By the end of the 1960s, Ike is probably best known for his tremendous success with Tina Turner, with whom he formed the Revue. He returned to his blues roots in the late days of his career but is considered a pioneer of fifties rock and roll. Ike Turner, an American producer, songwriter, and musician, had a net worth of $500,000 at the time of his death.
In December 2007, Ike Turner, at the age of 76, passed away. Ike, known for his autobiography “My Name: Takin’ Back My Life” co-written with Nigel Cawthorne, released a total of 10 studio albums throughout his career. Unfortunately, Ike’s career in the 1980s was marred by his abusive behavior and addiction to crack and cocaine. Many consider Ike’s first recording, “Rocket 88,” produced in his early twenties, to be the first rock and roll song.
Career
The female singer who supported the group, Ikettes, performed with Tina & Ike Turner in the Revue. Ann, who should be the star of their act, was offered a $20,000 advance by a record executive after he renamed her “Tina Turner”. Ann was then the girlfriend of Ike, who formed the Revue with Tina Turner in 1960. They recorded tracks for Cobra/Artistic Records and later reformed as Rhythm of Kings. During this time, Ike also played piano on some of B.B. King’s early albums. Ike began working as a freelance musician, session musician, and talent scout at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. The success of the song led to tension within the group and temporarily disbanded Rhythm of Kings. The single “Rocket 88” was released under the band name “Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats” in 1951, when Ike was a teenager and had joined the rhythm ensemble known as the Tophatters.
Europe received its first ever Golden European Record Award after selling millions of copies of Tina and Ike’s “Nutbush City Limits” single and their solo albums “Bad Dreams” (1973) and “Blues Roots” (1972). They also opened the Sound Bolic recording studio and recorded several notable artists there. Their biggest hit, “Proud Mary,” peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over a million copies. They earned a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental R&B Performance. At the end of the decade, they released the album “Black Man’s Soul” with The Rhythm Kings and headlined a tour in Las Vegas. They served as the opening act for the British band The Rolling Stones in 1966 and their single “The River Deep – Mountain High,” produced by Phil Spector, was a success in Europe after being released by the Loma Records label. Tina and Ike later signed to his record label, Deep River High.
The Grammy-winning album, “Risin’ With the Blues,” featured Ike Turner performing as part of the documentary series “Martin Scorsese’s The Blues” in 2003. After the series, Ike reformed the Ikettes and their hit song “Shoop” (also known as “Gong Gong (The Blue Song)”) sampled his earlier work with Tina Turner. He earned approximately $500,000 in royalties from the song, but never released it officially. Tina Turner had sold the rights to their masters while serving time in prison after multiple arrests and struggles with drug addiction. As a solo artist, Ike had a difficult time finding success, but in July of that year, Ike and Tina Turner left the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
Death
Little Richard, Phil Spector, and Solomon Burke delivered speeches during the ceremony. The funeral ceremony was held at the City of Refuge Church on December 21st. He passed away at his residence in San Marcos, California, on December 12, 2007, confirming Turner’s prediction only two days later. Ike became withdrawn from society shortly before his demise, and he confided in Falina Rasool that he believed his end was near and he wouldn’t survive until Christmas.
At the funeral, The Kings of Rhythm performed “Proud Mary” and “Rocket 88”, and after the service, Ike was cremated. In January 2008, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office disclosed that Turner’s cause of death was a cocaine overdose “with other significant conditions, such as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema.” When he died, Ike did not leave a valid will, and even though his ex-wife Audrey Madison filed a petition claiming that Turner had named her as a beneficiary in a handwritten will, a judge determined that the will was not valid and that his adult children were the rightful heirs to Ike’s estate according to state law.
Personal Life
Ike claimed that he was married a whopping 14 times. Before legally divorcing his previous wife, he remarried several times. At the age of 16, on April 10, 1948, he married Edna Stewart, but they split up when Edna decided that she no longer wanted to live in Clarksdale. Then, on September 19, 1950, he married Velma Davis Turner, although Turner denied that he fathered her daughter Linda. Despite his efforts to get her out, Turner committed her to an insane asylum after her family. On September 24, 1952, he married Lee Marion (aka Bonnie Turner), a vocalist and pianist for Rhythm of Kings. They divorced two years later, and in 1953 she left him for another man. After moving to Illinois, Ike married Annie Mae Wilson, who played piano in his band. She left him for a police officer in the mid-1950s. He then began a relationship with Lorraine Taylor, and in February 1960, they had two sons, Michael Jr. (Born in October 1958) and Ike Jr. (Born in 1960).
In 1988, he discovered that he had a daughter named Twanna, whose mother is Pat Richard. Ike and Margaret met in the 1960s and had a daughter, Mia, in January 1969. After Tina, Turner was wedded to Margaret Ann Thomas (1981-1989), Jeanette Bazzell (1995-2000), and Audrey Madison (2006-2007). “Certainly, I’ve slapped Tina. We had disagreements and there have been occasions when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never mistreated her,” Ike wrote in his autobiography. Tina filed for divorce in July 1976, and Ike got to retain publishing royalties for their compositions as well as Tina’s portion of the Bolic Sound recording studio, real estate, and publishing companies. Tina has stated that Ike was abusive and unfaithful during their marriage, which led her to attempt suicide in 1968. They established the band the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, then tied the knot in 1962. She later became involved with Turner, giving birth to their son, Ronnie, in October 1960. Hill left her before the birth of their son, Craig, and the couple resided with Ike and Lorraine. Turner met Ann Bullock (better known as Tina Turner) in 1957, and when she became pregnant by Ike’s saxophonist, Raymond Hill.
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Ike, who was bipolar, had Rasool, Falina as his assistant/caretaker, and Madison Audrey as his ex-wife. He had Alzheimer’s disease and bipolar disorder, which can be treated with Seroquel in his system. His autopsy showed that he had emphysema in the early 2000s and had to use an oxygen tank. Eventually, his cocaine addiction caused a hole in his nasal septum. Ike was arrested numerous times, including an arrest for driving under the influence of cocaine, a shooting arrest for delivering newspapers in 1981, and an arrest for cocaine possession in 1980. He earned 18 months in prison.
Early Life
Ike Turner was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, under the names Izear Luster Turner Jr. Or Ike Wister Turner on November 5, 1931. His father, Izear, was a Baptist minister, while his mother, Beatrice, worked as a seamstress. While growing up, Ike believed he was named after his father. However, when he applied for a passport in the 1960s, he discovered that he was registered as Ike Wister Turner. He had an older sister named Lee, and his father passed away during Ike’s childhood. According to Turner, he witnessed a white mob brutally assault his father, leaving him for dead. Izear then lived in a tent in the yard for a few years before eventually succumbing to his injuries. Beatrice later remarried a painter named Philip Reese, whom Ike described as a “violent alcoholic.” Ike disclosed that he had his first sexual encounter at the age of 6 with a middle-aged woman known as Miss Boozie. By the age of 12, he was involved with another middle-aged woman named Miss Reeny.
Sonny Williamson’s son, Boy Sonny, played piano at the age of thirteen. While staying at Hotel Riverside, he had the opportunity to meet many touring musicians. In the 1940s, he moved to the Turner Hotel, where he learned to play the guitar by playing along with blues records. He also learned how to play the piano from Pinetop Perkins, a blues musician. Whenever Ike Friskillo, a DJ at the coffee break station, played records on the radio, Ike would watch him and eventually learn how to work the room controls. WROX, a radio station, was located in the building where Ike spent his breaks. He eventually got a job as an elevator operator at Hotel Alcazar’s Clarksdale and dropped out of eighth grade.
Awards and Nominations
Tina Turner was also the winner of the Album Comeback Award for the Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2018. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 with her former husband, Ike Turner. In addition, she was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018 for her songs “Mary” Proud and “High,” Deep River “88.” Turner was nominated for seven Grammy Awards and won Best Traditional Blues Album for “Risin’ with the Blues” in 2007. She was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1991 with “Rocket 88” and received the Mojo Legends Award in 2004 and the Heroes Award in Memphis in 2007. Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Music Hall of Fame, the St. Louis Walk of Fame, and the RockWalk Center’s Guitar Hall of Fame in 2005. She was also inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2001.
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