By Katlego Maseko (Y11)
One of the greatest black female singers of the twentieth century, Tina Turner, was born this month on November 26th 1939 in Brownsville, Tennessee, USA. When she died at Küsnacht, Switzerland at the age of 83, she had sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Even more striking is that she reached this level of success despite a late start in the industry. To achieve this level of accomplishment, Tina had to overcome some significant challenges.
Although she was the lead singer of a female band called the Ikettes produced by her husband Ike Turner, she endured abuse from her husband for many years. During her sixteen-year marriage, Tina had suffered severe depression, anxiety and stress. There were reports that Ike had been seen beating Tina multiple times publicly on the streets. After many years of this physical, mental, and emotional abuse, Tina finally decided to leave Ike. When they divorced in 1978, Tina wanted to become a solo singer in the rock industry where she faced a lot of discrimination because she was black and in her late thirties. Adding to ageism and racism was sexism — it was difficult for a black female singer to join the industry at her age and be successful. To do so, Tina often had to fight with her managers at the recording studios. In fact, while in her forties, a typical age where female singers would retire and leave the music industry, Tina continued to produce music.
Thanks to her resilience and hard work, it wasn’t long after her divorce that Tina released many award-winning records including her five famous records “The Best”, “River Deep Mountain High”, “Nutbush City Limits”, “Proud Mary” and “What’s Love Got to Do with It” . These albums sold millions of records worldwide, making her one of the wealthiest artists at the time. In fact, Tina Turner was one of the best-selling black artists in music history, with record sales rivaling other legendary performers like Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, and Ella Fitzgerald. However, her sales figures were surpassed by Michael Jackson, who remains the highest-selling black artist of all time. Tina also won many other awards such as the Best Selling Female Rock artist and Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Before she died in May 2023, Tina earned the name of the Queen of Rock and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Additionally, she earned a star in the Hollywood Walk of fame, right next to Celine Dion.
Tina Turner is an important inspiration to many artists including Beyoncé and a powerhouse of a woman who helped pave the way to other female artists in today’s music industry. Tina Turner’s life and story is also a reminder that life is full of twists and turns and can be a bumpy ride. Through perseverance, self-care and self belief, anything is possible.
Tina Turner – The Queen of Rock
