Tina Turner: short biography, photos and videos, personal life
Tina Turner (born Anna May Bullock) is a legendary singer, rock and roll star with an incredible voice, she was born on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush. Millions of people around the world admire this woman, children and adults listen to her songs. There were many sad events in the life of the artist, but she was able to cope with difficulties and become stronger. Tina preferred to set herself the highest possible goals, she refused to compromise and be content with little. The singer did not immediately succeed, but she did not give up. Turner twice started everything from scratch, her example makes people believe in themselves.
Early success
The childhood of the future star passed in his native state of Tennessee. Her mother worked in a factory and her father was a deacon in a Baptist church. In addition, he was a worker and a farmer. Parents divorced when the youngest daughter was only ten years old. Together with her older sister Ellin, she moved in with her grandmother, but she died a few years later due to illness. At that time, Anna Mae was 16, and her mother took her to St. Louis.
From a young age, the girl sang in the church choir, she was always drawn to music. That is why she spent her seventeenth birthday at a concert with her sister. Allyn took Anna to a club to see a performance by the Rhythm Kings, whose lead singer was Ike Turner. Later, the girl repeatedly attended their concerts until she managed to meet the vocalist. She dreamed of singing a duet with him, but he constantly refused. But one day Hayk heard the voice of his girlfriend and was delighted. Anna became the backing vocalist for Kings of Rhythm.
The future legend soon became the lead singer of the group. The public liked her, and the musicians nicknamed the girl "Baby Ann." Initially, she was in a relationship with saxophonist Raymond Hill, but this romance did not last long. In 1958, Anna May gave birth to a child, and soon she began dating Ike. He constantly bought his beloved jewelry and dresses, helped her insert a gold tooth. In 1962 they got married.
Family problems
At first, the relationship of the newly-minted spouses developed smoothly. The girl was a success with the public, so Hayk soon created a new project with her participation. The group was called Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The pseudonym "Tina" was invented for the singer by her husband, changing the first letter in the name of his beloved heroine Sheena from "Queen of the Jungle".
In the seventies, success hit the group. At this time, the hits Fool in love, I idolize you, It's gonna work out fine. The Turners also recorded a cover version of the song Proud Mary, which brought Tina her first Grammy statuette. In 1975, the girl made her debut as an actress, playing a role in the film adaptation of the rock opera Tommy.
But things didn't go so smoothly for the family. Hayk was addicted to drugs, in addition, he was obsessed with making money. He terrorized the band members, many musicians left at that time. Worst of all was Anna, who until the last was afraid to leave her husband. She was only 22, the girl raised four children. Two remained with Turner after a previous marriage, the singer gave birth to another from a saxophonist, and the fourth son was common to her and her husband.
The former soloist constantly beat his wife, forced her to work around the clock, the tour took 270 days a year. Several times Tina intended to kill herself or shoot her husband, but she could not find the resolve in herself. The girl regularly appeared in public with bruises, although her husband tried to deny the allegations. He dreamed of a hit that would glorify the group all over the world, but the years went by and nothing changed.
In May 1966, Phil Spector offered Tina a partnership. Their collaborative track River Deep Mountain Hight reached number three in the UK charts. This was followed by the following unexpected news: The Rolling Stones invited the Turner family to take part in their tour.
Liberation and solo career
Thanks to the unexpected popularity, Anna Mae began to gradually regain faith in herself. She was also helped by her acquaintance with a fortuneteller who predicted unprecedented fame around the world. Also in 1974, the girl became interested in Buddhism. At 33, Turner realized that she needed to leave her husband, even if she had to start everything from scratch. Later, she admitted that for a long time she could not divorce him only because of her desire to sing. The woman simply did not know other influential people who could help in her career. And this once again demonstrates her strong character: for the sake of music, the singer was ready for any sacrifice.
In 1975, Ike saw his wife on tour. He offered her a chocolate bar, in response to the refusal, the man began to beat Tina. At that moment, she realized that there was no going back. The woman hit back the musician, the fight continued on the way to the airport, on the plane and even in the hotel. After that, the husband fell asleep, and the girl packed up and left him with 36 cents in her pocket. The next day, the whole country celebrated Independence Day, for the singer it was very symbolic.
For six months, Ike was looking for Anna May, who had to hide with friends. He blackmailed his wife, threatened to deprive her of parental rights and sue all the money. The woman agreed to all conditions for the sake of freedom. She gave Turner the children, the rights to the recordings, and all the savings from the royalties. The court ended only in 1978, at which Tina told her husband: "You're taking everything I've earned in sixteen years. And I'm taking my future". She was happy despite all the difficulties.
In the same year, the singer released her solo album Rough, but it was not a commercial success. A year later, the album Love Explosion was released, which suffered the same fate. Many friends turned away from Tina, no one believed in her future career. But from time to time the performer went on tour, the woman had the most fans in Britain and Europe. Her ex-husband was imprisoned because of drugs, in 2007 he died in prison from an overdose.
Return of popularity
In 1979, Turner met Roger Davis on the set of the Hollywood Evenings program, and he later took over as her personal manager. It was this man who helped the singer find her own unique style, convinced her to perform rock and roll compositions. In 1983, the single Let's stay together was released, which became a hit in Europe and the UK. Only a few months later the composition was listened to in the USA.
Tina's meeting with David Bowie at the Ritz Hotel consolidated the undoubted success. He arrived there with a representative of Capitol Records, a few hours later the musicians had already agreed on cooperation. In 1984, the recording of the Privat Dancer album was completed, it received multi-platinum status and brought the woman several Grammy awards. More than 11 million copies were sold, it was on this disc that the hits I will survive and Simply the best were. Both songs are important and vital for the singer, they tell her story and inspire other people.
In 1985, Turner recorded the soundtrack for the third part of the film "Mad Max" and played one of the main roles in it. For this work, she received three Grammys. The following year, the woman sang a duet with Mick Jagger, the song We are the world became another hit in her career. In 1995, a friend of Tina Bono wrote the song Golden Eye, which was later featured in the James Bond film of the same name. The performer did not immediately agree to sing this composition, but the author was able to convince her.
Success in adulthood
The woman has repeatedly said that she does not need a man to be happy. She became self-sufficient and independent, so the romance with Erwin Bach was just a nice addition. He is 13 years younger than Tina, but this did not interfere with the relationship. The singer's lover worked in a recording studio, they were brought together by joint work. In 2000, Turner left the stage, three years later she agreed to become Bach's wife.
After marriage, the performer became a Swiss citizen, now she lives in Zurich with her family. Thanks to the renunciation of American citizenship, it was possible to settle all the formalities associated with concert activities in the United States. Sometimes a woman continues to perform, impressing fans with her voice and excellent physical shape. Her children have tried to succeed in business, but so far none of them have succeeded. But the singer is not upset, because she herself had to overcome a long way to her dream.
Tina's life story became the basis for the musical of the same name. The presentation of this project took place back in 2016 in London, it was directed by Phyllida Lloyd. It was this woman who previously was the creator of the famous production of Mamma Mia. The performance should be ready by 2018, it is intended to coincide with the anniversary of Turner.
During her career, the singer has released ten albums, received eight Grammy statuettes and even got into the Guinness Book of Records. She managed to collect 188 thousand fans at a performance in Rio de Janeiro. Tina participated in many TV shows, especially often she could be seen visiting Oprah Winfrey. She sang a duet with Mick Jagger, Elton John, Bryan Adams and the gorgeous Cher. Turner distinguished herself as an artist and actress, she also published an autobiographical book. The work was filmed in 1993. The film was called What's love got to do with it.
Tina's story inspires women around the world. At her concerts, they gain the resolve to get away from their beating husbands. By her example, the singer shows that it is necessary to fight domestic violence, even if it seems impossible. Many girls are used to forgiving tyrants, it is very difficult for them to find strength in themselves. At such moments, it is worth listening to one of Turner's songs and re-reading her biography.