Ike Turner

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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.

In Their Own Story

In March 1960, Ike scheduled his band to record a song he wrote, titled "A Fool In Love," for singer Art Lassiter at Technisonic Studios in St. Louis. Lassiter failed to show up. Having already booked the studio time, Ike allowed Bullock to record the song as a demo with Lassiter's backing vocalists, the Artettes: Robbie Montgomery, Frances Hodges, and Sandra Harding. During a gig at the Club Manhattan in East St. Louis, Ike played the record, catching the attention of local disc jockey Dave Dixon from radio station KATZ. Dixon asked Ike to let him send the record to Juggy Murray, president of Sue Records in New York. Murray was impressed by Bullock's vocal delivery and bought the rights to the song. He offered Ike a $20,000 advance, convincing him to keep Bullock's vocals on the record and suggesting that he "make her the star" of his show. This prompted Ike to rename her Tina Turner. He chose the name Tina because it rhymed with Sheena, his favorite character, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. At first they were going to use "Ike Turner and Tina" on the record, but Murray suggested that "Ike and Tina Turner" sounded better. The single "A Fool In Love" became an immediate hit after its release in July 1960, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Sides on August 15. On October 3, they made their first national television debut on American Bandstand when Tina was over eight months pregnant. "A Fool In Love" peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100 on October 17, eventually selling a million copies. Journalist Kurt Loder described the song as "the blackest record to creep into the white pop charts since Ray Charles's gospel-styled 'What'd I Say' the previous summer." On October 27, Tina gave birth to their son Ronald "Ronnie" Renelle Turner.

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 trademarked the name 'Tina Turner' for protection, so that if she left he could hire another female artist and have her perform under the moniker.
• In the mid-1960s, Jimi Hendrix briefly played backing guitar in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue band.
• 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.'
• Ike and Tina married in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1962.