The Triumphant Tina Turner

You Were a Wonder

May 26, 2023

It must be the most gratifying part of being a musician—-to have people tell you how much your work has affected their lives. We all must die. But I am sad to see Tina Turner leave this Earth.

She was the same age as my mother. As a black child growing up in 1960’s segregated South, I grew up listening to her and Ike. And she was a marvel of a woman—boundless bundle of energy and emotion right on the surface for everyone to see. Her performances were always electric—sweat, sexual tension, and exhaustion..

But it was her triumph over adversity—-poverty, abuse, loss, and abandonment—-that was inspiring. It was something to behold. I have been thinking about and listening to her music and interviews the last few days. It is still wondrous how these prominent people affect our lives—people we never privately know

Tina Turner was born in Nutbush, Tennessee, in 1939. She grew up in poverty and experienced racism and discrimination firsthand. She was a black woman in the Jim Crow South, and never allowed to forget it—-not even for a day. For a young girl born in 1939, growing up Black in the South was a daily reminder of second-class citizenship. That girl would be denied access to the same opportunities as white children, and she would be often subjected to discrimination and prejudice. From an early age, like every black child in that geographical space and era did, that girl knew that she would have to work twice as hard as anyone else to achieve what she wanted.

As a matter of daily life, that girl would be forced to use separate facilities, which were often dirty and poorly maintained. She would also be denied access to many of the same amenities as White children, such as theaters, swimming pools, water fountains and restrooms. In addition to the physical segregation, that girl would also made to feel like she was inferior to White people In every way. This constant discrimination and prejudice would take a toll. She would have to deal with the stress of constantly being on guard against racism and its traps. The experiences of growing up in the segregated South were difficult and challenging. However, that girl learned to be strong, resilient, and determined.

Tina started singing in church as a child, and she quickly realized that she had a gift. She began her music career in the early 1950s, and she quickly rose to fame as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner act. She was a proud woman but still vulnerable. She came from literally nothing and, like she said in an interview in 2018, she had all of her hardship in the first part of her life, and she made the second part of her life the happy ending she had always wanted. She did not succumb to the tragedy of the first part of her life, which is what happens to so many people. And she didn’t cling to performing until the grave. She was philosophical but firm about her relationship with Ike. And she didn’t let his pathologies ensnare her once she left him—-what happens to so many abused people.

https://people.com/tina-turner-recalled-escaping-ike-turner-abusive-marriage-1981-people-interview-7503995

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121202697.html

I remember the first time I heard Ike and Tina’s rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s "Proud Mary." I was a child, and I was immediately captivated by Turner's voice and her raw emotion. She made it her own. In the 1970 recording, Tina starts things off by saying that they don't believe in doing things the easy way, regardless of what the audience expects. Then she gives a heads-up, as if to prepare us for the sudden change in speed in the middle of the song: "We'll start off slow and then kick it up for the big finish. That's how we do 'Proud Mary'." And wow! Tina and the Ikettes amazed with their incredible moves like high kicks, twirls, spins, and graceful swimming motions. These performances made the revue famous for putting on legendary shows that you just had to see. This song was about struggle, but it was also about strength and resilience. It spoke to me, and it made me feel like I could overcome anything.

When a great artist dies, it is as if a part of the world has died with them. Their gifts, their art, their words, all become a part of our collective memory. And so it is with Tina Turner. As a singer, a dancer, an actress, and a survivor, she was —-as her 83 years reveal—-a force of nature. She overcame poverty, abuse, and prejudice to become one of the most successful entertainers in the world—-male or female, rock and pop, black or white.

In her lifetime, Tina Turner sold 100 to 150 million records worldwide, solidifying her position as one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. She achieved remarkable success with 12 Grammy Awards, 3 Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She made history as the first Black artist and the first woman to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. That magazine also ranked her among the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. She was recognized with a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honored her twice, inducting her alongside Ike in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. And she accepted the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005 and received the Women of the Year award.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/private-dancer-204642/

I don’t really value celebrity worship, but I really believe that Tina Turner had a lot to offer in terms of her life experience and the way she carried herself. Tina Turner’s presence on this Earth was a powerful force for change. Her life spoke to the pain and the joy of the black experience in America. She was a pioneer for women in the music industry, in general, but she broke down barriers for black artists in rock music—-a genre most exemplified by testosterone fueled white masculinity. Indeed, for Black Americans, especially, Tina Turner's music was always more than just entertainment. It was her life that was a source of strength and inspiration. That determination. That will to be better. To live better. To demand more than just what was handed to her.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/tina-turner-reflects-on-being-a-black-woman-in-rock/

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/03/26/entertainment/tina-review/index.html

For the young girl, born in 1939, growing up in the 40s and 50s in the deep South, could easily have led her to feel isolated and alone and she, like many others, could have let that struggle define her life. Anna Mae Bullock (the incomparable Tina Turner!) should be a role model for us, because she showed us, not told us, that we can survive living in this world—-that it is possible to achieve our dreams.

Turner's life story is a testament to the resilience of Black Americans. For all people really.

Long live your memory, Miss Tina. You were a wonder.