Tina Turner

Tina Turner is a well-known music performer born in the United States.

Early life

When born in 1939, there was little to suggest that Anna-Mae Bullock was to become one of the most successful female rock music stars in the world.

Born in Nutbush, Tennessee Bullock was born into a life of relative poverty. Her personal life was also difficult from an early stage, having been abandoned by her mother for some years to be initially raised by her grandmother.

Career beginnings

Having moved to St Louis to be reunited with her mother and sister, Anna-Mae became interested in the performances of a singer Ike Turner who performed regularly with his band The Kings of Rhythm.

After being identified by Turner for her unique vocal talents, Bullock became part of Turner's musical revue.

As she assumed an increasingly important musical role within the group, Turner and Bullock married and took the stage name 'Tina' Turner - a name she has performed under since.

Relationship ends

In 1976, the relationship between Ike and Tina Turner had become unsustainable, largely due to ongoing substance abuse problems by Ike, and Tina left her husband with very little means to survive on her own. The couple later divorced but Tina retained the use of her stage name.

Her career entered an extended hiatus period, where longtime fans of her singing style remained her core audience, along with engagements in her own revue in Las Vegas.

During one performance, Turner became aware of the presence in her audience of Roger Davies - an Australian impressario that was best known at that time for having successfully managed the career of Olivia Newton John for some years. A meeting was arranged and the two agreed to explore a professional partnsership, one that endures to the present day.

The 'comeback'

People who had been fans of Turner for years had never really abandoned the singer, however the relaunch of her career gathered momentum following a successful showcase performance at 'The Ritz' which highlighted both new material as well as an updated 'rock and roll' image more in keeping with the zeitgeist of pop culture in the 1980s.

Solo career highlights

Within the space of a decade Turner went from being essentially broke to being one of the world's most successful entertainers.

Her career included playing to sold-out concert venues and stadia around the world.

Retirement

In 2000, at the age of 60, Turner, and her manager Roger Davies, announced that the 'Twenty-Four Seven' tour would be the last large-scale world tour by the artist.

Subsequent work has been sporadically released and promoted primarily by media appearances.