Tina Turner

Guide Note:

Singer-songwriter Tina Turner has performed soul, rock, dance, R&B and pop music during the course of her 50+ years in the music industry. The winner of eight Grammy Awards, Turner is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, selling more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history.

Fast Facts:

1. Real Name: Anna Mae Bullock
2. Born November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee
3. Grammy Nominations: 20
4. Grammy Awards: 7
5. Nickname: "The Queen of Rock and Roll"
6. Named "Tina" after the character Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
7. Sings the theme from the Bond film GoldenEye
8. Acted in the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

At age 16, in 1956, Turner (then known as Anna Mae Bullock) moved with her family to St. Louis, Missouri, where she met an up-and-coming musician and songwriter named Ike Turner. In 1960, they began performing together under the name Ike & Tina Turner Revue and recorded their first hit single, "A Fool in Love." The couple married in 1962.

Ike and Tina Turner recorded together until 1976, producing several hits including "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" and covers of "Honky Tonk Woman" and the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary." By the mid-'70s, Ike Turner's alleged cocaine habit and abusive behavior began to take a toll on the couple's relationship and marriage, and a violent altercation over July 4th weekend in '76 brought their creative collaboration to an end. They divorced in 1978.

Turner had some difficulties getting a solo record deal in America, but remained a popular touring act around the world. After a cover of the Al Green song "Let's Stay Together" became a radio hit in the United Kingdom, she was signed by Capitol Records, which released her massively successful solo album Private Dancer in 1984. The album remains her greatest success as a solo artist.

Turner continued releasing popular albums and touring until 2000, when she officially retired from the road. She announced on April 29, 2008 that she planned to come out of retirement and embark on new tour, set to kick off in Kansas City, Missouri in October of that year.