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Ike Turner Dead at 76
posted on Dec 12, 2007
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| Ike Turner, 1997 |
Ike Turner, legendary rock & roll pioneer, musician and songwriter,
who was most famously half of the R&B duo Ike and Tina Turner, died this morning at the age of 76 in his home in San Marcos, CA, near
San Diego.
Born and raised in Clarksdale, Miss., Turner was inspired by the old
blues artists and embarked on a musical career of his own beginning in
the late 1940s. He later met Anna Mae Bullock, aka Tina Turner, and
they developed a hugely successful act together. She would also become
his wife.
The couple's often tempestuous relationship was detailed in Tina
Turner's biography, which was the basis for the movie "What's Love Got
to Do with It?" The pair split in the 1970s with the divorce being finalized in 1978. The famous
singing duo had seven top ten R&B songs. Alongside his former wife, Turner was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.
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 Nutbrush, 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 Hight," "I Want To Take You Higher," "Proud 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 lost ground in the
national music market. As a solo artist, he struggled to find success
after Tina and after releasing two failed solo albums, had found
himself facing drug and weapons charges, in which he was convicted of
in 1989. Shortly after Ike's release from prison in 1993, the musician
went back on the road and back into recording music, which continued
until his deah. 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. Before his death, a collaboration between Turner and the rock band, The Black Keys, by Gorillaz' producer Danger Mouse was expected for release next year. Turner was married four times (though some unofficial reports say the number is actually 14 marriages). He has four known children: sons Ike Jr., Michael, Ronald and daughter Mia.
Funeral details will be forthcoming.
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