Born on November 26: Tina Turner, the legendary rock lioness

Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Tennessee in 1939.

Her childhood was rather eventful and the young girl escaped by singing in different choirs. At 18, she met Ike Turner, a young rock musician who fell under her spell when she sneaked on stage to sing. She became his backing singer and, by chance, because the singer didn't show up for the meeting, she recorded "A Fool in Love". A big success for the R&B song and a change of name for the one who was propelled to the top of the US charts. She chose Tina as a nod to Sheena Queen of the Jungle and took the surname of the man who shared her life at the time. 

The young singer electrified the stage and the 60s were prolific for her in hits, like her cover of "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival or "Come Together" by the Beatles. If the Tina-Ike duo fascinates for a while, the escapades and violence of Ike, who struggles to get rid of his addictions, then give the couple a dark aura. Contracts become rare, concerts are cancelled. Tina ends up divorcing in 1978, leaving behind a toxic relationship whose years she will recount in her autobiography: "I left with 36 cents in my pocket and I spent six months hiding." Everything has to be redone for the singer, who chains together small appearances on television or in hotels. She nevertheless releases a new album that will go almost unnoticed. Tina Turner is drowning in debt but continues to believe in her lucky star. 

If the United States shuns her, Europe has not forgotten the beast of the stage and, boosted by her label, she fills big venues there again. An indie performer, she covers "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green at the request of the British Electric Foundation (made up of former members of The Human League) and bingo, the song is a hit in the United Kingdom before finally reconnecting with the American tops. At forty-five, leaving her heavy past behind her, Tina Turner makes a dazzling comeback.

In 1984, she sells more than eight million copies of her album "Private Dancer" and wins all the votes, as well as several Grammy Awards, with "What's Love Got to Do With It". Tina Turner's rebirth is long-lasting and everything goes well for her, the star has a string of hits and duets, such as with Bryan Adams. In 1991, she releases "Simply the Best", her very first best-of. Two years later, the film based on her book "Tina" is released in theaters and Angela Bassett plays the singer. The 2000s were less euphoric for the star. After a final triumphant world tour, she accepted a few TV appearances, such as on the set of Star Academy, or cartoon soundtracks, such as "Brother Bear" but she slowed down and finally took some time for herself. Incongruously, she even released a single of Buddhist chants and made a few appearances at some of her friend Giorgio Armani's fashion shows... A quieter life for someone who seemed to have had a thousand. It was in 2023, in Switzerland, that the legend Tina Turner passed away.

(Céline Massart - Transl.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Tina Turner on stage at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp (Belgium) on April 27, 1990