An earth-shaking soul singer whose hoarse voice, sexual magnetism and explosive energy made her an unforgettable live performer and one of the most successful recording artists of all time, Tina Turner will perform Wednesday in Kusnacht, near Zurich, Switzerland. died at home. She was 83 years old.
Her publicist Bernard Doherty announced the death in a statement, but did not provide a cause of death. She recently suffered a stroke and was known to be battling kidney disease and other ailments.
Ms. Turner began her half-century-long career singing with Ike Turner and his band, Kings of Rhythm, in the late 1950s while attending high school in East St. Louis, Illinois. At first, she made only occasional appearances, but she soon became the group’s favorite and Mr. Turner’s wife. With her powerful blues voice and her frenetic style of dancing, she immediately left an impression.
“I was writing a song with Little Richard in mind, but no Little Richard was there to sing it, so Tina was my Little Richard,” Turner said in “Takin’ Back My Music.” Name: Ike’s Confession”. Turner” (1999), co-written with Nigel Cawthorne. “Listen to Tina, whose voice do you hear? Little Richard sings in a female voice.”
Their ensemble was soon renamed The Ike & Tina Turner Revue and became one of the premier touring soul acts at black venues on the so-called Chitlin Circuit. After the Rolling Stones invited the group to open for them, first on their 1966 UK tour and then on their 1969 US tour, white listeners in both countries began to take notice.
Claiming to add rock songs by the Beatles and Stones to her repertoire, Ms. Turner won a huge new audience and won the Ike & Tina Turner Revue with her versions of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs. gave it its first Top 10 hit. “Proud Maria” It won a Grammy Award in 1971 for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group.
“In the context of show business today, Tina Turner is arguably the most sensational professional on stage,” said Ralph J. Gleason, an influential jazz and pop critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. I wrote this in my review of the Rolling Stones concert in Oakland in November. 1969. “She hits like a hurricane. She dances, twists her body, shakes, sings and the impact is instant and full.”
But even with the success of Ike and Tina Turner’s revue, Ike and Tina Turner’s marriage was troubled, and after a heartbreaking breakup in the late 1970s, Turner’s career faltered. Her 1984 release album Private Her Dancer brought her back into the spotlight and catapulted her into the pop stratosphere.
Working with young songwriters, she created three big hits backed by a slick synthetic sound that lusciously envelops her raw, poignant vocals. title songBy Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. “You better treat me well.”; and “What does love have to do with it?”
Stephen Holden, in a book review for The New York Times, noted its “innovative fusion of good old soul singing and new wave synth-pop”, calling the album “not only a tribute to the 45-year-old’s career, but also to painting.” It was called a periodical work. A singer who has been recording since the late 1950s, he was in the evolution of pop soul music itself. “
At the 1985 Grammy Awards, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal, while “Better Be Good To Me” won Best Female Pop Vocal. She won the Outstanding Female Rock Vocal Award. performance.
The album sold five million copies, ignited a touring career and established Ms. Turner as a global phenomenon. In 1988, she broke the record for the highest paying audience for a solo artist when she appeared before a crowd of about 180,000 at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium. Ticket sales for her “Twenty for Seven” tour in 2000 surpassed $100 million, and Guinness World Records declared her the most sold concert ticket of all time.
A full obituary will be posted soon.
