Rock and roll pioneer Ike Turner, a controversial though incredibly beloved figure in music, passed away today in San Diego at the age of 76. Born in Clarksdale, MS, he was one of the last living legends of the rock and roll era.
Turner, it is agreed by critics and historians, wrote and recorded in 1951 the first official “rock and roll” song, “Rocket ’88″, at Sam Phillips Recording Company here in Memphis with Jackie Brenston and the Delta Kings (who were actually Turner’s Kings of Rhythm and to whom the song was later credited, reportedly “for financial reasons”). But Ike’s biggest successes as a performer and songwriter finally came with the Ike & Tina Turner Review, a partnership which produced a string of hit songs and, along with it, the virtues and vices of fame and fortune.
It goes without saying that his private life with ex-wife Tina Turner became the stuff of controversy, documented both in Tina’s autobiography and the film What’s Love Got To Do With It?, and Ike’s struggles with both marital and heavy substance abuses led to a number of tumultuous relationships and run-ins with the law which would serve to derail his career.
However, in spite of his reputation both on and off the road, Turner remained a respected artist for his early contributions to rock and roll and toured up until the time of his death. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and was awarded a lifetime achievement by the Recording Academy in 2002 for his many accomplishments as a producer, talent scout, songwriter and musician, a list too great and many to list here.
R.I.P. Ike
Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats (featuring Ike Turner on piano) – Rocket 88
Check out more on Ike Turner at Living In Stereo.
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I met Ike on two different occasions but the most memorable was in Memphis several years ago at the W.C. Handy Awards
while I was shooting back stage photos for a magazine article. It’s a fond memory of mine.
One memory in particular is of Ike, B.B. King and Miss Ruth Brown sitting together sharing some
good belly laughs while talking about all the good times they’ve had playing music. Ike looked up and saw me and
asked if I would take a photo of the trio and send it to him. After sending the photo, I received a thank you card from
his agent telling me that Ike appreciated my accomodating his request for the photo.
Any time I’ve thought of Ike, I remember that night with him having such a good time among friends.
I managed a club (The Red Dog Inn) in Lawrence, KS during the 1960′s and we booked the Ike & Tina Turner Revue twice a year for several years. They traveled by bus across the country and the cost was $500 a night. I still have many great memories of dealing with Ike. He was alway pleasant but very business like and ran the Review with a firm, orgainized hand. He once compained that he had trouble keeping the Ikettes as they “kept getting pregnant on him”. We had a nice new Strong spotlight and they had the same light but it was really beat up. On every trip thru their crew would try to leave town with our new light and leave us with their old beat up one. Ike would get involved, straighten it out, and we would all have a good laugh about it.
It’s too bad that Ike will be remembered as the poster guy for spousal abuse. He made such a huge contribution to the music industry, but this won’t be remembered as vividly.