Tina Turner - Biography

Tina Turner on the cover of her 1991 compilation album Simply the Best

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, November 26, 1939) is an African American/Native American, R&B, pop, rock and soul singer, Buddhist and occasional actress. She is best known for her scorching performances with The Ike and Tina Turner Revue during the 1960s and 1970s, and for her remarkable solo comeback in the mid-1980s.

Tina Turner is noted for her overpowering stage presence -- long legs, big hair, and powerful voice. She was discovered by Ike Turner, a noted pioneer of rock and roll, whom she later married. She began as an occasional vocalist in his show at the age of 18, but within a couple of years she not only had a new name, but was the spotlight of a popular soul revue led by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm.

Ike and Tina Turner recorded a number of hits in the 1960s, including "A Fool In Love", "It's Gonna Work out Fine", and the legendary "River Deep, Mountain High" (with producer Phil Spector). Their signature hit became their frantic rendition of "Proud Mary" (1971).

Ike's increasingly abusive behavior led Tina to abruptly leave him in 1976. She credits her newfound Buddhist faith with giving her the courage to strike out on her own. Around this time, she appeared solo in a memorable cameo as the Acid Queen in the film of The Who's Tommy rock opera. Tina finalized her divorce in 1978 after 18 years of marriage, accusing Turner of years of severe spousal abuse and rampant drug addiction in her autobiography I, Tina, which was later made into the film What's Love Got to Do with It. To put the marriage (and Ike) behind her, Tina left the marriage with no money or property, asking for and retaining only the use of the stage name Ike had given her.

She began touring extensively to pay the bills and released several solo albums in the 1970s, but her career stalled until teaming with BEF for a remake of The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion", which drew the attention of Capitol Records. The 1984 album Private Dancer had three top ten singles: "What's Love Got to Do with It", the title track, and "Better Be Good To Me".

In 1985, she appeared as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with Mel Gibson, and scored another hit with the movie's theme song, "We Don't Need Another Hero".

She led several extensive world tours in the 1980s and 1990's and released several more successful albums.

During the early 1990's, her song, "Simply the Best" had become the theme song and anthem of Rugby League in Australia. The advertising campaign brought a lot of interest to the game, and the campaign reached a height when Turner appeared at and performed the song at the 1993 ARL Grand Final. A Rugby League version of the songs video clip was also released around the same time, which was in the top ten videos in Australia for a long time as well.

In 1995, she recorded the title theme of the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

Her last world tour, which ended in 2000, was a sell out.

Tina has two natural sons (one is Ike's, the other from a previous relationship with a musician from the Kings of Rhythm). She also raised Ike's two sons from his previous marriage.

She gained great popularity throughout Europe and moved there permanently in 1986 to share a home with Erwin Bach, a German-born EMI record company executive 16 years her junior. In addition to a lakeshore home on the Goldküste, the most exclusive district of Zurich, Switzerland, Turner has an estate in France at Villefranche-sur-Mer, a small town about 4 miles (6km) east of the city of Nice. Her home there sits atop Mont Vinaigrier, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Now semi-retired, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record a song for the Disney film Brother Bear (2003).

Tina Turner's Official Website

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