Ike Turner RIP
December 27th 2007 02:19
Ike Turner - The Original Rocker
Pioneering Rock n Roll before it even had a name and developing the funk sound, Blues and soul man Ike Turner died on December 12th this year. Now remembered mostly for his hit singles with wife Tina Turner and the domestic abuse that followed, his legacy to the music industry is far wider reaching.
Born in Missippi in 1931 he was struck with the music bug at 8 year old when he began working at a local radio station. Hypnotised by the grooving boogie woogie sounds of the artists that graced the stage for live recordings he formed his first band in the early 1940’s.
The Kings of Rhythm as the band was known were a low key player until 1951 when the hit song Rocket 88 blared across the airwaves. Some now consider this the first official rock n roll single, though the debate rages against the early efforts of the likes of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
Signing at the iconic Sun Studios that would later launch the careers of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and others, Ike’s revolutionary guitar distortion with whammy bar made him a most sought after session musician for blues legends like Howlin Wolf and Elmore James.
By early 1960 he hooked up with Anna Mae Bullock, a teen blessed with powerful vocal chords and a gift for success. Starting out as a backing singer it wasn’t long before Ike saw the true strength of her singing and soon Anna changed her name to Tina Turner and the Ike and Tina Revue was born.
There first hit came quickly with “A fool in Love” souring up the pop charts. Remaining at the top until there split in 1976 after a string of monumental tunes including Nutbush City Limits, River Deep – Mountain High, Proud Mary and I want To Take You Higher.
After the separation Ike would never again achieve the same level of success and problems with drug abuse and weapons charges became a constant depression in his life.
In 1993 Ike again began recording and in 1993 was nominated for a Grammy for his album Here and Now.
Though his name will forever be tarnished by the errors of his personal life Ike is a musical artist whose influence will be forever felt.
Here is a clip of Ike's career set to the revolutionary "Rocket 88"
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