Tina Turner was one of the great singers of the '60s, with a flow and strength rarely seen. What she didn't know then was that her husband Ike Turner was a beater who abused her, driven by ambition and drugs.
His story is an example of temperance, empowerment and a full rebirth on a personal and professional level.
Legendary portrait of Tina Turner taken by the famous Richard Avedon in 1971.AFP Photo
Hinge moments
There were several pivotal moments in his career, such as learning in the Nutbush church choir, the fascination with seeing Ike sing for the first time, and working with mega-producer Phil Spector.
But perhaps the most decisive event in his life was making the decision to leave Ike, only in 1976. To make such a decision, after years of beatings and abuse, there was a scene that was like the straw that broke the camel's back: in July 1976, with the husband already heavily addicted to cocaine, the couple had a heated argument in a car after a show in the city of Dallas.
Tina Turner in 1990, when she filled Wemblety Stadium. Photo Reuters.
Tina realized that the situation was not enough and ran away with only 36 cents in her wallet. He hid in a Ramada hotel on the opposite sidewalk and began to dream of a new life, without fear or violence.
Starting from scratch
For the next few years, the woman who had been a shining star on stages across the country had to start from scratch. He worked as a contestant on television game shows, such as The Hollywood Squares, Donny & Marie, The Sonny & Cher Show and The Brady Bunch Hour.
At the same time, while she was filing for divorce in court, Ike was suing her for the shows she left undone. The solution was simple: Tina had to sing again in order to pay off the debts.
In 1977, she relaunched her image with sexy costumes and a series of shows in Las Vegas cabarets. He released albums, but without success. His cachet was still low, almost gifted for a figure and a voice of his category. He even had to accept jobs that he later gave up for years, such as singing in South Africa at the height of apartheid.
Tina Turner live at the 1985 Grammys, following the worldwide furor of "Private Dancer." Photo: AP
Another "changa" was joining a TV show in Italy, where she sang regularly during several broadcasts.
He also got his first international tour as a solo artist and came to Australia. There she was seen by a producer named Roger Davies, who offered to be her manager. Together, they began a history of professional rebirth as rarely seen in the record industry.
A contract especially valued by Tina Turner was to sing for several years at 100 McDonald's conventions. She was so grateful for that work in hard times, that she kept her word and continued to do her part even when she had already returned to the top.
Return with glory
As we entered the '80s, the stars were aligning for Tina Turner's triumphant comeback.
On the one hand, in October 1981 Rod Stewart saw her sing in a hotel in New York and invited her to make the hit Hot legs in his participation in the famous program Saturday Night Live.
Tina Turner and Mick Jagger at the historic Live Aid charity festival. Photo: AP
The following month, the Rolling Stones invited her to open for their U.S. tour. And in 1982 she appeared as a guest singer on a single album by the new-wave group BEF, on a version of The Temptations' Ball of Confusion.
It was a hit throughout Europe and returned to the charts after almost a decade. The song also hit MTV screens in the United States, where she was one of the first black artists to have high rotation on the channel.
The next blow, thanks to a record contract that Davies got, released a cover of Let's stay together with artistic production of BEF, which reached the first place of the Hot Dance Club Songs of Billboard, number 6 in the English ranking and number 26 in the American.
With that endorsement, the label gave him a budget to record an album and the result was the historic Private dancer, which came out in May 1984. It reached third place in the United States and second in England. It went fivefold platinum and sold 10 million copies worldwide.
The next steps of his overwhelming success, less than a decade after his escape from Ike Turner, are known and only magnify the dimension of his strength, talent and conviction.
MFB