She met her abuser when she was 16 years old. A young singer with a raw striking voice and an impeccable stagecraft. He added her to his band once he realised her talent and built their act around her. Together they made some hit songs together. He gave her exposure and then married her.
She had joined his group as Little Anne. Her name was Anna Mae Bullock but all that changed once he had her in the band and subsequently married her. He had renamed her Tina Turner and trademarked her name in the event that she left so any other singer could carry on with her name. Ike, her husband and herself became the singing duo but behind the smiles and energetic performance was a woman in an abusive and toxic marriage. In her biography, I, Tina she describes her marriage as hellish. She told of how on the first day of her marriage Ike took her to watch a live sex show and would often throw her cups of hot coffee. He also beat her with a shoe stretcher among other things.
On the day she would leave this marriage and escape Ike in 1976, she would run off from a tour in Dallas, away from their hotel with a beat in face so bad the hotelier who took her in could offer her only tea and crackers because her injuries would not let her eat solid food. Yes, we are talking about music legend, Queen of rock and roll, the iconic Tina Turner.
Tina Turner’s religious inclination, Buddhism helped her to heal as she would chant in the middle of the violence with Ike Turner
A couple of weeks ago Tina Turner passed at a little over Eighty years old. Grammy winner and multiple award winning singer, songwriter whose stage performance became the reference point for every stage performer across the world. Hut after hit made her the megastar she became. My favourite remains ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ The slow profound song became the song of everyone who had ever suffered a heartbreak.
She met her second husband Bach when he was asked to fetch her for a concert as a music label official. Tina fell in love with him and the rest they say is history. She remained married to Bach until the end of her life.
Tina Turner’s religious inclination, Buddhism helped her to heal as she would chant in the middle of the violence with Ike Turner. She became calmer when she would chant. It was her only way to have peace.
Read also: It’s goodnight Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock n Roll’
In several interviews, she had spoken about how it was difficult to forgive Ike for all he had done to her. Broken ribs, a broken jaw, a broken self-esteem amongst other things. When she left Ike running for her life, she had nothing but 36 cents and her life. She had to start from the bottom. The messy divorce from Ike rendered her penniless. She also had to give up cars and houses to get her name Tina Turner back.
It is this Tina that rose past her pain like a sphinx to become one of the world’s greatest.
She became a Swiss citizen renouncing her American citizenship. She moved to a country she loved and they loved her right back. Tina married Bach in a beautiful ceremony and was with him till the very end.
Many women are going through a lot. I wish you the resilience of Tina Turner. Tina lived her life on her own terms in the end and outlived her former husband. She will be missed but her legacy is assured. Rock on timeless Tina!
