Haunted by marital abuse, this artist became a Grammy legend, world record holder and one of greatest of all time

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The love for music didn’t die during all these challenges, even though she was doing everything but, ranging from domestic work to a nurse’s aid. A cheerleader and basketball player in high school, Bullock was always open to socialising and loved being in front of an audience. In search of music and opportunity, Bullock used to frequent nightclubs with her sister, and that is where she first met her future husband, Ike Turner. Even though the singer expressed her desire to sing for his band Kings of Rhythm, Ike wasn’t satisfied until one day Bullock hopped onstage during the band’s break and started singing BB King’s ‘You Know I Love You’. It wasn’t long before Turner joined the band as a full-time vocalist.

The Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner. (Photo: Reuters)

The name Tina actually came from Juggy Murray, who was the president of R&B records label Sue Records. He saw potential in the singer and even convinced Ike to make her the primary attraction of the band. Ike added his last name, Turner, to her name, and hence Tina Turner was born. Songs like ‘A Fool in Love’, ‘Poor Fool’ and ‘Tra La La La’ helped Tina and Ike to make a serious name for themselves, as all these tracks bagged important positions on Billboard charts. Soon the Ike and Tina Turner Revue started taking names across the country, and they became one of the most profitable live bands out there.

After signing with Warner Bros and performing all across the country, in 1967 Tina became the first female and first Black artist to ever make the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine. The 70s had more success in store for the duo, in the form of Grammys and gold-certified albums, but in 1976 the group split. Ike and Tina were scheduled to perform at the Statler Hilton in Dallas, and while travelling there, they got into a physical altercation during which Tina had to defend herself. They reached the venue, and Tina went away to the hotel across the street with just 36 cents to her name.

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After dealing with several lawsuits that showed up at her door due to the cancelled performances, Tina went on her first solo tour in Australia. Her career slowed down quite a bit, and by the early 80s she was considered to be just a nostalgia act. That all changed after she signed with Capitol Records in 1983, as her cover of Al Green’s ‘Let’s Stay Together’ charted in the US, UK and several other European charts. Her next album, Private Dancer, peaked at number 3 in Billboard US Top 200 and at number 2 in the UK. Concerts with Lionel Richie and platinum certification followed soon after, as her track ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ became a worldwide sensation.

Several Grammys later, 25 nominations and 8 wins to be precise, Turner became the first woman in UK charts to have a top 40 song in six consecutive decades. She sold all rights to her music in 2021 for an estimated price of $50 million and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. At one point in her life, Turner could even boast of holding a Guinness World Record, which she received for the then largest paying live audience (180000).

After more than 60 years of pure dominance, Tina passed away in 2023, after battling intestinal cancer for 7 years and many other illnesses.