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."
She Made My Blood Run Cold
Ike Turner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
sent cold chills all through my soul.
I went to see my doctor,
asked him what was wrong.
He gave me an examination,
I was chilled through my bones.
sent cold chills all through my soul.
He said your kisses freezes my heart,
causes my blood to stop.
Have icicles hanging from my eyes,
I need heat all around the clock.
She made my blood run cold,
sent cold chills all through my soul.
He checked my blood pressure,
he found that I had none.
He said "Bring me that woman
so she can see what she has done!"
She made my blood run cold,
sent cold chills all through my soul.
She came to the doctors office
and rubbed him on his head.
And before I could give him a warning
he was standing there frozen dead.
She made his blood run cold,
took all the life right out of his soul
(What a chilly woman!)
The lyrics to Ike Turner's song She Made My Blood Run Cold describe a woman who has a chilling effect on the singer's body, causing his blood to run cold and sending chills throughout his soul. The singer seeks medical advice and is told that the woman's kisses freeze his heart and cause his blood to stop. The doctor examines him and finds that he has no blood pressure, ultimately leading him to ask the woman to come to his office. Unfortunately, before the singer can warn the doctor, the woman rubs him on his head and freezes him to death.
The song is a representation of how powerful and destructive women can be, and the impact they have on men's lives. It is also a commentary on the dangers of allowing external influences to control one's emotions and wellbeing. The chilling effect of the woman represents a loss of control and a surrender of one's power to outside forces.
Line by Line Meaning
She made my blood run cold,
Her actions caused me to feel a sense of fear and dread.
sent cold chills all through my soul.
Her actions impacted my emotional well-being deeply.
I went to see my doctor,
I sought professional medical advice.
asked him what was wrong.
I inquired about my physical and emotional state.
He gave me an examination,
He conducted a medical assessment on me.
I was chilled through my bones.
I felt cold and uncomfortable.
He said your kisses freezes my heart,
My romantic interactions with this woman are negatively impacting my heart.
causes my blood to stop.
My blood pressure and circulation are negatively affected.
Have icicles hanging from my eyes,
I am experiencing physical symptoms of extreme coldness.
I need heat all around the clock.
I require constant warmth to counter the negative effects of this relationship.
He checked my blood pressure,
He assessed my cardiovascular health.
he found that I had none.
My blood pressure had dropped dangerously low.
He said "Bring me that woman
He sought to confront the woman responsible for my physical and emotional decline.
so she can see what she has done!"
He wanted her to understand the severity of her actions.
She came to the doctors office
The woman in question arrived at the medical facility.
and rubbed him on his head.
She made a physical gesture towards the doctor.
And before I could give him a warning
I did not have the opportunity to intervene.
he was standing there frozen dead.
The woman's actions resulted in the death of the doctor.
She made his blood run cold,
The woman was responsible for the doctor's death and caused fear and dread in others.
took all the life right out of his soul
Her actions drained the life from the doctor and caused immense harm.
Writer(s): Turner
Contributed by Zoe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
C L
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
I went to see my doctor
Asked him what was wrong
He gave me an examination
I was chilled through my bones
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
He said your kisses freezes my heart
Causes my blood to stop
Have icicles hanging from my eyes
I need heat all around the clock
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
He checked my blood pressure
He found that I had none
He said "Bring me that woman
So she can see what she has done!"
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
She came to the doctors office
And rubbed him on his head
And before I could give him a warning
He was standing there frozen dead
She made his blood run cold
Took all the life right out of his soul
(What a chilly woman!)
C L
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
I went to see my doctor
Asked him what was wrong
He gave me an examination
I was chilled through my bones
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
He said your kisses freezes my heart
Causes my blood to stop
Have icicles hanging from my eyes
I need heat all around the clock
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
He checked my blood pressure
He found that I had none
He said "Bring me that woman
So she can see what she has done!"
She made my blood run cold
Sent cold chills all through my soul
She came to the doctors office
And rubbed him on his head
And before I could give him a warning
He was standing there frozen dead
She made his blood run cold
Took all the life right out of his soul
(What a chilly woman!)
MrSoulPatrol
Love this haunting sound!
M.T. Wallet
great tune, it's got some Jay Hawkins' flavor
Ernesto Escobar
Black Sabbath should have a cover of this
Francosoul
Thanks for info 👍
Donna Keith
💗💋💗💋👍
Ian Hope
👍🙂
George Willett
It kind of reminds me of Little Willie John's "Fever", too..
colbito
Funny you say that, I always play them back to back when I DJ....
scottsoul64
Wow!