Editor’s note: As we celebrate Black History Month, we’re taking some time to spotlight some of the most influential African American men and women who have forever altered the music and entertainment industry.
She may have retired, but at 79 years old, Anne Mae Bullock is still as much a part of our daily culture as when she hit her stride in the early 70s. Better known to the world as the incomparable Tina Turner, the singer, songwriter, dancer and actress has been a recording sensation for more than six decades.
And don’t even get us started on those legs that keep us doing squats every day!
Her career started in 1958 with Ike Turner and his band, Kings of Rhythm. In 1960, Ike bestowed the name Tina Turner onto Anna Mae and trademarked it so that if she were ever leave the band, she could be replaced by another vocalist performing under the same name. By 1961, Ike & Tina Turner had two hits on the Billboard charts, the second of which, “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” garnered them a Grammy nod. Working with Phil Spector in 1966, Tina produced “River Deep – Mountain High.” Though it never peaked high in the States, it was a hit overseas and opened the door for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue to open for the Rolling Stones in their UK tour. That gig continued with the Stones US tour and led to a 1970 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The duo’s success skyrocketed a year later with their cover of “Proud Mary,” which jumped to #4 on the charts and sold over a million copies. It won them a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. By the mid-1970s, as Ike’s drug addiction took over the Revue and their marriage, Tina filed for divorce and branched out on her own.
Over the next 40 years, Tina Turner has been a household name. Hits like “Private Dancer,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero” and “The Best” are part of our cultural fabric. She has amassed eight Grammy Awards plus three honorary Grammys, including one for Lifetime Achievement, she’s immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, has sold more than 200 million records worldwide, and is part of any list that complies the greatest singers of all time.
A new musical, Tina, based on her story opened in London’s West End last year and is expected to make its Broadway premiere this year.
