The iconic Tina Turner is simply the best. Known as the “Queen of Rock n Roll,” Turner, with a career that spans five decades, was the frontwoman in the rhythm-and-blues sensation Ike & Tina Turner Revue before launching her successful solo act. Born Anna Mae Bullock in rural Nutbush, Tennessee, to a poor sharecropping family, Turner grew up singing in her grandmother’s church. After moving to St. Louis, Missouri in the early ’50s, Turner would get the opportunity to perform for roll-n-roll pioneer Ike Turner who made Anna Mae the centerpiece of the show. The ensemble was renowned for its live, electric performances touring as the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. After struggling to find early success, the single ‘A Fool in Love’ would hit the pop charts, followed by a string of hits ‘It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,’ ‘Poor Fool,’ and ‘Tra La La La La.’ With their popularity on the rise, Ike and Tina Turner would marry and share four boys together. 

They would go on to record the album ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ with the famous record producer Phil Spector solidifying the dynamic duo as an international powerhouse. After touring as the opening act for the Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina would remake the Creedence Clearwater Revival track ‘Proud Mary,’ which would earn them their first Grammy win. Unfortunately, while the duo had reached musical success, their union was in shambles. Tina Turner would reveal that she had suffered years of physical abuse at the hands of her husband; they would separate personally and professionally in 1978. 

In the years following her divorce, Turner would struggle to find her way but in the early 80’s she would make a triumphant return to the stage with the debut solo album, ‘Private Dancer.’  It would sell more than 20 million copies worldwide and would earn three Grammy Awards, including a record of the year and best female performance for ‘What’s Love Got to Do with It.’ She would follow up the success of ‘Private Dancer’ with the release of three more albums. Turner would also continue touring throughout the 21st century and release her greatest-hits album ‘All the Best’ in 2004. Honoring their musical contribution, Ike and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, in addition to receiving a Kennedy Center Honor in 2005. Tina was given the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary musical talents, and in 2021 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would honor her as a solo artist.