Tina Turner 2000-present
 Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee on November 26, 1939 to Zelma Currie, a factory worker, and Floyd Richard Bullock, a Baptist deacon, farm overseer and factory worker. Turner and her elder sister, Alline Bullock, were abandoned by their father and temporarily by their mother. They moved from Nutbush, Tennessee to St. Louis to reunite with their mother in 1956. In St. Louis, Little Ann met Ike Turner, a noted pioneer of rock and roll, and later asked him if she could sing for him. Ike was initially skeptical, but after much persistence on Ann's part, Ike Turner eventually decided to let her perform for him.
Anna Mae first started working with Ike Turner in 1958. She began as an occasional vocalist in his show at the age of 18, but within a couple of years, not only did she have a new name - Ike named her Tina after Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, but was also the spotlight of a popular soul revue led by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm.
In 1960, when a singer scheduled to record the song, A Fool In Love, didn't appear, Ann stepped in and recorded the vocals instead. A Fool In Love was a huge R&B hit reaching #2 crossing over to the top 30 of the US pop chart. After this, Ike changed Ann's name to Tina Turner and his band's to the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. In 1962, Ike and Tina married in Mexico.
Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, Ike & Tina rose to superstardom. As times and musical styles changed, Tina developed a unique stage persona as a singer-dancer-performer which thrilled audiences of the group's live concerts. Tina and the Revue's backup singers, The Ikettes, wove intricate and electrifying dance routines into their performances and influenced many other artists including Mick Jagger (for whose 1966 UK tour they opened).
Ike and Tina Turner recorded a string of hits in the 1960s, including A Fool In Love, It's Gonna Work Out Fine, I Idolize You, and the groundbreaking River Deep, Mountain High with producer Phil Spector in his Wall of sound style. By the end of the decade, Tina had discovered rock and roll and the duo began including their interpretations of classics such as Come Together, Honky Tonk Woman, and I Want to Take You Higher in their act. In fact, their high-energy cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1968 Proud Mary remains Tina's signature hit and one of her longest enduring standards. Proud Mary was the duo's greatest commercial success peaking at number four in March 1971. The single also won a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo or Group.
While many of their original recordings failed to chart, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was well known for its live act and electrifying television appearances. Their famous fans included The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley. The band was always performing anywhere and everywhere. A one-night gig at a small predominately black supper club in the South could be followed in the same week by a show at a major venue in Las Vegas or a national TV appearance. Ike acted as the group's manager and musical director, calling all the shots and ruling the act - and Tina - with an iron fist. While a fine musician and an early rock and roll influence, Ike's control of the Revue's management, recording contracts and performances eventually led to their decline as his drug abuse worsened. This controlling (and often violent) atmosphere caused the musicians and backup singers to come and go frequently, and Tina later reported being isolated and physically abused by Ike on a regular basis for most of their marriage.
Tina raised four sons: Ike Jr. and Michael (from her former husband Ike's previous relationship), Craig (born 1960, from Tina's earlier relationship with Raymond Hill, a saxophone player in Ike's band) and Ronnie (son of Ike and Tina; born 1961).
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