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."
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Ike Turner Lyrics
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But is it wrong to love, 'cause I'm not a rich girl
I thought that love would make my life bright and sunny
They said I couldn't love him 'cause he didn't have no money
So every day, I have to cry some
Every day, I have to cry some
Dry the water from my eyes some
I had me a guy, I guess I really loved him
'Cause every night, I was always thinking of him
But you can't mix love with money
'Cause if you do, it's gonna hurt somebody
So every day, I have to cry some
Every day, I have to cry some
Dry the water from my eyes some
Every day, I have to cry
Lord, I know that I'm just a poor girl
But is it wrong to love, 'cause I'm not a rich girl
I thought that love would make my life bright and sunny
They said I couldn't love him 'cause I didn't have no money
So every day, I have to cry some
Every day, I have to cry some
Dry the water from my eyes some
Every day, I have to cry
The lyrics to Ike Turner's song "I have to cry" explore the theme of how money can often be a barrier to love. The song is narrated by a poor woman who loves a man who is also poor, but society tells her that she cannot love him because he doesn't have any money. The woman longs for a happy and sunny life, but because of societal pressures, she is forced to cry every day.
The singer explains in the first verse that she knows she is just a poor girl and wonders if it's wrong to love someone even if she is not rich. She believed that loving the man would make her life brighter but society convinced her that she couldn't love him because he had no money. The woman is essentially trapped between what she feels and what society expects of her.
In the second verse, the singer admits that she was in love with a man, but they could not be together because of money. The woman understands that love and money do not mix well and someone always gets hurt. However, this realization does nothing for the pain and sadness she feels every day, forcing her to cry every day.
The chorus of the song repeats "Every day, I have to cry, dry the water from my eyes some" which highlights the sadness and despair she faces every day. The woman is forced to suppress her feelings and hide behind tears because society is not allowing her to live her life based on love but on financial status.
Overall the song is a powerful commentary on how societal expectations can come between people who love each other. It highlights the painful struggles that can arise when people allow money to dictate their relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, I know that I'm just a poor girl
Although I am a girl who lacks a lot financially, I am aware of my social status
But is it wrong to love, 'cause I'm not a rich girl
I wonder if it's a crime to love someone despite not being wealthy
I thought that love would make my life bright and sunny
I believed that love would fill my life with brightness and positivity
They said I couldn't love him 'cause he didn't have no money
People disapproved of my love for him because he was not financially stable
So every day, I have to cry some
Every day, I shed some tears because of my situation
Every day, I have to cry some
Every day, I feel sad and emotional
Dry the water from my eyes some
I need to wipe away my tears
Every day, I have to cry
Every day, I experience emotional pain
I had me a guy, I guess I really loved him
I had a boyfriend, and I think I had true feelings for him
'Cause every night, I was always thinking of him
I always thought about him every night
But you can't mix love with money
Love and money should not be mixed because it can cause problems
'Cause if you do, it's gonna hurt somebody
If you mix love with money, someone will get hurt
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ARTHUR JR. ALEXANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dai Sanchez
"I did no more to Tina than I would want someone to do to my mother" That's the problem right there. He probably grew up seeing domestic violence as normal.
E. Wol
Donโt read into things inaccurately. He was saying that he wasnโt abusive as portrayed, and his conduct would be acceptable to someone treating his mother that way. Keep in mind Tina was not the little virgin they made her out to be before meeting Ike. She already had kids from Ikeโs band member and a random guy who she didnโt know his identity. He raised all of them and married her and provided for them. Tina abused Ike just as much as he abused her.
Jessica Hall
@E. Wol I truly believe that. I've seen the movie so many times, and just rewatched it today on hulu. I had no idea she kids before ike. I have to look that up. But I truly believe if he was just closed-fist punching her all those years for almost no reason, she never would have survived that unless she fought back hard.
itinav arait
Shadow Play in the Woods she literally had a child with Ike's band mate and she wasn't that innocent either as her movie portrays her to be lol. Finding out new information on her as I got older was mind blowing
MickeyDs14
@E. Wol she had one [single] child before she was with Ike. Just like Ike had children before he married Tina and even fathered a child while they were married. Her not being an innocent virgin doesnโt mean Ike wasnโt a narcissistic abuser towards her. Why did she need to be a completely innocent virgin in order for her claims of abuse to be valid!? We were not there, she was. And he admitted in this video and in his book that he hit her. Yโall kill me, man.
veru da damaja
Back then that was the normal. The man of the house in the black community was meant to keep the wife and kids in line. My grandma said if you called the police for domestic violence they basically said "that's family problems they'll get back together when everything settles"
That's why they see no wrong in it
CARTERMADE 86
The fact that he sounds like a serious drunk uncle at a family reunion telling a story is got me hollering lmao
reasy1978
Right! ๐๐๐คฆโโ๏ธ
CC T
Damn I guess we all got a drunk unc in the family smdh
Nikevia McNeil
I couldnโt breathe ๐๐