Ike & Tina Turner

The Ike and Tina Turner Revue was celebrated for its high-energy live performances, Ike Turner's gritty guitar playing and the raw, soulful vocals of Tina Turner, who went on to far greater commercial success as a solo act.

Ike Turner is credited for masterminding what many historians consider the very first rock n' roll recording, "Rocket 88." He cut the song with his backing band, the Kings of Rhythm, but Sam Phillips' Sun Records credited the single to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, and Turner was paid only $20 despite its smash success, fostering a deep distrust of the record industry that would continue for the duration of his career.

Tina Turner, born Anna Mae Bullock, joined the Kings of Rhythm in 1957, and she and Ike married in 1962. With her dynamic stage presence out front, Ike renamed the group the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, which wowed audiences, critics and even other performers with its electrifying live shows and unique blend of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul and funk. Although the Phil Spector-produced "River Deep - Mountain High" was a commercial disaster, Ike and Tina crossed over to pop radio with their Grammy-winning 1971 cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary."

Despite the Revue's musical success, the personal relationship between Ike and Tina Turner was tumultuous, marked by Ike's domestic abuse and controlling behavior. Tina Turner eventually fled the marriage and embarked on a successful solo career, scoring a series of international hits including "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Simply the Best."