Today, the world says goodbye to another queen, Tina Turner.
Born as Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee during the 1940s, she started performing under the stage name Little Ann. It's worth mentioning the backdrop of her upbringing—she witnessed the segregation that was even worse in the Deep South. However, the racial slurs and injustices didn't bother her. Despite this, the lack of representation of Black women in Hollywood left her feeling out of place, but she found comfort in the church.
Anna Mae grew up in a modest and struggling sharecropper’s house. In this system, the landlord/planter allows a tenant to use the land in exchange for a share of the crop. Her parents’ marriage was marked by fights and aggressions from her father, with her mother often having to defend herself. Eventually, they split up when she was eleven—the same year her mother escaped—while her father remarried and left her. Tina and her sisters were then sent to live with their maternal grandmother. She lived with her grandmother until she was 16 and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, with her mother. Their relationship was not a bed of roses; it was more likely a bed of its thorns.
St. Louis is where she met Ike Turner, who was already known and established in the music scene. At one of his shows at Club Manhattan in 1957, there was an interaction with the microphone involving the audience, and it was Anna Mae who took the initiative. Her voice and vocal range immediately captivated everyone in the room. They began playing together and soon entered into an affair, even though he was still married to Lorraine Taylor. Meanwhile, Anna Mae became pregnant by the saxophonist Raymond Hill during her senior year of high school.
One thing led to another, and Anna Mae married Ike. She lovingly adopted his children from his previous marriage—namely, Ike Jr. and Michael. In addition to them, there were Raymond Craig Turner and the result of their union, Ronnie Turner. It was in 1960 that her stage name was forever changed to Tina Turner, a transformation that occurred without her consent or permission. The name was chosen for its rhyme with a character from Sheena, Queen of the Jungle(1955-1956).
Her tumultuous marriage and controlling husband led to multiple suicide attempts. These incidents are portrayed in her biopic What's Love Got to Do with It (Brian Gibson, 1993) and the play Tina - The Tina Turner Musical. They are also documented in the film Tina (TJ Martin and Daniel Lindsay, 2021) and People magazine, and she wrote about them in her 1986 autobiography I, Tina. She attempted suicide. Despite their challenging personal lives, both Tina and Ike significantly contributed to Rock ‘n’ Roll.
They brought the genre back to its authentic roots. Rock music emerged from a blend of Black genres: R&B, gospel, jazz, and bluegrass. However, it has been largely whitewashed within the pages of history books and on the radio. The American mainstream music culture has been intricately entwined with racism and segregation. While many regard Elvis Presley as the king of rock ‘n’ roll, fewer are acquainted with its true pioneers, such as Chuck Berry—the genre's father—and the first female guitarist, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Tina Turner was a trailblazer of the dual journey concept—as both a mother and a star.
"River Deep, Mountain High" marked a watershed in Tina’s career and personal life. It represented a shift in her trajectory, being the initial moment devoid of Ike’s influence. The unique rhythm showcased her versatility as an artist. However, her husband disapproved, deeming it not fitting for a black record. Furthermore, he constructed a studio in their home, subjecting her to exhaustive work. The mounting pressure, his escalating drug use, and his shortened temper exacerbated the situation. This combination acted as the catalyst for the demise of their marriage. During a tour, she seized the opportunity to escape, leading to their official divorce in 1978.
During the division of assets, the sole possession Tina retained was her name. Over the subsequent years, she painstakingly rebuilt her identity, ascending to the pinnacle of her career. Prior to this transformation, she existed in the shadow of her ex-husband, a fact evident in interviews and television programs they both participated in. Her debut solo album, Private Dancer(1984), not only garnered three Grammys but also achieved multimillion copies in global sales. Tina’s aspiration was to emulate the very first female Black rock ‘n’ roll singer. Swiftly, she ascended to stardom on a worldwide scale, engaging in diverse realms including music, audio-visual projects, and literature. Along the way, she amassed accolades wherever she ventured, while consistently ranking atop charts.
Worth mentioning is the fact that Tina Turner's solo career took off when she was forty-five, donning mini dresses, skirts, and bold red lipstick. Additionally, she proudly embraced her natural hair. The amalgamation of these elements transformed her into a formidable figure, defying ageism, sexism, and racism. Given that the Black experience had long been stigmatized and marginalized in the media, the significance of her actions is undeniable, especially considering societal attitudes toward older women. Further exemplifying her revolutionary spirit were her second marriage to a younger man and her dedicated devotion to a non-Christian religion, Nichiren Buddhism in 1973.
In 1981, Tina Turner publicly addressed her abusive marriage for the first time in an interview with People magazine. This revelation garnered substantial media attention and sparked ongoing inquiries wherever she appeared. Her candid responses gained widespread interest, leading to the creation of a best-selling book and subsequent biopic. By employing various mediums, Tina reached a new audience and shed light on a previously taboo subject. Her actions served to inspire and empower other women who had experienced similar aggression.
Tina Turner's influence extended beyond transforming the lives of individual victims. Her iconic hip-shaking performances on television paved the way for numerous female performers, including the legendary 2000s diva, Beyoncé. Before the emergence of the "Queen B," there was already a trailblazer in the form of the "Queen A." In addition to her musical accomplishments, Tina Turner's impact extended even further. Both Mick Jagger and David Bowie credited her as a significant influence on their stage presence and clothing choices during performances.
Today, we bid farewell to yet another queen, but her legacy will forever live on through her remarkable achievements.
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