One of the forgotten stars of the early rock era is Ike Turner. He is probably better known
as the former husband of a mega-star singer, but Ike holds a place all his own
among the pioneers of rock and roll. He was a bandleader, guitarist, songwriter,
pianist, talent scout, record arranger, and producer. He discovered Anna Mae
Bullock; changed her name to Tina Turner and helped to propel her to stardom. His
musical resume is impressive, but unfortunately for him, Turner is best known
as an alleged wife beater and abuser.
This piece is a chapter in the new book The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories by Larry Manch. The book is available for purchase in e-book form at the Kindle Store on Amazon.com.
This piece is a chapter in the new book The Toughest Hundred Dollars & Other Rock & Roll Stories by Larry Manch. The book is available for purchase in e-book form at the Kindle Store on Amazon.com.
Thanks for giving us a second look at one of the greats. The history of Rock and Roll is full of people who behaved badly or battled demons all their lives but still managed to make huge contributions; Ike was certainly one of them.
ReplyDeleteTom