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Tina Turner

26 November 1939 - 24 May 2023

Tina Turner was born Anna (sometimes Annie or Ann)
Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, to Zelma Currie,
a factory worker, and her husband, Floyd Bullock, a
Baptist deacon. Abandoned by their father and
temporarily by their mother, in 1956 Annie and
her elder sister, Alline, moved to St Louis,
Missouri, where they encountered Ike Turner
and his band the Rhythm Kings. After Annie had
talked the initially reluctant Ike into
letting her sing with the band, he
recruited her as one of his backing
singers.

Later, they married but the relationship
collapsed as a result of Ike’s abuse and
the couple split. Tina stayed with
friends and was forced to survive on
food stamps. When their divorce was
finalised in 1978, she preferred to take
no money or property from the
settlement, to make a complete break
from him.

In 1980 she signed with Roger Davies,
an Australian promoter working in the
US, who secured some lucrative
engagements in Las Vegas. The
following year she was booked by the
Rolling Stones as the opening act on
their Tattoo You tour of the US, and she
also appeared with Rod Stewart in a
California concert broadcast
internationally by satellite.

In 2018, after albums, movies and
world tours brought her massive
success, she received a Grammy
lifetime achievement award, to go with
her existing tally of eight Grammy
awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame
awards. Among her vast collection of
honours, Tina also had five American
Music awards, two World Music awards
and three MTV Video Music awards.

On a personal note, ‘Nutbush City
Limits’ has been, for many years, at the
top of my personal top twenty.

Ian K McKenzie