Anna Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush, Tennessee in 1939, the youngest of three daughters. As a young girl, she sang in the Baptist Church choir.
Anna first saw Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm, perform in a St Louis nightclub in 1957. When she was given a microphone to sing during an intermission one night, Ike was impressed with the 17 year-old. She became the featured vocalist with the band, with Ike teaching her the finer points of voice control and performance.
Their first single A Fool in Love was released in 1960 and became an immediate hit. While touring to support the record, Ike created his own musical revue, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, embarking on a rigorous, financially successful touring schedule across the United States.
Producer Phil Spector wanted to work personally with Tina, and the song River Deep – Mountain High was released in 1966. In 1968, the Revue issued two blues-heavy albums and their success led to headlining at Las Vegas where their shows were attended by a variety of celebrities. Their profile was also raised after opening for the Rolling Stones on their 1969 US tour and performing on The Ed Sullivan Show.
By the mid-1970s, Ike Turner was addicted to cocaine and some shows were cancelled. Tina filed for divorce in 1976 alleging years of physical abuse and infidelity, and assumed responsibility for the debts incurred by the cancelled tour as well as a significant tax debt.
After a series of guest appearances on the albums of other artists, the release of her album, Private Dancer in 1984 was a triumph, both critically and commercially, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and winning three Grammys.
One of the best-selling recording artists of all time, Tina has sold more than 200 million records worldwide. She has won 8 Grammy Awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
A resurgence in popularity of her song The Best in 2010 made Turner the first female recording artist in UK chart history to score top 40 hits in six consecutive decades: the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.
She also had success in acting such as the 1975 rock musical Tommy, the 1985 action film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, and the 1993 film Last Action Hero.
Tina met German music executive Erwin Bach at a record label party in London in 1986. They began dating the following year, and have remained together ever since. They were married in Switzerland in 2013, after a 27-year romantic partnership and Tina became a citizen of Switzerland, relinquishing her American citizenship.
> Tina performing Nutbush in a London concert
