Everything That You Need To Know About Tina Turner
Tina Turner, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, was born on 26 November 1939, Brownsville,
Tennessee, U.S. The American-born singer found success in the rhythm-and-blues, soul as well as the
rock genres. Her a career spanned five decades.
Turner was born into a family of sharecropper in rural Tennessee. She started singing as a teenager
and, after moving to St. Louis, Missouri, submerged herself in the local rhythm-and-blues scene. Tina
met Ike Turner at a performance by his band, the Kings of Rhythm, in 1956, and very soon was part
of the act.
She started performing as Tina Turner, and her electric stage presence suddenly made her the
centrepiece of the show. The band, which toured as the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, was renowned
for its live performances however struggled to find recording success. This changed in 1960, when “A
Fool in Love” hit the pop charts and a number of hit singles followed. Ike and Tina were married in
1962, although the date is subject to some speculation. During the couple’s divorce proceedings in
1977, Ike alleged that the two were never legally married.
The Phil Spector-produced album River Deep—Mountain High (1966) was a hit in Europe, and its
title track is perhaps the high point of Spector’s “wall of sound” production style however it sold
poorly in the United States. Ike and Tina’s last hits as a couple were the cover version of Creedence
Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” (1971) and “Nutbush City Limits” (1973). Tina divorced Ike in
1978, alleging years of physical abuse as well as infidelity.
The Beginning Of Her Solo Career
“Let’s Stay Together” is a song that is written and performed by Al Green, who released the title in
1972. The song was first produced and recorded by Willie Mitchell and then mixed by Mitchell and
Terry Manning. Tina Turner covered the song in 1983 and her version is widely deemed to be the hit
which kickstarted her solo career.
The song was Turner’s comeback single and it charted at number 26 on the US Hot 100 in 1983. This
was the third time that Turner reached the UK Top 10 however the first two times were for songs
which also featured her former husband, Ike Turner .
At the time, the song was – without a doubt – the most successful solo album which Turner had
released to date, and was as big a hit as the jackpot games at an online gambling casino. With lyrics
such as “I’m so in love with you” and “loving you forever is what I need,” songs don’t get much more
romantic the song was included on Turner’s album Private Dancer, which came out a couple of
months later and cemented her enduring presence in the industry.
Tina Turner Today
At the moment Tina lives in Switzerland with her husband, Erwin Bach who is a German music
executive, whom she married in 2013 after being together for more than 25 years.
Tina and Erwin have been living in Switzerland since the 1990s and Turner became a citizen of the
country in 2013, surrendering her US citizenship in order to do so.