Turner was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on November 5, 1931, to Beatrice Cushenberry, a seamstress, and Izear Luster Turner, a Baptist minister. Ike got his first taste the music business at the age of eight, helping the DJ at a local Clarksdale radio station, WROX.
Turner was soon carrying amplifiers for blues singer Robert Nighthawk, who often played live on WROX. Growing up, Turner's idol Pinetop Perkins helped teach the young Ike to play boogie-woogie on the piano. Ike soon was enamored of other blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Charley Booker, Elmore James, Muddy Waters and Little Walter.
Ike Turner's actual music career began in earnest in the late-1940s where he formed a group he christened Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm. In 1951, the band recorded what some historians have called "the first rock and roll record" with "Rocket 88", credited to Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (this band did not actually exist). Brenston was both the band's saxophonist and the lead vocalist of the song, and on the original Chess release was listed as the song's writer. "Rocket 88" was produced at Sun Studio in Memphis by Sam Phillips. The record was one of the first examples of guitar distortion, which happened by accident when one of the amplifiers was dropped before the recording.
Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm settled into local fame in St. Louis where the band locally recorded for a St. Louis label and even appeared on local television shows. Throughout this early period, Turner became a recording scout and A&R man for independent record companies including Sun Records, helping the likes of Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James and Otis Rush get signed. He also became a sideman playing guitar for these blues acts and more. Musically, Turner was known for his hard-hitting guitar style. He was known to put the whammy bar of his Fender Stratocaster to frequent use.
Turner's music career changed drastically after meeting a teenage singer from Nutbush, Tennessee, named Anna Mae Bullock, who demandingly grabbed a microphone during a singing session at one of St. Louis' nightspots and sang a B.B. King song in her now-trademark throated raspy vocals. Bullock's performance impressed Ike so much he allowed Anna to join his band as a background singer. However within a year, Ike's plans for Bullock changed after Anna recorded what he originally stated was a demo for a song that was to be sung by a male vocalist. After hearing her vocals, he let it be released under an independent label and in the process changed the name of the singer from Anna Mae Bullock to Tina Turner - naming her after Sheena - and the name of the band to the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. It is believed that this singular act is what propelled Tina Turner into the spotlight. "A Fool in Love" became a national hit in early 1960, reaching the top three in the R&B charts and becoming a top thirty pop hit in the process. From then until 1976, Ike & Tina Turner became one of the most explosive duos in rock & soul music.
After Tina abruptly left Ike after a violent altercation in 1976, Ike lost ground in the national music market. As a solo artist, he struggled to find success after Tina and after releasing two failed solo albums, had found himself facing drug and weapons charges, of which he was convicted in 1989.
When Ike was released from prison in 1993, he was met at the prison gate by Jeanette Bazzell who later became his wife. Jeanette was instrumental in helping Ike rebuild his career. She replaced Tina as Ike's lead singer and eventually they toured the world playing many blues festivals. After the intense negative publicity generated against him as a wife abuser by Tina's movie, "What's Love Got to Do with It", Ike's acceptance in the USA as a legendary blues artist and composer was limited, though better in other countries. During this time he recorded two solo albums in his own studio, and he wrote his autobiography called Taking Back My Name. He also re-recorded "I'm Blue" in a duet style with Billy Rogers. The remake received strong reviews from Billboard Magazine.
Ike was back on the road and back into recording music, which continued until his death. In 2001, Ike released the Grammy-nominated Here & Now album. In 2005, he appeared on the Gorillaz' album, Demon Days, playing piano on the track, "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead". In 2007, Ike won his first solo Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for the album, Risin' With the Blues. Shortly before his death, a collaboration between Turner and The Black Keys was planned, but the project would never be completed, .
Turner died on December 12, 2007 at 76 years of age at his home in San Marcos, California, near San Diego. Little Richard was asked by the family to speak at the funeral. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office reported that Turner died from a cocaine overdose complicated by "[...] other significant conditions, such as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema."
Charley's Boogie Woogie
Ike Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Boogie-woogie all the time
I got a boogie-woogie woman
Boogie-woogie all the time
If she keep on boogyin`
She bound to lose her mind
Well, she boogies in the mornin`
And she boogies all night long
And she boogies all night long
Yes, and the...come
She`s still goin` strong
Well, she boogies in the mornin`
And she boogies late at night
Well, she boogies in the mornin`
And she boogies late at night
Well, I don`t mind her boogyin`
`Cause her boogyin` is all right
Well, she`s a bogie-woogie woman
And she boogies all the time
Well, she`s a bogie-woogie woman
And she boogies all the time
Well, if keep on boogyin`
She bound to lose her mind
The lyrics to Ike Turner's song "Charley's Boogie Woogie" depict a boogie-woogie woman who loves to dance and does so constantly. The repetition of the phrase "boogie-woogie all the time" emphasizes her unending dedication to this style of dance. The repetition of the line "If she keep on boogyin', she bound to lose her mind" suggests that while she is passionate about dancing, there may be consequences or risks associated with her intense commitment. It implies that she may be neglecting other aspects of her life or potentially encountering mental strain due to her constant boogie-woogie.
The verses further illustrate her ceaseless boogie-woogie habit - she dances in the morning, all night long, late at night, and continuously throughout the day. The singer doesn't mind her boogie-woogie obsession because they see it as something enjoyable and acceptable.
Overall, the lyrics celebrate the boogie-woogie woman's unwavering passion for dancing while also hinting at a potential downside or imbalance in her life due to her devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a boogie-woogie woman
I am in a relationship with a woman who loves to dance to boogie-woogie music
Boogie-woogie all the time
She dances to boogie-woogie music consistently
If she keep on boogyin`, she bound to lose her mind
If she continues to dance without rest, she might become mentally exhausted
Well, she boogies in the mornin`, And she boogies all night long
She starts dancing in the morning and continues throughout the entire night
Yes, and the...come, She`s still goin` strong
Even when others are tired or have stopped dancing, she continues with great energy
Well, she boogies late at night
She dances until the late hours of the night
Well, I don`t mind her boogyin`, `Cause her boogyin` is all right
I don't have a problem with her dancing because I enjoy it and it brings her joy
Well, she`s a bogie-woogie woman
She is a woman who loves to dance to boogie-woogie music
Well, if keep on boogyin`, She bound to lose her mind
If she continues to dance without taking breaks, she might eventually become mentally exhausted
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JULES BIHARI, RILEY B. KING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
randal godfrey
smoke it boogie!!!!!
randal godfrey
Ike Turner on guitar!!!!