#28 Tina Turner

Elvis may be King, but Tina is Queen. Her career spans fifty years. At 18, she began singing for Ike Turner. Her break came in 1960 when she filled in for an AWOL singer. Her recording of “A Fool In Love” hit #2 on the R&B charts. Ike knew he had something.

Ike and Tina Turner rose to stardom in the 1960s and into the 70s. Tina’s style had it’s own niche and was adaptable to changes in music. The two’s greatest work, “River Deep, Mountain High” was recorded with Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound. They also covered CCR’s “Proud Mary.” This funky, frantic high energy cover is Tina’s signature song.

In the 1970s, Tina’s popularity declined and she divorced her abusive husband, Ike. When she left Ike, she had 36 cents to her name and that was on a credit card. She had difficulty finding a recording contract. It looked like the end.

Then, she recorded a European hit and Capitol took a shot. The end result was the “Private Dancer” album which spawned the #1 smash, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” She hated the song, but it revived her career. She experienced a renaissance and released hit after hit. Her life story became a movie starring Angela Bassett and Lawrence Fishbourne. In the 90s, Turner scored a Bond theme for “Goldeneye.” In 2008, she embarked on a 50th Anniversary Tour, performed with Beyonce at the Grammy’s, and won a Grammy at 68. She continues to tour.

Rock n Roll Moment: After a steep decline in popularity in the mid-70s, no label wanted Tina. Capitol took a shot and she scored one of the great comebacks in history in 1984.

Essential Tina:

River Deep Mountain High (1966)
Private Dancer (1984)
Simply the Best (1991)
What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993)

Tina’s Top 10:

Proud Mary
What’s Love Got To Do With It
Private Dancer
Better Be Good To Me
We Don’t Need Another Hero
Typical Male
The Best
GoldenEye
River Deep Mountain High
Nutbush City Limits