Ike Turner

Ike Turner
Turner in 1971
Turner in 1971
Background information
Birth nameIzear Luster Turner Jr.
Also known as
  • Ike Wister Turner
  • Icky Renrut
  • Lover Boy
Born(1931-11-05)November 5, 1931
Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 2007(2007-12-12) (aged 76)
San Marcos, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • record producer
  • talent scout
  • bandleader
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • keyboards
  • vocals
Years active1940s–2007
Labels
Formerly of

Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1970s with his wife Tina Turner as the leader of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.

A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Turner began playing piano and guitar as a child and then formed the Kings of Rhythm as a teenager. His first recording, "Rocket 88" (credited to "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats"), is considered a contender for the distinction of first rock and roll song. During the 1950s, Turner also worked as a talent scout and producer for Sun Records and Modern Records.[2] He was instrumental in the early careers of various blues musicians such as B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, and Bobby "Blue" Bland.[3] In 1954, Turner relocated to East St. Louis where his Kings of Rhythm became one of the most renowned acts in Greater St. Louis.[4] He formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1960, which over the course of the decade became a soul/rock crossover success.

Turner's cocaine addiction and legal troubles, together with accounts by Tina Turner of domestic violence (published in her 1986 autobiography I, Tina and the 1993 film adaptation What's Love Got to Do with It), had an impact on his career.[5] Addicted to cocaine for at least 15 years, Turner was convicted of drug offenses and served 18 months in prison.[6] After his release in 1991, he relapsed in 2004, and died of a drug overdose in 2007. During the last decade of his life, Turner revived his career as a frontman by returning to his blues roots. He released two award-winning albums, Here and Now (2001) and Risin' with the Blues (2006).

Hailed as a "great innovator" of rock and roll by contemporaries such as Little Richard and Johnny Otis,[7][8] Turner received critical acclaim as well.[9] Rolling Stone editor David Fricke ranked Turner No. 61 on his list of 100 Greatest Guitarists and noted, "Turner was one of the first guitarists to successfully transplant the intensity of the blues into more commercial music."[10] Turner won five Grammy Awards, including two competitive awards and three Grammy Hall of Fame Awards.[11][12] He also received the Recording Academy's Heroes Award. Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Tina Turner in 1991.[13] As a solo artist he is inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame, the Clarksdale Walk of Fame, the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

  1. ^ Blues trail Ike-Turner Retrieved June 6, 2022
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pareles 12-13-2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Fowler, James E. (April 23, 1998). "New, Improved Ike Turner". Los Angeles Times.(subscription required)
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Collis-2003-52 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Ken Barnes (December 12, 2007). "Ike Turner: A tarnished rock legend". USA Today. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Philips-05-09-1991 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Braiker, Brian (December 17, 2007). "Remembering Ike Turner". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  8. ^ Kiersh, Ed (August 1985). "Ike's Story". Spin. Vol. 1, no. 4. pp. 36–43. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  9. ^ "The musical legacy of Ike Turner". BBC News entertainment. BBC. December 13, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  10. ^ Fricke, David (December 3, 2010). "100 Greatest Guitarists: David Fricke's Picks". Rolling Stone.
  11. ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. October 18, 2010.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grammy-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was invoked but never defined (see the help page).