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Musicheads Essential Artist: Tina Turner

Tina Turner performs in England, 1985.
Tina Turner performs in England, 1985.John Rogers/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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February 22, 2021

Tina Turner got her start with Ike Turner's band, and it wasn't long before she was the star of the show. In the mid '60s she even caught the eye of producer Phil Spector and sang on the Wall of Sound classic "River Deep - Mountain High."

Tina's love for rock music had an influence on the Ike and Tina Turner Revue when they successfully covered CCR's "Proud Mary." After that, it wasn't long before Tina Turner escaped the tight control of Ike Turner, and for years attempted to make it as a solo artist and create her own identity.

In 1984, now in her mid 40s, the planets aligned for Tina Turner when she released her highly successful solo album Private Dancer, featuring her biggest hit: "What's Love Got To Do With It." Tina Turner, a symbol of strength who found success after a tumultuous marriage to her singing partner Ike Turner, is a woman who earned the name the Queen of Rock and Roll.