duet with Barry White. It was a success just as the other singles were reaching #2 in Austria, #15 in Finland, #18 in Belgium, and became a Top 40 hit in the U.K. and on the U.S. R&B charts. On March 23, Tina's long time pianist and friend Kenny Moore passed away in Australia. During the rest of the tour many songs were dedicated to his memory. In May she started her North American Tour in Houston, Texas. Despite the fact her album only did moderate in the U.S., her tour was a success and had 57 dates in total. The tour ended with 5 soldout dates in New York and was sponsored by Hanes. Also her friend Oprah Winfrey joined her on stage for some dates in Texas. After the tour ended Tina wanted to rest for a little bit and flew back to Europe. Her concert video Wildest Dreams was released shortly after and was nominated for a Grammy and NAACP Award.

By the end of 1997, she recorded a song Cosa Della Vita with Italian star Eros Ramazzotti. The single had already been released as an all Italian single by Eros. So Eros asked Tina to write English lyrics for the song. Tina and her guitarist James Ralton wrote the English lyrics for the song. In 1998 the single was released to Europe and became a European smash hit and was more popular than the original. It became a top ten hit in nearly every European country, reaching #6 on the Europe Top 100. According to Music & Media, the song was the 8th biggest European , non-British radio hit and was the 32nd biggest hit in Europe in 1998. Tina also joined his European tour for a few dates and sang the song together. Tina took the rest of the year off.

Divas Live and 24/7 Tour

In March 1999 there were two new Tina songs on two new albums. The first one was He Lives In You, a song for the European video release of The Lion King II: Simba´s Pride. Tina had been asked to perform the song and she decided to do that as she liked the lyrics. The song is available on Disney´s The Lion King Collection: Songs From And Inspired By The Lion King Movies. The second song is Easy As Life which also features African singer Angelique Kidjo. The song was composed by Tim Rice and written by Elton John and it´s available on Elton John And Tim Rice´s Aida, an album full of stars such as Lulu, Janet Jackson, LeAnn Rimes, The Spice Girls, Sting and Tina and Elton of course. The album includes music from the John / Rice stage musical Aida which had its world premiere in October 1998 as Elaborate Lives: The Legend Of Aida. The show will be on Broadway too.

In April Tina performed at the VH1 Divas 1999 show and was also the opening act. She performed The Best, Let's Stay Together, The Bitch Is Back with Elton John and she and friend Cher brought the roof down with Proud Mary. Tina received a standing ovation for all of her performances. The show became the highest rated show of VH1 at the time. The soundtrack of the event was released shortly after the debut and became a moderate success, charting in the U.S., Australia, France, Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. In addition it sold 500,000 copies in the U.S. and over 2 million worldwide. In October it was announced that Tina and Elton John would go on tour, but the plans were cancelled because Elton and Tina could not get along during the rehearsals. Soon afterward, they apologized to each other. Also in October Tina received the MOBO Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to music. Later the same month, Tina's mother Zelma Bullock passed away at the age of 81 years old. Tina flew to the U.S. to pay her respects.

In November the first single When The Heartache Is Over, was released to promote the new album. The single was an instant European smash hit reaching #3 in Finland and on the U.S. dance charts, #5 on the Europe Top 100 chart, #8 in Spain, #9 on the U.K. and A.C. Airplay charts, #10 in the U.K. and was a top ten hit in most European countries. In the same month the new album Twenty Four Seven was released to Europe. It was a European smash reaching #1 in Switzerland and becoming a top ten hit in the U.K., Germany, Austria, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Ireland, and in other countries. The album was released in the U.S. in February and became a success there too debuting at #21 selling 60,000 copies in its first week and selling a million copies before the end of the year. The album eventually sold 6 million copies.

Audio samples:

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Tina started off the new year by releasing the second single from the album entitled Whatever You Need. It too became a success reaching #11 in Finland, #20 on the U.S. A.C. charts, #23 on the U.K. Airplay chart, and #27 in the U.K. It also became a top twenty success in some countries. In the months to come Tina released three new singles, Don't Leave Me This Way, the title track, and Talk To My Heart. These singles became a success in both Germany and Poland. In March Tina started her Twenty Four Seven Tour. This was Turner's last major world tour, and saw arenas in North America but stadiums in Europe. It made the most money out of all the touring artists in the year 2000. According to Pollstar, rock icon Tina Turner takes the title for highest grossing tour in the year 2000. Tina, who proclaimed this tour to be her last headlining and stadium "wrecking" tour, beat out fellow legend Barbra Streisand, rock mainstays Phish and teen pop's reigning boy band, 'N Sync, for the number one spot with a series of high-energy shows that crisscrossed the globe. While more elitist performers perform fewer shows with higher ticket prices, Tina grabbed the brass ring with a whopping ninety-five North American shows. Tina's earning topped $80.2 million on this North American leg. (23 international shows were not taken into consideration—with mid-range ticket prices). The tour was estimated to gross well over the $100 million mark and at the time was the highest grossing tour by a female performer. Over three million people came to see her over the course of nine months. The DVD/VHS One Last Time Live! documents a Wembley Stadium concert on this tour, her last UK concert. Performing in front of about 80,000 people on July 15 and 16 2000, Tina Turner put on a very good show. Between pyrotechnics going off, the stage splitting and moving, and a 60 feet moving stage arm, that goes over the audience, the show was a great show. In early 2000, Turner announced that her Twenty-Four Seven millennium tour would be her last, and her fans turned out in droves. Based on the success of that tour, Tina was the highest grossing live entertainer of 2000.

Career hiatus

Over the next few years, she continued to occasional make public appearances and to collaborate with other musicians on recording projects. In 2001, Tennessee State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway". In 2003, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record the song "Great Spirits" for the Disney film Brother Bear.

In October Tina started to promote the new album, making public appearances in England, Holland, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Also in the same month the first single Open Arms was released to Europe, where it became a success and reached #20 in Poland, #21 in Italy, and #25 in the U.K. In November the new album was released to Europe and was titled All The Best. For the first time, the highlights of Tina’s unrivaled career have been united on one double-CD anthology. "All The Best" is the comprehensive and essential collection of recorded works by this unique and Iconic performer. Across two discs and 33 tracks, it features the songs that first made her famous in the Sixties, reviews two decades of spectacular solo recordings, and then brings the story right up to date with three newly-recorded songs. The album was a European smash hit reaching #2 in Portugal, #3 in Austria, Switzerland, #4 in Germany and Belgium, #6 in the U.K., on the World Top 40 charts and the Denmark Top 40, #7 in the Netherlands, #8 in Italy and Norway, and became a top twenty hit in New Zealand, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, and became successful in other countries as well. In December Complicated Disaster , a track on All The Best, despite not being released as a physical single commercially but only as a digital download the song managed to become a #10 hit in France and #20 in Spain

In early 2005, Turner gave several live television performances in the US and Canada on shows such as the Oprah Winfrey Show, Regis & Kelly, The View, the Today Show, and the Ellen show. On February 1 All The Best was released in the U.S. The album became a huge success debuting at #2 on the Billboard 200 album charts and selling 121,000 copies in its first week. makingAll The Best Tina's highest charting album and debut in the U.S. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA three months later. Also in 2005, Tina was honored by Oprah Winfrey for her Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball. The three-day celebration honored twenty-five African American women in the fields of art, entertainment, and civil rights. Also Tina received the Woman Of The Year award in Europe. In addition, she received Best Pop Artist International Award at Goldene Kamera (German)Show.

U.S. President George W. Bush congratulates Tina Turner during a reception for the Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White House on December 4, 2005. From left, the honorees are singer Tony Bennett, dancer Suzanne Farrell, actress Julie Harris, and actor Robert Redford.

At the end of the year, Turner was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was elected to join an elite group of entertainers. Several artists paid tribute to her that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Beyoncé (who performed "Proud Mary"), and the Reverend Al Green. Oprah stated, "We don't need another hero. We need more heroines like you, Tina. You make me proud to spell my name w-o-m-a-n," and "Tina Turner didn't just survive, she triumphed." In November Tina released All The Best - Live Collection and it sold millions of copies in months, being certified platinum by the RIAA.

In early 2006, the All the Invisible Children soundtrack was released. Turner sang "Teach Me Again" with Elisa which charted at #1 in Italy. In April, the NRL (National Rugby League), one of the most popular sporting competitions in Australia and New Zealand, announced that Tina would return as the face and spokesperson of the rugby league in 2008 due to the overwhelming popularity of Turner's previous campaign.

In October 2006, in an interview with Billboard Magazine, Guy Chambers, Robbie Williams' former producer, revealed that his next project is Turner's comeback album. At the premiere of Casino Royale in Zurich, November 16, 2006, Turner confirmed that she has recorded several new tracks for the album. This will be her first full recording of new material in 8 years. In May 2007, Tina returned to the stage to headline a benefit concert for the Cauldwell Children's Charity at London's Natural History Museum. This was her first full show in seven years.

Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released an album, paying tribute to his longtime associate and friend, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entitled River: The Joni Letters on September 25, 2007. Turner contributed her vocals to a version of "Edith and The Kingpin." On October 16, 2007, guitar legend Carlos Santana released an album entitled Ultimate Santana, which features Tina singing "The Game Of Love," a song she had recorded in 2002, but which was previously unreleased.

Ike's death

On December 12, 2007, Turner issued a brief statement through a spokesperson regarding the death of her former husband Ike that day: "Tina is aware that Ike passed away earlier today. She has not had any contact with him in 35 years. No further comment will be made."

In addition, when interviewed by USA TODAY she was quoted as saying:

“It meant nothing to me. He had been dead to me for 20 years. When I left, I really left. It was a bad dream, and when you spend 16 years in a certain lifestyle, you never want to think about it again. My life then was much worse. It couldn’t have gotten lower. And since then, every part of my life has been a high point."

Return to the stage

On February 10, 2008, at age 68, Turner performed together with Beyoncé at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards that was broadcast live on CBS. It was Tina's first major public performance since her record-breaking Twenty-Four Seven tour just over 7 years earlier, and she received highly positive reviews in the press. In addition, she picked up a Grammy as a featured artist on River: The Joni Letters.

On April 29, 2008, Turner announced that she would embark on her Tina: Live in Concert Tour in early October. This is Turner's first tour since Twenty-Four Seven. On May 5, 2008, she performed a concert at Caesar's Place in Las Vegas with long time friend Cher.

September 30, 2008 saw Turner release a new 18 track CD and Digital Collection of her top hits, rare live recordings and two exclusive new tracks. The album is entitled Tina!: Her Greatest Hits and will support her upcoming world tour: Tina: Live in Concert Tour.

On October 1, 2008, Tina Turner started her latest world tour in Kansas City, Missouri at the Sprint Center. She performed in front of a sold out crowd for over 150 minutes (including a 30 minute intermission.) Her show included all of her greatest hits. The tour continues throughout the US and Europe (with a second return visit to Kansas City on October 8th.) Tina Turner noted at the concert's opening night that she spent a month in Kansas City preparing for her latest world tour.^{[citation needed]} Personal Life; Turner lives with her partner of over 20 years German music executive Erwin Bach in Nice, France and Zurich, Switzerland. They also own a home in Italy.

Discography

Studio albums

• 1973: Tina Turns the Country On
• 1975: Acid Queen
• 1978: Rough
• 1979: Love Explosion
• 1984: Private Dancer
• 1986: Break Every Rule
• 1989: Foreign Affair
• 1996: Wildest Dreams
• 1999: Twenty Four Seven

Tours

• 1978: Wild Lady of Rock Tour
• 1982: Nice 'n' Rough Tour
• 1985: Private Dancer Tour
• 1986: Break Every Rule Tour
• 1990: Foreign Affair Tour
• 1993: What's Love? Tour
• 1996: Wildest Dreams Tour
• 2000: Twenty Four Seven Tour
• 2008: Tina: Live in Concert Tour

Filmography

• The Big T.N.T. Show (1966) (documentary)
• It's Your Thing (1970) (documentary)
• Gimme Shelter (1970) (documentary)
• Taking Off (1971)
• Soul to Soul (1971) (documentary)
• Cocksucker Blues (1972) (documentary) (unreleased)
• Tommy (1975)
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• What's Love Got to Do with It (1993) (also singing voice for Angela Bassett)
• Last Action Hero (1993)

See also

• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of female rock singers
• Honorific titles in popular music

External links

• Tina Turner official label website
• Tina Turner's U.S. Fansite
• Tina Turner at MySpace
• Tina Turner at the Internet Movie Database
• Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame
• Tina Turner on all music guide
• Tina Turner Star Pulse

Preceded by: Gladys Knight Licence to Kill, 1989

James Bond title artist GoldenEye (song), 1995

Succeeded by: Sheryl Crow Tomorrow Never Dies (song), 1997

Credits

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