Tina Turner is an American-born Swiss rock vocalist, songwriter, and actor. Also known as the “Queen of Rock and Roll”, she quickly rose to stardom as the main lead singer of both Ike and Tina Turner. Tina Turner has also spent several years acting in films, most notably as the love interest of John Turturro in The Great Escape, and as a contestant on the series What’s Your Word? She has also had guest spots on several television shows, including Law and Order, The Simpsons, and The X-Files.
Tina Turner was born in Geneva, Switzerland, the youngest of six children. Her father, a bricklayer, died when Tina was only six. After her parents passed away, Tina was forced to move home took her brother, Peter, and their dog, River deep with them.
With the birth of her first child, Tina took an interest in performing, traveling to Europe to join the burgeoning band of travelling musicians that included John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey, and Paul McCartney. On this European tour, they ended up playing in front of a large audience in a stadium that could hold eighty thousand people. This performance would become the stage for what is known as The Rolling Stones’ first ever concert in English, at the Reading Festival. A month later, The Rolling Stones gave their performance to a much larger audience in front of six thousand people at the London Palladium.
Following this concert, the band began touring again, this time around the world, which resulted in the worldwide exposure that is synonymous with any band that is well-known, like The Rolling Stones. When the second album came out, it immediately charted high on the sales charts, selling over one hundred and forty-five copies in its first week. Then, in the third week the album sold more than one hundred and twenty copies. This set the stage for the next tour, which was to be titled Just Imagine.
During this concert tour, which was to include four UK concerts in the month of May, the theme of the tour was to create a “celebration of rock and roll.” This tour featured the famous guitarist, Tommy Lee Jones, who had joined the band for their second album but had yet to appear on any of their prior records. The result was an instantly popular tour, which led to the release of the film, Tommy Lee Jones: The Legend.
Due to the success of the first two albums and the enduring popularity of the third album (The Legend of Tommy Lee Jones), Tina Turner was able to enjoy a long and successful music career that would include some of her greatest hits. Her catalog of music includes such classic hits as “Where Have All The Flowers Gone,” “I Want To Break Free,” and “Red Solo Cup.” The last track on the first disc, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” was released after Turner’s marriage to Larry Graham, to the surprise and enjoyment of both. Following her marriage to another man (who happens to be her uncle), Tina Turner passed away from lung cancer, at the age of 36.
