Buzzin Music Blog

Ike Turner died today at the age of 76.

He is best known for his duets with ex-wife Tina Turner. Of all their hits the 1966 classic River Deep Mountain High, produded by the legendary Phil Spector is by far the most well known and most played. However, it was Nutbush City Limits, with its much harder, grungy wah-wah guitar sound & Tina’s croakiest vocal that I fell in love with as a 9 year old child in 1973. A true classic as even today, it sounds fresh and ageless.

After Ike and Tina Turner split both as a duet and a couple, Tina Turner went on to become a successful pop artist and with it came the release of her biography. It was here that allegations were written that she suffered years of abuse from Ike and that he was heavily mixed up with alcolhol and drug abuse, especially cocaine. Until recently this clouded most people’s opinion of Ike Turner.

But in 2005, he appeared on the Gorillaz‘ album, Demon Days, playing piano on the track, “Every Planet We Reach Is Dead“. He also played with the band live with on thier world tour; and in 2007, Ike Turner won his first solo Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for the album, Risin’ With the Blues.

But something I was personally not aware of was that Ike Turner is credited by many music historians and critics as writing and playing on, what is described as the first ever rock n roll record. Forget Carl Perkins and Blue Suede Shoes. In 1951 Ike and his band, The Kings of Rhythm recorded Rocket 88 . The single was listed in the charts as Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats but they didn’t exist. Jackie Brenston (1930-1979) was a saxophonist and sang the vocal.

On Ike Turner’s official website today, his family have left a fitting message:

In Rememberance of Ike Turner
The Turner Family asks that in leu of flowers that you dontate to the music department of your local school in Ike’s name so the music lives on.