Anna Mae Bullock could sing. Anna Mae Bullock could dance.
But the name Tina Turner sounded more appropriate for the woman who would be known as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Turner died May 24 in Zurich, Switzerland, after a long illness. She was 83.
Turner grew up as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri. She met Ike Turner in St. Louis when she was 18. He was the bandleader for the Kings of Rhythm. They soon became the Ike and Tina Turner Review.
Ike Turner changed Anna Mae’s name in 1960 without even telling her. He trademarked the name, so if she left, he could still use the name Tina Turner.
They married two years later and spent the 1960s making hits. Behind closed doors Ike Turner tormented Tina mentally and physically.
Tina Turner decided to try her hand at songwriting in the early 1970s, after their popularity cooled. Our Song of the Day was the first song she wrote. It’s about her memories of the town she grew up in.
The song reached number 22 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in the U.S. but rose to number four in England. It would be one of Ike and Tina’s last hits and one of the few songs she would write.
She left Ike in 1976. She said she received no money, only the right to use her stage name.
Turner, in 1980s, made one of the great musical comebacks. She had hit songs, filled concert venues, wrote books, starred in movies and had movies made about her.
She sold out 84 shows in Europe and North America during her final tour. She played her final concert in May 2009.
Song of the Day is created by Sheldon Zoldan, and produced by Pam James for WGCU. Audio production is by Simon Dunham, WGCU. To receive the Song of the Day in your inbox every day, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
