Tina Turner performs in Germany in 1980. (Photo by Impress Own/United Archives via Getty Images)
Growing up in the 1980s we heard songs on the radio and we would sing along, sometimes not even knowing the correct lyrics. Some songs were popular; they would play in the morning, afternoon and evening and then you also saw the video on television.
There was this song What’s Love Got to Do With It? by Tina Turner. I used to sing it with a fake mic and perform it for visitors at home and with friends. I later learnt the lyrics, wrote them down and still know them.
Later on there was the hit We Don’t Need Another Hero. The song made me take an interest in Tina Turner. She was a wig lady in high heels and mini skirts. She had beautiful legs, which she loved and showed them off. Her voice was different and it sold her. In the1990s there was the song Simply the Best. Tina just had a thing with the microphone. What a performer. She was able to make you give her all your attention.
Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock ’n Roll, was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee, on 26 November 1939 and grew up in the nearby rural community of Nutbush, singing in church choir. Her song, Nutbush City Limits, is about her hometown, which she performed with her husband, Ike Turner. Tina was her stage name, given to her by Ike when she was performing with his band, Kings of Rhythm.
Her solo hit, What’s Love Got to Do With It?, which she released at the age of 44, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1984. What’s Love Got to Do With It?, the movie based on Tina’s book, I, Tina: My Life Story written in 1986, was released in 1993.
Simply the Best reached the top 20, while I Don’t Wanna Fight, Typical Male and We Don’t Need Another Hero reached top 10.
Having not performed for about seven years, Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour, which took place in 2008 and 2009, was her last concert.
She has won eight Grammys; her name is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and she has reportedly sold almost 200 million records worldwide, making her one of the best selling artists in music history.
In 2013, Tina married German music executive Erwin Bach, who is 17 years her junior. He donated her a kidney when she needed a transplant.
The Queen of Rock ’n Roll died on 24 May 2023 at the age of 83 after a long illness. She had been diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and had a kidney transplant in 2017.
Rest in peace Tina Turner. You lived, you entertained, you made your mark and you left a legacy.