Tina Turner photographed by Lynn Goldsmith, 1975.

Mrs Tina Turner The "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" 

(November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023)

In a career spanning more than 60 years, the US-Swiss singer, who was born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, won eight competitive Grammy Awards and has a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the St Louis Walk of Fame.

Her famous track list over the years includes the Bond theme track for 1995’s GoldenEye, with a tune of the same name co-written by Bono and The Edge of U2 fame, and other tracks include We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome), What’s Love Got to Do With It, Private Dancer, Let’s Stay Together and many more.

In 2008 she duetted at the Grammys with Beyonce for a rendition of Proud Mary which featured both the powerful singers, in sparkly outfits, mirroring each other’s choreography.

Other notable duets through her career included performing with David Bowie and in 1985 she took to the stage with The Rolling Stones’ Sir Mick Jagger during Live Aid.

Her career spanned more than music, with her starring in the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome alongside Mel Gibson and she also appeared in 1993’s Last Action Hero.

In 2021 she sold the rights to her back catalogue after reaching an agreement with BMG for an undisclosed sum, signing over her share of her recordings, her music publishing writer’s share and her name, image and likeness, the company said.

Her solo works include 10 studio albums, two live albums, two soundtracks and five compilations, which together have sold more than 100 million records.

All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. 

Tina, we will miss you dearly.

Tina Turner by Annie Leibovitz (1971)

Tina Turner performing a cover of “Respect” live at the Rolling Stones American tour (1969).

RIP ACID QUEEN

Tina Turner (November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023)

Tina Turner/Anna Mae Bullock 1939-2023 RIP

Tony Frank - Ike and Tina Turner, Hôtel Georges V Paris. 1971

The Beyhive was abuzz when Beyoncé dropped a teaser for her two new country-adjacent song (“Texas Hold 'Em” and “16 Carriages”) during the Superbowl. But when it comes to African American soul divas dabbling in country music, as so often the case in pop culture history, Queen Tina got there first! I’d always mistakenly assumed Acid Queen (1975) was Tina Turner’s debut solo effort, but no – the record Tina Turns the Country On was released in September 1974 (so it turns fifty this year. Note that Tina started releasing solo material when she was still married to Ike). On it, the R&B tigress wraps her gravelly rasp around material by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Hank Snow, Bob Dylan and James Taylor. While Turns the Country On garnered Turner a Grammy nomination that year for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female" it belly-flopped commercially (no singles from it were released) and the reviews were decidedly mixed (“She sounds so woeful doing country on Turns the Country On, you would think she grew up overseas” Ron Wynn concludes in his 1985 book Tina: The Tina Turner Story). You can judge for yourself – the album is streaming on Spotify. Ultimately, as the Saving Country Music website notes “perhaps Tina Turner’s biggest country music contribution came from being a muse, not a performer. In 1969, Waylon Jennings was hanging out at the Fort Worther Motel in Fort Worth, TX when he breezed by an advertisement for Tina Turner describing her as a “good hearted woman loving two-timing men.” Waylon immediately recognized the phrase as the perfect premise for a country song” – and it resulted in his 1972 hit “Good Hearted Woman.”

Young Tina Turner

Tina Turner performing at the Festival of Hope at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury on August 13, 1972.

Photos by Jim Peppler

Vintage Magazine - Sepia (Feb1973)

Tina Turner celebrating her 34th birthday party in Denmark, 1973.

Standing: Rhonda Graam (Tour Manager/Secretary), Debbie Wilson (Ikette), Linda Sims (Ikette). Sitting: Ann Thomas, Charlotte Lewis (Ikette), Tina Turner.

Tina Turner performing a cover of The Rolling Stones hit “Honky Tonk Women” (1971).