Post by DrTemptation "Doc T" on Aug 4, 2005 21:40:12 GMT -5
That Billboard bullet, Rocket 88, was penned by a 19-year old boogie-woogie boy and his back-up band, The Kings of Rhythm, for their first Sun Studios session in
March 1951. B.B. King introduced the kid to Phillips, but he did not have a song - yet. So, on that rainy ride
up Highway 61 to Memphis with their gear strapped on top, inspiration and lightening struck. The first muscle car - a highway cruiser - the hot, new, Oldsmobile Rocket 88 was the subject and title of that historic #1 Hit. His lead vocalist, Jackie Brensten, and his side
band, The Delta Cats, were mistakenly credited with the song by Chess Records, who released it. But those that know Rock history know The Kings of Rhythm were the real rockers toiling in the shadows of their own success. That kid is referred to by Little Richard
as The Man.
B.B. King proudly echoes, He's the best band leader I've ever seen. The kid who became The Man is Ike Turner.
Turner full-tilt boogies throughout his Golden Anniversary record, Here and Now. His first
commercial release in 23 years, this Ikon Records debut received rave critical acclaim and a
GRAMMY Nomination for BEST TRADTIONAL BLUES ALBUM in 2001. Likewise heralded by the 2002 W.C.
HANDY BLUES AWARDS as a masterpiece, Turner was lauded with COMEBACK ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
and Nominated for BLUES ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR, SOUL/BLUES MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR, and
SOUL/BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR.
Better known for his signature whammy-bar guitar, the bedazzling piano-man surprises many with
his recently re-discovered piano roots. Turners first mentor was the legendary boogie-boss
Pinetop Perkins, now 89. Turner and Pinetop united for an electrifying, tear-filled piano duet
at the 2001 Chicago Blues Festival filmed for the Martin Scorsese Series The Blues:Godfathers and Sons currently airing nationwide on PBS channels.
Prior to migrating up-river to East St. Louis in 1954, Turner was a house boogie-woogie man in
West Memphis blacks only clubs. A young, white truck driver often snuck in and hid next to the piano to study Ike's boogie style and woogie-wild legs. That kid was Elvis Presley. The list of historical sessions he led with the likes of Elmore James, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and
a still continuing list of blues, rock, and R&B royalty is stunning. He is also noted for discovering, developing, and recording many legendary artists, such as Howlin
Wolf, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and Little Milton.
The 60's rock diva Janis Joplin sought Turner for vocal coaching. A primordial Jimi Hendrix played in the Kings of Rhythm for a time. The bandleader fired him for his
incessant, uncontrolled feedback; imagine that. Another notable talent, Annie Mae Bullock was a gifted
rookie singer he coached, choreographed, and re-styled. He created her image and changed
little Annie's name to Tina Turner. They even taught the Rolling Stones to strut. The rest of the Ike&Tina Turner Review legacy is part history, part legend, part myth.
Turner recorded himself and others variously as the Ike&Tina Turner Review, The Ikettes, Eki
Renrut, The Kings of Rhythm, and under other pseudonyms. His standout recordings include such
classics as "A Fool In Love", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "I'm Blue", "I Wanna Take You Higher", "Nutbush City Limits", "River Deep, Mountain High", and "Proud Mary".
From 1951 to 1976 Ike recorded hundreds of songs and dozens of albums while successfully touring the world
over.
For the next 15 years Turner sank deeper into and then rehabilitated from his well publicized, yet overstated, excesses and mistakes portrayed in the Tina Turner dramatization "What's Love Got To Do With It?" That era of his life cost Turner his family and his fortune. Eventually, the deal-done-wrong with Walt Disney Pictures cost Turner his fame and then his name, too,
through a legal loophole that prevented Turner from objecting to his on-screen character assassination. To her credit, Tina publicly set the record straight, announcing the film was not fair to Ike; but the mass-media glossed over her statement. Then the Oscar
Nominations for riveting, larger-than-life performances transformed Angela Bassett and Lawrence Fishburne, and muzzled all criticism of fiction vs. fact.
Turner re-emerged in the 90's, back on track with two thoughts in mind: One hit is too many, a thousand ain't enough and one man with courage is a majority. Then, fate gave Turner another chance at fame as he was inducted into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. But
he would need all his new found resolve, plus the courage of several lifetimes, to overcome the worldwide
misperception of The Man-become-demonic myth in Tina's movie that was sold as fiction, but bought as fact.
Fortunately, his legendary music survived the thrashing his name did not. As a result, countless hip-hoppers sampled his tracks, most notably the male-rapper-barrier-breaker, Salt-N-Peppa, who turned the Ike-penned I'm Blue into Shoop. Ike was instantly timeless,
again - The Ikettes incarnate. The defiant female-rap trio catapulted Turner with a chart-topping Mega-hit, sizzling to Hot Rap Singles #1, Hot Dance Music #1,
Rhythmic Top 40 #1, Hot R&B #3, and Billboard Hot 100 #4. They had a career total of five #1 Hits in all, but
their one-two punch combination with Turner was THE standout hit-of-hits that powered their 1994 album, None Of Your Business, to a GRAMMY: BEST ALBUM FOR A RAP DUO/GROUP another Turner TKO.
A setback next occurred, as such is life. Turner recalled his storied life with the noted English biographer Nigel Cawthorne, under the title Takin Back My Name,
published in mid-1999. It is a spell-binding saga told by Turner in his Creole rooted oral tradition:
rags-to-riches-to-fame-to-richer-to-rags-to-infamy, repleate with names, dates, crimes, and
confessions. Cawthorne's agent committed a marketing mis-step by signing the book to Virgin Publishing, an otherwise capable publisher. Virgin Publishing later alleged they were not connected to Virgin Records, yet both are London based and share the same logo.
Tina Turner is a Virgin Records recording artist. A reasonable effort to market the book was
put forth. But requested promo copies failed to arrive on time; retail store orders failed to ship; author
in-stores were arranged then abandoned; a frustrated Turner began to decline interviews when repeatedly correspondents had not seen the book; and finally, when Turner rep's located tens of thousands of books log jammed in New York warehouses Virgin forbade them to contact the U.S. staff further, requiring them to talk to the London office only. Soon after in 2000, the
"What's Love" film was suddenly broadcast recurrently and Virgin Records flourished with the release of Tina's mega-selling swan-song, "Twenty Four Seven". She mounted the highest grossing tour of the year, while Ike's autobiography fumbled, stumbled, withered
and died.
Turner, disappointed, sought to regroup. Boot strapping once more, courage did not fail the boogie boy from Clarksdale. Perhaps the first-grader molested by an old
neighbor woman, who watched his beloved father die from a beating around the same time in life, was
entitled to one more reprieve.
He returned to the crossroads of his youth, strategically reinventing himself. He scrapped the Ike Turner Review and revitalized the Kings of Rhythm. He willed Ikon
Records into being and joined forces with Bottled Majic Music magnate, Rob Johnson, to revive his
recording career. At 69, he re-recorded "Rocket 88". To leave no doubt that he IS, WAS and WILL ALWAYS
BE The Man: he cut the vocals himself. Mellowed with age, he distilled all those years building others into an elixir this time for Ike. Then, trepidly he climbed
the stage with raw determination and faced his biggest demon: debilitating stage fright. Stepping up to
front the band on vocals, piano, and whammy-bar, he headlined the Memphis In May Festival.
Memphis embraced his spectacular performance and validated his stature as the mentor of so
many, no longer toiling in the shadows.
Next: the 2001 "Here and Now" record promotion campaign, another page in taking
back his name. It was a marathon of interviews and tour dates capped off with the Conan O'Brien
Show. The witty "I Gave You What You Wanted (It's Not My Fault You Didn't Like What You
Got)" funk-blues was the perfect album teaser for national TV. The clip can be viewed on ww.IkeTurner.com.
With one step back followed by two leaps forward, this instant-classic album energized renewed
interest in his pre-Tina career, as intended. He toured all the influential blues & jazz
festivals, releasing a live album in Europe, "The Resurection", and the companion DVD filmed
at the Montreau Jazz Festival in 2002.
Who says lightening can't three-peat. In 2003 the Japanese female vocal act, 6, 7, 8 & 9 put
a new spin on the Ike-tune "I'm Blue" and their rendition landed in the martial arts,
action-thriller film "Kill Bill". Also, a reunion brought Turner together with fellow Rock Pioneer, Sam Phillips, for rare and humorous moments captured in another
Scorsese segment, The Blues: Return to Memphis. Another feature film, "Soul To Soul" that includes Santana, Ike&Tina Turner, Roberta Flack, the Staple Singers, and others, is set to re-air on TV in
Europe for the first time in nearly 30 years.
2004 will mark the 50th Anniversary of when East Memphis-influenced Elvis stepping into the
limelight. To commemorate this milestone N.A.R.A.S., the GRAMMY organization, is recognizing
Turner and Elvis's original band members, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and DJ Fontana with the
Grammy Heroes Award which will take place in Memphis this spring. St. Louis also recently
honored him with a Star on its illustrious St. Louis Walk of Fame. Today, Turner is concerned
with the wellbeing of urban youth and delivers a positive message to them through The Blues
Schools Program. During Black History Month Turner goes to high schools to perform for and
jam with student musicians, and to spread his message: Stay in school, stay off drugs, follow
your dreams, respect yourself and everyone else will follow. To say Turner is back is to
ignore his influence on legions of rockers, from day one to day now. Fit, trim, ready and
steady; Ike is today; Ike is yesterday; and as Ike rocks into the future he is continually
woven into the Rock of ALL ages.
Doc T
This is an article from Soul Patrol
Bob Davis is the author
March 1951. B.B. King introduced the kid to Phillips, but he did not have a song - yet. So, on that rainy ride
up Highway 61 to Memphis with their gear strapped on top, inspiration and lightening struck. The first muscle car - a highway cruiser - the hot, new, Oldsmobile Rocket 88 was the subject and title of that historic #1 Hit. His lead vocalist, Jackie Brensten, and his side
band, The Delta Cats, were mistakenly credited with the song by Chess Records, who released it. But those that know Rock history know The Kings of Rhythm were the real rockers toiling in the shadows of their own success. That kid is referred to by Little Richard
as The Man.
B.B. King proudly echoes, He's the best band leader I've ever seen. The kid who became The Man is Ike Turner.
Turner full-tilt boogies throughout his Golden Anniversary record, Here and Now. His first
commercial release in 23 years, this Ikon Records debut received rave critical acclaim and a
GRAMMY Nomination for BEST TRADTIONAL BLUES ALBUM in 2001. Likewise heralded by the 2002 W.C.
HANDY BLUES AWARDS as a masterpiece, Turner was lauded with COMEBACK ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD
and Nominated for BLUES ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR, SOUL/BLUES MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR, and
SOUL/BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR.
Better known for his signature whammy-bar guitar, the bedazzling piano-man surprises many with
his recently re-discovered piano roots. Turners first mentor was the legendary boogie-boss
Pinetop Perkins, now 89. Turner and Pinetop united for an electrifying, tear-filled piano duet
at the 2001 Chicago Blues Festival filmed for the Martin Scorsese Series The Blues:Godfathers and Sons currently airing nationwide on PBS channels.
Prior to migrating up-river to East St. Louis in 1954, Turner was a house boogie-woogie man in
West Memphis blacks only clubs. A young, white truck driver often snuck in and hid next to the piano to study Ike's boogie style and woogie-wild legs. That kid was Elvis Presley. The list of historical sessions he led with the likes of Elmore James, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and
a still continuing list of blues, rock, and R&B royalty is stunning. He is also noted for discovering, developing, and recording many legendary artists, such as Howlin
Wolf, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and Little Milton.
The 60's rock diva Janis Joplin sought Turner for vocal coaching. A primordial Jimi Hendrix played in the Kings of Rhythm for a time. The bandleader fired him for his
incessant, uncontrolled feedback; imagine that. Another notable talent, Annie Mae Bullock was a gifted
rookie singer he coached, choreographed, and re-styled. He created her image and changed
little Annie's name to Tina Turner. They even taught the Rolling Stones to strut. The rest of the Ike&Tina Turner Review legacy is part history, part legend, part myth.
Turner recorded himself and others variously as the Ike&Tina Turner Review, The Ikettes, Eki
Renrut, The Kings of Rhythm, and under other pseudonyms. His standout recordings include such
classics as "A Fool In Love", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "I'm Blue", "I Wanna Take You Higher", "Nutbush City Limits", "River Deep, Mountain High", and "Proud Mary".
From 1951 to 1976 Ike recorded hundreds of songs and dozens of albums while successfully touring the world
over.
For the next 15 years Turner sank deeper into and then rehabilitated from his well publicized, yet overstated, excesses and mistakes portrayed in the Tina Turner dramatization "What's Love Got To Do With It?" That era of his life cost Turner his family and his fortune. Eventually, the deal-done-wrong with Walt Disney Pictures cost Turner his fame and then his name, too,
through a legal loophole that prevented Turner from objecting to his on-screen character assassination. To her credit, Tina publicly set the record straight, announcing the film was not fair to Ike; but the mass-media glossed over her statement. Then the Oscar
Nominations for riveting, larger-than-life performances transformed Angela Bassett and Lawrence Fishburne, and muzzled all criticism of fiction vs. fact.
Turner re-emerged in the 90's, back on track with two thoughts in mind: One hit is too many, a thousand ain't enough and one man with courage is a majority. Then, fate gave Turner another chance at fame as he was inducted into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. But
he would need all his new found resolve, plus the courage of several lifetimes, to overcome the worldwide
misperception of The Man-become-demonic myth in Tina's movie that was sold as fiction, but bought as fact.
Fortunately, his legendary music survived the thrashing his name did not. As a result, countless hip-hoppers sampled his tracks, most notably the male-rapper-barrier-breaker, Salt-N-Peppa, who turned the Ike-penned I'm Blue into Shoop. Ike was instantly timeless,
again - The Ikettes incarnate. The defiant female-rap trio catapulted Turner with a chart-topping Mega-hit, sizzling to Hot Rap Singles #1, Hot Dance Music #1,
Rhythmic Top 40 #1, Hot R&B #3, and Billboard Hot 100 #4. They had a career total of five #1 Hits in all, but
their one-two punch combination with Turner was THE standout hit-of-hits that powered their 1994 album, None Of Your Business, to a GRAMMY: BEST ALBUM FOR A RAP DUO/GROUP another Turner TKO.
A setback next occurred, as such is life. Turner recalled his storied life with the noted English biographer Nigel Cawthorne, under the title Takin Back My Name,
published in mid-1999. It is a spell-binding saga told by Turner in his Creole rooted oral tradition:
rags-to-riches-to-fame-to-richer-to-rags-to-infamy, repleate with names, dates, crimes, and
confessions. Cawthorne's agent committed a marketing mis-step by signing the book to Virgin Publishing, an otherwise capable publisher. Virgin Publishing later alleged they were not connected to Virgin Records, yet both are London based and share the same logo.
Tina Turner is a Virgin Records recording artist. A reasonable effort to market the book was
put forth. But requested promo copies failed to arrive on time; retail store orders failed to ship; author
in-stores were arranged then abandoned; a frustrated Turner began to decline interviews when repeatedly correspondents had not seen the book; and finally, when Turner rep's located tens of thousands of books log jammed in New York warehouses Virgin forbade them to contact the U.S. staff further, requiring them to talk to the London office only. Soon after in 2000, the
"What's Love" film was suddenly broadcast recurrently and Virgin Records flourished with the release of Tina's mega-selling swan-song, "Twenty Four Seven". She mounted the highest grossing tour of the year, while Ike's autobiography fumbled, stumbled, withered
and died.
Turner, disappointed, sought to regroup. Boot strapping once more, courage did not fail the boogie boy from Clarksdale. Perhaps the first-grader molested by an old
neighbor woman, who watched his beloved father die from a beating around the same time in life, was
entitled to one more reprieve.
He returned to the crossroads of his youth, strategically reinventing himself. He scrapped the Ike Turner Review and revitalized the Kings of Rhythm. He willed Ikon
Records into being and joined forces with Bottled Majic Music magnate, Rob Johnson, to revive his
recording career. At 69, he re-recorded "Rocket 88". To leave no doubt that he IS, WAS and WILL ALWAYS
BE The Man: he cut the vocals himself. Mellowed with age, he distilled all those years building others into an elixir this time for Ike. Then, trepidly he climbed
the stage with raw determination and faced his biggest demon: debilitating stage fright. Stepping up to
front the band on vocals, piano, and whammy-bar, he headlined the Memphis In May Festival.
Memphis embraced his spectacular performance and validated his stature as the mentor of so
many, no longer toiling in the shadows.
Next: the 2001 "Here and Now" record promotion campaign, another page in taking
back his name. It was a marathon of interviews and tour dates capped off with the Conan O'Brien
Show. The witty "I Gave You What You Wanted (It's Not My Fault You Didn't Like What You
Got)" funk-blues was the perfect album teaser for national TV. The clip can be viewed on ww.IkeTurner.com.
With one step back followed by two leaps forward, this instant-classic album energized renewed
interest in his pre-Tina career, as intended. He toured all the influential blues & jazz
festivals, releasing a live album in Europe, "The Resurection", and the companion DVD filmed
at the Montreau Jazz Festival in 2002.
Who says lightening can't three-peat. In 2003 the Japanese female vocal act, 6, 7, 8 & 9 put
a new spin on the Ike-tune "I'm Blue" and their rendition landed in the martial arts,
action-thriller film "Kill Bill". Also, a reunion brought Turner together with fellow Rock Pioneer, Sam Phillips, for rare and humorous moments captured in another
Scorsese segment, The Blues: Return to Memphis. Another feature film, "Soul To Soul" that includes Santana, Ike&Tina Turner, Roberta Flack, the Staple Singers, and others, is set to re-air on TV in
Europe for the first time in nearly 30 years.
2004 will mark the 50th Anniversary of when East Memphis-influenced Elvis stepping into the
limelight. To commemorate this milestone N.A.R.A.S., the GRAMMY organization, is recognizing
Turner and Elvis's original band members, Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and DJ Fontana with the
Grammy Heroes Award which will take place in Memphis this spring. St. Louis also recently
honored him with a Star on its illustrious St. Louis Walk of Fame. Today, Turner is concerned
with the wellbeing of urban youth and delivers a positive message to them through The Blues
Schools Program. During Black History Month Turner goes to high schools to perform for and
jam with student musicians, and to spread his message: Stay in school, stay off drugs, follow
your dreams, respect yourself and everyone else will follow. To say Turner is back is to
ignore his influence on legions of rockers, from day one to day now. Fit, trim, ready and
steady; Ike is today; Ike is yesterday; and as Ike rocks into the future he is continually
woven into the Rock of ALL ages.
Doc T
This is an article from Soul Patrol
Bob Davis is the author
