"First Cher, Donna, and now Tina Turner the rock & roll goddesses all on Broadway"

Perfect timing it is June which is Black Music Month....In honor of this month and celebrating. This is a woman I have admired since I was a little girl when I learned about her story and journey. I am so glad to be write about her on my blog and feature her. The icon/the legend, Tina Turner. 

A scene from Tina Turner the Musical this photo was shot at the London, England performance.

Tina Turner opens on  Saturday October 12, 2019

  

Her name is Tina Turner the quintessential perfect stage name. Her birth given name is Anna Mae

Tina Turner at the 2018 London premiere of her Broadway show

Bullock she was born on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee. She is of African American descent with Navajo Indian, Cherokee, and European bloodline. Tina has two older sisters, Evelyn Juanita and Ruby Aline. Her parents were working-class and they struggled while Anna Mae was growing up. However her path changed a bit especially when the household and relationship changed between her mother and father. Her grandparents, Alex and Roxanna Bullock who were both the deacon and deaconess of the Baptist church, raised Tina. Tina’s upbringing was a little rocky because she saw her parents fight literally before her eyes.

The shy little girl with a powerful voice and determined spirit would grow up to become an international icon, a Rock and Roll goddess, a pioneer for African American women and all women in general. Her story is legendary and she has changed the music industry completely and entertainment. She is amongst the ranks of Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Sarah Vaughn, and many other legends that have changed the music industry with their powerful gifted distinctive voices.

Tina Turner to me is a heroine for so many women myself included her story “I, Tina” her autobiography which was written into an Oscar winning film and pop culture classic in 1993, “What’s Love Got to do with It” the title was based off of Tina’s 1984 Grammy award winning hit classic single with the same name. I love the movie and film, which starred Oscar winner and nominees, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. I fell in love with the movie because Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne brought Ike and Tina Turner to life with all of their passion, love, tumultuous, dramatic, and ever-changing relationship. They brought the fire between them because although they had a rocky relationship Ike and Tina had a powerful music business relationship that changed the R&B and Jazz music industries during their time together (1958-1978) for twenty years they changed and influenced rock and roll with their electric and dynamic performances.

            Tina Turner (Anna Mae Bullock) was discovered and arrived in St. Louis; Missouri she was originally was going to be a nurse. She finished out her senior year at Sumner High School in St. Louis, Missouri. (Little family fact-my maternal grandmother went to high school with Anna Mae before she became a rock and roll star).  Ike Turner and his band discovered her, The Kings of Rhythm playing one night where Tina’s older sister was working at a nightclub one night. Anna Mae walked in and began singing with Ike and his band. He wanted her in the band immediately. Now in Tina’s biopic many of us thought it was sort of a love at first sight situation between Ike and Tina. In actuality from doing some research Ike and Tina were more like brother and sister. Tina was actually dating someone within the King of Rhythms, Raymond Hill already whom she later had a child with as well her first born, Raymond Craig Turner. As many of us know Ike was a philanderer he loved women and the company of beautiful women. He was known to switch women from one year to the next. He was in a serious relationship with a woman named, Lorraine before he was involved with Anna Mae. He also had two little boys with her before Ike and Anna Mae became seriously involved. Later on while they were on tour and began performing Ike and Anna Mae became more serious. She became pregnant with Ike’s third child, Ronald “Ronnie” Turner and their careers also took off. He also gave Anna Mae a brand new stage name he based it off the 1930s comic book character, Sheena the queen of the jungle he flipped it and named her, Tina and with her legal married name was Turner. 4 years later in 1962 Ike and Tina married in Tijuana, Mexico in 1962. They next started the Ike and Tina Turner Revue after they were married and quickly their careers took off with cross-country tour. They had a hit that shot up to the Billboard Hot 100 charts with “Fool in Love” written by Ike Turner in July of 1960, and had two other hits, “It’s Going to work out fine”. Together as musicians they had numerous hits and during their seventeen-year relationship and career together they broke records. Tina also recorded one of my favorite songs with Phil Spector and his “wall of sound” in his recording studio in 1966 “River Deep Mountain High”. You hear Tina’s range her raspy and full range of her voice. There are so many songs when you hear her voice you think, “Who is this woman”. There’s no one who has been able to duplicate her vocal abilities, dance moves, and electricity on the stage. She’s not just a performer Tina is an experience when you see her perform watching her videos, hearing her songs, her music videos. She captivates thousands and thousands of people with her moves. Her performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” is one of those performances that are legendary when you hear the music and see her perform it there’s something that she brings to that song. She revamped it and elevated the song to whole spiritual level. There’s a ferocity that comes when she performs the song.

            In the late 1970s Tina and Ike’s relationship was taking many twists and turns. They separated and divorced in 1978 disbanded the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and Tina became a solo artist. She changed her image she didn’t want to sing or perform anymore-soulful blues songs, slow ballads, or melodic songs. Tina wanted to show her power, her edge, and that she can roar on stage. The Rolling Stones, the late David Bowie, and many other artists who included and used Rock & Roll edge in their songs influenced her. Her impact during this time was going to change Rock and Roll/Pop music all with one hit single which would become an anthem for women and the title of her biographical film in 1993. “What’s Love Got to do with It” became a hit in 1984 and she won a Grammy Award for it and many music video awards for the video. Tina was one of the first artists who had music videos featured on the Music Television Videos Networks better known to the millennial generation as “MTV Networks”. She had many hits going forward and was one of the first legends to cross over from music into acting. Tina had a roll in several movies the movie “Tommy” she played the “Acid Queen”, Mad Max she sang and was in the movie singing the theme “Thunderdome”, and also was featured on 1995 singing “Goldeneye”  on the Double 07 Goldeneye Soundtrack. She reached epic heights in her career and continues to be an influence to music generation and all people. She is one of the first artists to have longevity for six decades from the late 1950s into the 2010s and 21^st century.

Celebrating Black Music Month all of June !!

Times with Ike Tina and their four children: Ike Jr., Ronnie ,Craig,,and 

Anna Mae Bullock her graduation senior picture at Sumner High School 

Tina's wedding celebration July 2013 to her long time love Erwin Bach

Happy Days ahead for this lovely woman with her beau now husband, Erwin Bach

Her story continues to blossom and has the most beautiful, interesting, and challenging chapters keep developing in Tina’s story and life. She never wavers she’s like an eagle, phoenix, and a lioness she continues to reinvent and changes herself. In 2009 she celebrated her 50^th anniversary with a sold out tour and said farewell to her audience. The Rock and Roll goddess put down her microphone and Christian Louboutin stilettos. Many don’t realize she was one of the first women who can dance in five-six inch heels on stage towering within her 5 foot 4 inch chiseled frame. In July of 2013 Tina married her long-time love Erwin Bach they met in the 1980s and developed an incredibly close, loving relationship. They celebrated their wedding at her state and home, Chateau Alonquin in Switzerland in a star-studded wedding. Which included one of her biggest fans, and the “Queen of Media” Oprah Winfrey. Tina’s story continues to amaze, inspire, surprise, and give us all hope that your past doesn’t define you. You can surpass your past and become a heroine and a figure of triumph in time of challenge or darkness. Tina’s Broadway show starts this fall of 2019 in October. I have no doubt my St. Louis family members, my mom, my grandmother many of us will be there to show our support for  one of Rock & Roll’s true goddesses who has changed music and left a dynamic mark.
Visit http://www.tinaturnerofficial.com  

and http://www.broadway.com