Black History Month Music: Tina Turner

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Hi from home. Well, the Chuy’s in Louisville…same difference. There’s more to tell from the vacation, but first, there’s music! When I announced that I’d be celebrating Black History Month with music, there are a few acts that hopefully popped into your mind immediately. And, hopefully, this lady was one of them. Tina Turner Tina is an icon. NOT just for singers, or black musicians, or R&B performers. Tina is an icon for women. She survived all of that abuse from her husband and, after a physical altercation in Dallas, took off on July 1, 1976 with a Mobile Oil gas card and a little change in her pocket. She survived. AND she thrived. Consider that, when Ike & Tina Turner were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, both were unable to attend: Tina, because she was finishing a tour, and Ike, because he was in prison. No, there’s no denying Ike Turner’s talent and contributions to rock and roll, but Tina was the star of that show. Look at how she stole the show in Tommy as the Acid Queen. And, sorry Madonna, but Tina was the highest-grossing female singer of the 1980s. She was the first woman on the cover of Rolling Stone. Tina Turner was a dynamo. Even President George W. Bush acknowledged the power of her legs in the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. (To this day, I think Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs” is partly about Turner.) She acted, wrote, and sang her heart out. And, most importantly, she survived. Tina Turner Born Anna Mae Bullock, November 26, 1939, Brownsville, Tennessee Died May 24, 2023, Küshnacht, Switzerland (kidney disease) (age 83) HALLS OF FAME: Rock and Roll x2 (1991 as Ike & Tina Turner; 2021 solo); Soul Music, 2014; Hit Parade, 2015; Memphis Music, 2019; National Rhythm & Blues, 2025; International Best Dressed, 1996 Tina’s tribute to her hometown, “Nutbush City Limits”: