Ike Turner

Lore & Background

Ike Turner's musical roots stretch back to the mid-1950s in St. Louis and East St. Louis, where he relocated his band, the Kings of Rhythm, from Clarksdale, Mississippi. By 1956, his band became one of the most popular live attractions in the local club scene. Prior to that, he worked as a talent scout and session musician for Sun Records, Modern Records, and RPM Records. When a young Ann Bullock (later Tina Turner) sang along to B.B. King's "You Know I Love You" during a performance, Ike was taken aback by her strong voice, which contrasted with her skinny frame. He asked if she knew more songs, and by the end of the night she had joined the Kings of Rhythm. In March 1960, when singer Art Lassiter failed to show for a recording session, Ike allowed Bullock to record "A Fool In Love" as a demo. Local disc jockey Dave Dixon sent the record to Juggy Murray, president of Sue Records, who bought the rights and offered Ike a $20,000 advance, convincing him to keep Bullock's vocals and "make her the star" of his show. Ike renamed her Tina Turner and trademarked the name for protection. The single became an immediate hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides on August 15, 1960, and selling a million copies. Ike formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, which included the Kings of Rhythm, male vocalist Jimmy Thomas, and a trio of female vocalists called the Ikettes. The Revue toured a grueling series of one-nighters throughout the United States on the Chitlin' Circuit, breaking racial barriers by performing in front of integrated audiences in the Deep South. In 1962, Ike and Tina married in Tijuana, Mexico, and moved their entire band to Los Angeles. The duo had a tumultuous marriage and disbanded in 1976.

Reader's Guide

If you're tracing the DNA of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, Ike Turner is the structural backbone. He was the bandleader who assembled the Kings of Rhythm, the producer who shaped the early Sue Records sessions, and the stage director who turned a live R&B set into a full theatrical event. His piano work anchors the early hits—"A Fool In Love," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "I Idolize You"—and his arrangements give those songs their swagger and urgency. The era he's most associated with spans 1960 to 1976, the full run of the Revue. During that window, the band toured 300 days out of the year to make up for lack of hit records. The late-1960s peak, with "River Deep – Mountain High" (1966) and the Grammy-winning "Proud Mary" (1972), is when the Revue's sound hit its most recognizable form. The duo released dozens of albums; their most successful by chart performance being Workin' Together. Ike's production choices on those sessions are still studied by fans and musicians alike. The Revue's live performances were a musical spectacle comparable to the style of James Brown and the Famous Flames. In the mid-1960s, Jimi Hendrix briefly played backing guitar in the band. Ike and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Two of their singles, "River Deep – Mountain High" and "Proud Mary," were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them No. 2 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

Did You Know?

• Ike Turner chose the name Tina because it rhymed with Sheena, his favorite character, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.
• Ike and Tina's single 'A Fool In Love' was described by journalist Kurt Loder as 'the blackest record to creep into the white pop charts since Ray Charles's gospel-styled 'What'd I Say' the previous summer.'