Musician Ike Turner Dead At 76

[The Pagemeister]

Musician Ike Turner Dead At 76

Motown Legend's Success Was Overshadowed By Abusive Relationship With Ex-Wife Tina Turner

SAN DIEGO (AP) ―

Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man who brutally abused former wife and icon Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

"He did pass away this morning" at his home in San Marcos, in northern San Diego County, said Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment Group, which managed Turner's musical career.

There was no immediate word on the cause of death, which was first reported by celebrity Web site TMZ.com.

Turner managed to rehabilitate his image somewhat in his later years, touring around the globe with his band the Kings of Rhythm and drawing critical acclaim for his work. He won a Grammy in 2007 in the traditional blues album category for "Risin' With the Blues."

But his image is forever identified as the drug-addicted, wife-abusing husband of Tina Turner. He was hauntingly portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It," based on Tina Turner's autobiography.

In a 2001 interview with The Associated Press, Turner denied his ex-wife's claims of abuse and expressed frustration that he had been demonized in the media, adding that his historic role in rock's beginnings had been ignored.

"You can go ask Snoop Dogg or Eminem, you can ask the Rolling Stones or (Eric) Clapton, or you can ask anybody - anybody, they all know my contribution to music, but it hasn't been in print about what I've done or what I've contributed until now," he said.

Turner, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is credited by many rock historians with making the first rock 'n' roll record, "Rocket 88," in 1951. Produced by the legendary Sam Phillips, it was groundbreaking for its use of distorted electric guitar.

But as would be the case for most of his career, Turner, a prolific session guitarist and piano player, was not the star on the record - it was recorded with Turner's band but credited to singer Jackie Brenston.

And it would be another singer - a young woman named Anna Mae Bullock - who would bring Turner his greatest fame, and infamy.

Turner met the 18-year-old Bullock, whom he would later marry, in 1959 and quickly made the husky-voiced singer the lead singer of his group, refashioning her into the sexy Tina Turner. Her stage persona was highlighted by short skirts and stiletto heels that made her legs her most visible asset. But despite the glamorous image, she still sang with the grit and fervor of a rock singer with a twist of soul.

The pair would have two sons. They also produced a string of hits. The first, "A Fool In Love," was a top R&B song in 1959, and others followed, including "I Idolize You" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine."

But over the years they're genre-defying sound would make them favorites on the rock 'n' roll scene, as they opened for acts like the Rolling Stones.

The densely layered hit "River Deep, Mountain High" was one of producer Phil Spector's proudest creations. A rousing version of "Proud Mary," a cover of the Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, became their signature song and won them a Grammy for best R&B vocal performance by a group.

[Levee]

Izear Luster Turner, Jr. was born November 5, 1931, in Clarksdale, MS, the heart of the segregated South. His father was beaten to death by a mob of angry whites, and growing up in a hostile environment unquestionably hardened Turner. He found his calling in music from an early age; he learned boogie-woogie piano firsthand from his inspiration, Pinetop Perkins, and as a teenager talked himself into a DJ slot on the local radio station, where he played everything from the jump blues of Louis Jordan to country & western. He formed his first band while still in high school, and by the late '40s had assembled an outfit dubbed the Kings of Rhythm. In 1951, the Kings of Rhythm traveled to Memphis to record at Sam Phillips' Sun studio. Their original tune "Rocket 88" (actual authorship is still disputed) was recorded with a lead vocal by sax player Jackie Brenston, and as a result was released under the name Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats, not Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm. "Rocket 88" zoomed to the top of the R&B charts and is today regarded by many critics as being quite possibly the first true rock & roll record. Brenston subsequently departed for an unsuccessful solo career, while Turner and his band became session regulars around Memphis; they went on to back legendary bluesmen like Howlin' Wolf ("How Many More Years"), Elmore James, Otis Rush ("Double Trouble," "All Your Love"), Robert Nighthawk, Buddy Guy, and Sonny Boy Williamson II, plus an assortment of Sun artists. During the early '50s, Turner switched from piano to guitar, and also doubled as a talent scout for the Bihari Brothers' Los Angeles-based Modern Records, where he helped get early breaks for artists like Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King.

AMG

[dragster]

I don't like the man Ike, but the artist is undoubtedly GRAND!! RIP.

[Jahfin]

[dragster]

Cool vid...thanx for sharing!

[Jahfin]

Cool vid...thanx for sharing!

No problem. There's lots more great early rock n' roll sides that can be found on these two very outstanding collections from Rhino Records. Very highly recommended.

Various Artists Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of 50s Rock

Various Artists Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly

[dragster]

Yep, Rhino's got its ideas straight...thanx again.

[Levee]

Thanks Jahfin.

[Juliet]

Hell Fellow Zep Fans:

I was sure I had one of Ike's recordings...I went through my Blues collection and found it..It's called HO HO..It's part of a compilation of blues tunes. Other artists include Albert Collins, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Charlie Musselwhite, Buddy Reed, King Biscuit Boy, Clarence Edwards,Luther Allison and a few others. It is in cassette form. I haven't heard it for awhile..it's great...

In the current infomercial for The Midnight Special, there is a clip of Tina and Ike performing Proud Mary..I loved that show...It was on Friday night after Johnny Carson..

Ike performed at a blues festival in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada a few years ago...

RIP IKE TURNER

Juliet

[Hotplant]

Tina: " No comment."

[eternal light]

Tina: "The only one who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man."

[Scarlett]

Tina: "The only one who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man."

Im surprised the man lived ti be that long.what we know what kind of man he was and how he treated Tina.

[kaztor (slight return)]

Well, he made the first rock n roll record, but other than that i wouldn't mind to piss on his grave.

[eternal light]

Im surprised the man lived ti be that long.what we know what kind of man he was and how he treated Tina.

He had his good side and they had their good times. I'm sure she has a few mixed feelings. She is probably overcome with emotion and can't talk about this loss without feeling hurt or angry even though she probably misses him.

[Scarlett]

He had his good side and they had their good times. I'm sure she has a few mixed feelings. She is probably overcome with emotion and can't talk about this loss without feeling hurt or angry even though she probably misses him.

angry?I think that is not anger.

[eternal light]

angry?I think that is not anger.

They had their issues, most of which were probably resolved but perhaps not all. Maybe a residual anger from the past that comes out in the grieving process sometimes from the stress of the loss; it probably won't be something the public will see. She will keep it private. Tina Turner has learned to concentrate on her inner calm.

Edited December 27, 2007 by eternal light