Questions
What was Tina Turner’s real name?
She was born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee, and grew up in the rural community of Nutbush.
How did she get the name Tina Turner?
Ike Turner reportedly renamed her Tina because it rhymed with Sheena, inspired by the comic heroine Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. He even trademarked the name so he could replace her with another Tina Turner if she ever left.
What is she known as?
She is widely called the Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll for breaking racial and gender barriers in rock music.
What was her biggest hit?
Her signature solo smash was What’s Love Got to Do with It, which hit number 1 in 1984 and won Record of the Year at the 1985 Grammy Awards.
How did the Ike and Tina Turner partnership start?
The Ike and Tina Turner Revue formed after their 1960 hit A Fool in Love, and their explosive live shows became legendary on the Chitlin’ Circuit.
How many records did she sell?
Tina Turner sold over 100 million records worldwide across her career.
What was her big comeback?
At age 44, after being written off as past her prime, she reinvented herself with the 1984 album Private Dancer, which sold around 10 million copies worldwide.
Did she really set a concert attendance record?
Yes. In January 1988 she reportedly performed before about 180,000 people at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest paying concert audience for a solo artist.
How many Grammys did she win?
She won 12 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
When did she leave Ike Turner?
She fled from Ike in Dallas, Texas, on July 1, 1976, following an altercation, and their divorce was finalized in 1978.
Is there a movie about her life?
Yes. The 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do with It starred Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike, based partly on her 1986 autobiography I, Tina.
What happened with Mick Jagger at Live Aid?
During their 1985 Live Aid duet, Mick Jagger reportedly ripped away her skirt to reveal her swimsuit bottoms, an infamous moment that became rock history.
Was there a stage musical about her?
Yes. The musical Tina opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre in April 2018, with Adrienne Warren in the lead role.
When did Tina Turner die?
She died on May 24, 2023, in Küsnacht, Switzerland, at age 83. She had become a Swiss citizen in 2013.
When did the song The Best come out?
The Best, often called Simply the Best, was released in 1989 on her album Foreign Affair.
