Name	Ike Turner
Height	6' 2"
Naionality	American
Date of Birth	5 November 1931
Place of Birth	Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA
Famous for

Born and raised in Mississippi, Ike Turner started his musical career while still a high school student. A trained pianist and guitarist, he founded a band called the Top Hatters and it was later renamed the Kings of Rhythm. The group performed at small clubs throughout the Mississippi delta and finally nabbed a recording contract with the Sam Phillips celebrated Sun Studios in Memphis. Turner and his back-up band soon enjoyed success with the No. 1 R&B hit “Rocket 88.” Penned by the then 19-year-old Turner, the 1951 single is often considered the earliest rock & roll record. However, because of ambiguous contractual concerns, lead singer Jackie Brensten and his side band, the Delta Cats, were credited with the song by Chess Records, who released it.

Already known as a house boogie-woogie man in West Memphis “blacks only” clubs, Turner headed to East St. Louis in 1954 and his Kings of Rhythm went on to become a major rhythm & blues act in St. Louis in the mid-1950s. During the 1950s, Turner also made a name for himself as reputable musician and producer as well as a talent scout. He played piano and guitar as a side man for countless pioneer blues artists such as Elmore James, Otis Rush, Robert Nighthawk and Sonny Boy Williamson II, in addition to collaborating with the likes of B.B. King, Johnny Ace, Roscoe Gordon, Bobby “Blue” Band and Howlin’ Wolf.

In a 1956 performance in St. Louise, Turner met his future wife, Tina, who at the time was an aspiring singer from Knoxville, Tennessee, and gave her an opportunity to sing with his band during a club date. Recognizing her potential, he asked Tina to join the group. Their first hit, “A Fool in Love,” peaked at No. 2 on the R&B charts (#27 pop) in 1960. After the success, Turner decided to make Tina the center of the act. He brought in a female backup group and worked out arrangements and choreography to benefit Tina’s dynamic voice and stage presence.

Throughout the 1960s, they recorded more than 20 R&B albums for a variety of labels, including Philles/A&M, Warner Bros., Kent, Sue, Collectables, Sunset and Loma, although only some performed well on the pop charts. In addition to “A Fool in Love,” their other notably R&B Top Ten hits included “Whole Lotta Love” (1960), “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” (1960), “Tra La La La La” (1962) and “Poor Fool” (1962). The couple’s luck started to change in the late 1960s when roots-based sounds once again began taking over mainstream pop. They gained significant publicity by performing on foremost TV programs and at Las Vegas spots as well as embarking on a tour with the Rolling Stones.

They continued to score many successful singles like “I Want to Take You Higher” (1970; # 34), “Bold Soul Sister” (1970), “Proud Mary” (1971; #4) and “Nutbush City Limits” (1973; #4 UK). Their records also often tore up the charts, most remarkably Outta Season (1969; Blue Thumb; #11), Come Together (1970; Liberty; #23), Workin’ Together (1971; One Way; #24), ‘Nuff Said (1971; United Artists; #8), What You Hear Is What You Get (1971; EMI; #29), Feel Good (1972; United Artists) and Nutbush City Limits (1973; United Artists; #65).

The huge commercial success, on the other hand, brought trouble to the couple’s marriage. Tina eventually left the act in 1975 and her husband the following year. After the split, Turner had to deal with his cocaine addiction and other personal problems. Thanks to the public’s sustained interest in the classic work of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, he was kept in the spotlight with the release of many recorded anthologies and original albums like Dance (1996), Don’t Play Me Cheap (1996), Dynamite (1994), and It’s Gonna Work Out Fine (1994).

After more than 20 years, Turner made his auspicious comeback in 2001 with Here and Now on Ikon Records. The album was released to critical success and went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. It also collected several W.C. Handy nominations and won one for Comeback Album of the Year. In the meantime, he also performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival and could be seen acting in the films Boys Klub (2001) and Diamonds from the Bantus (2002).

In 2006, Turner further bolstered his prominence with the release of Risin’ with the Blues. The album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.