Tina Turner is known as the Queen of Rock n’ Roll, and for good reason. Her career spanned an amazing total of 52 years, and she proved that while she was a star alongside her ex-husband, Ike Turner, she was even more capable as a solo act. This R&B and Rock n’ Roll singer first launched her career in 1957. But ended up pausing after disbanding from Ike Turner, who she divorced.
The world stunned when she came back as a solo act in the 1980s, making it the most amazing career comeback of any singer in history. The first album she released after her comeback, Private Dancer, reached multi-platinum certification. Throughout her career, she sold over 100 million records, making her among the top selling recording artists in history.
Furthermore, the accolades she’s won for her work are legendary. She’s won 12 Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also the first black singer as well as the first woman to grace the cover of Rolling Stone, who listed her as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. She’s also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, but twice!
Sadly, despite all of this fame and amazing talent, Tina Turner’s life filled with tragedy. While her musical and romantic partnership with Ike Turner did launch her into stardom, it came with a great price. Ike Turner was horribly abusive, and it’s taken a toll on Tina Turner ever since. It took a great amount of courage for her to finally say “enough is enough,” . And she ended their relationship and their career in one fell swoop. Fans were initially horrified at the split, mourning one of the greatest musical duos in history. But years later, Tina Turner proved that she was even more impressive while performing on her own!
Tina Turner’s very existence is legendary, and it only makes sense that she’s surrounded by myth. Naturally, there are a lot of lies that have surrounded her life. And many false stories that have persisted for decades. In today’s video, we’re going to clear up what’s fact and what’s fiction by unveiling all of the lies you probably believed about Tina. Make sure you stick around, because we’re also going to reveal one of the biggest and most surprising lies surrounding her hit solo album, Private Dancer. Join Facts Verse to learn more about the lies You Believe About Tina Turner.
Her Real Name Is Tina
Stage names are very commonplace among performers and celebrities. Marilyn Monroe, Brad Pitt, and even Meryl Streep all use other names. However, many people have believed that Tina Turner was one of the celebrities who didn’t use a stage name at all. She’s been such a legendary musician for so long that nobody even questioned whether Tina was actually her given name or not.
Believe it or not, Tina Turner is actually a stage name. She was born with the name Anna Mae Bullock on November 26th, 1939. When she found Ike Turner performing as the lead guitarist of his band, the Kings of Rhythm. Ike Turner was very interested in her musical abilities. She joined the group, initially using the stage name Little Ann. However, Ike Turner told her to change it to Tina, and before long, their group was rebranded as the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
Her First Solo Album Was Private Dancer
For years, Tina Turner was inseparable from her husband, Ike Turner. When she split due to his horrible abuse, fans were saddened that they would no longer get to hear her amazing voice. However, she made an amazing comeback in the 1980s, and in 1984, she released the hit solo album Private Dancer. One huge myth surrounding this album, however, is that it was Tina Turner’s first solo album, when this actually isn’t true at all. Believe it or not, Tina Turner was actually producing solo records while she was still with Ike Turner.
Her first solo album was Tina Turns the Country On! which she released in 1974. After that, she released the 1975 solo album Acid Queen. In 1978, she released two more solo albums, Love Explosion and Rough. While Private Dancer was far from her first solo album, however, it was certainly her most successful.
She and Phil Spector Were Close
Phil Spector and Tina Turner collaborated on the song “River Deep-Mountain High,”. And Spector poured a lot of effort into making the song wonderful. When it was released, however, it was a huge flop in the United States. And Spector actually stopped making music for the rest of the decade. Still, many fans assumed that the two remained somewhat close, having collaborated on such brilliant music together. Sadly, this wasn’t at all what happened.
In truth, Phil Spector later had harsh words about the legendary single. Not only did he heavily criticize her autobiography, I, Tina, but he also claimed that, without Ike Turner, she would have been nothing. In one interview, he scathingly stated “Ike made Tina the jewel she was. When I went to see Ike play at the Cinegrill in the 90s…there were at least five Tina Turners on the stage performing that night, any one of them could have been Tina Turner.”
Ike Turner Was Tina Turner’s First Relationship
Seeing as Tina Turner met Ike when she was just 16 years old, many assume that he was her first true love. However, before dating Ike, Tina Turner actually dated his fellow band member in the Kings of Rhythm, a saxophone player named Raymond Hill. The two dated for some time, then Tina Turner found out she was pregnant with her firstborn. Sadly, before she even gave birth, Raymond Hill left both the band and his lover, and Tina Turner had to care for their son, Craig, all by herself.
Sadly, this would just be the beginning of Tina Turner’s troubles. Make sure you stick around until the very end, because we’re going to reveal how her long relationship with Ike Turner had a lasting impact on her health. And if you’re enjoying this video so far, please take a moment to like this video. And don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
Tina Turner Wrote “Proud Mary”
Ike and Tina Turner performed the song “Proud Mary” countless times together. They did such an amazing job that one persistent myth is that they were actually the ones who wrote the song. In reality, this isn’t true. “Proud Mary” was actually first written and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. But Ike and Tina Turner performed it as a cover that turned the song into something entirely different. In fact, their cover even earned them the spot at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1971!
Tina Turner Dated Mick Jagger
Tina Turner and Mick Jagger crossed paths many times throughout their career, first performing together while Tina Turner was still with Ike. Later, however, after Tina Turner divorced Ike, she would perform with Mick Jagger even more. In 1985, one performance led many to believe that the two were dating. Partway through the performance, Mick Jagger took off his shirt, then even took off Tina Turner’s skirt! However, the two later stated that there was no romantic connection between them, and that the onstage antics were merely for show. Both Mick Jagger and Tina Turner made it abundantly clear that they were nothing more than colleagues.
Her Divorce From Ike Made Her Rich
Ike Turner was both rich and famous when Tina Turner finally divorced him. Oftentimes, divorces end with both parties receiving an equal share of money. So they can continue on with their lives with enough to get by. Unfortunately, this was not at all the case when Tina Turner finally left her abusive husband. In 1978, after the divorce, Ike Turner left with a much larger share of the money, and Tina Turner said she left with “36 cents and a gas station credit card.” Not only had Ike Turner abused her for years, but he also left her with virtually nothing when she finally managed to get away. Thankfully, her solo career would later ensure that she had more than enough money to get by comfortably.
Tina Turner Was Alright After Her Relationship With Ike
Tina Turner finally ended her 16 year long abusive marriage with Ike Turner in 1978. Many assumed that she was able to recover alright, even after the horrible things that Ike put her through. Sadly, however, this isn’t actually the case. Even at age 81, Tina Turner is still feeling the effects of her ex-husband’s abuse. Enduring such a difficult relationship for so long had a lasting effect on her relationships with others in the future. Many recording labels were also hesitant to pick her up at first, because they had difficulty envisioning Tina Turner performing without Ike. While she has gone through much recovery since she finally ended things with Ike, Tina Turner still feels the effects of that long and horrible relationship.
There are a lot of false truths surrounding the legendary Tina Turner. Were you more surprised to learn that her divorce from Ike Turner left her actually quite poor, or that she is still suffering from the effects of his abuse today? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
