The hurricane that swept us all away during the 60s and 70s, the woman who survived a marriage that nearly cost her life, and the voice that made us dance our hearts out… Tina Turner was everything, and now she has left us.
As announced moments ago by The New York Times: Tina Turner, the electrifying soul singer whose raspy voice, sexual magnetism, and explosive energy made her one of the most successful recording artists of all time, has passed away today at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland. She was 83 years old.
Story of one of the greats of our time
Tina Turner began her musical career, which spanned over 50 years, in the late 1950s when she was still attending high school in East St. Louis, Illinois. She started singing with Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm.
Initially, she only performed occasionally, but she quickly became the star of the group and Ike Turner’s wife. With her powerful blues voice and frenetic dancing style, she made an immediate impression.
Their group was soon renamed the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and became a phenomenon in African-American venues across the United States.
After the Rolling Stones invited the group to open for them, first on a British tour in 1966 and then on a U.S. tour in 1969, white listeners in both countries began to take notice. This propelled the couple, but especially Tina Turner, to the top.
Insisting on adding rock songs by the Beatles and the Stones to their repertoire, Tina reached a massive new audience, giving the Ike and Tina Turner Revue their first Top 10 hit with their version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” in 1971, and winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group.
“In the context of the present show business world, Tina Turner must be the most sensational professional on the stage,” wrote Ralph J. Gleason, one of the great music critics in 1969. “She comes on like a hurricane. She dances, writhes, shakes, and sings, and the impact is instant and total.”
Since then, Tina has written her own story at her own pace, with her own words, always having the final say. The passing of Tina Turner leaves us saddened because it means that a part of ourselves bids farewell. However, she will never truly leave us, as her music will continue to play on radios around the world… and in our hearts.
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