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Biography

Anna Mae Bullock (Tina's real name) was born on November 26 1938, in Nutbush, Tennessee. She is the daughter of a sharecropper and soon became an international female rock star with her powerful voice, her unforgettable story, and let's not forget, her remarkable trademark legs. Everything started when she attended a St-Louis high school when Tina met Ike Turner, a well-established R&B bandleader (Turner's Kings of Rhythm). She started to sing with the band and soon got involved with the saxophone player and had her first son, Raymond. She quickly moved into Ike's house, began a serious a relationship, and eventually gave birth to her second baby. Tina and Ike later married in a quick Tijuana ceremony.

This alliance turned out to be illegal because Ike never bothered to divorce his first wife. Their marriage marked the beginning of a long, cruel journey for the talented singer. Tina's life was completely controlled by Ike who forced her to work a grueling tour schedule and beat her if she disobeyed his orders. Tina' s energy, dynamism and grueling voice got her on top of the pop-rock act with hits such as River Deep Mountain and Proud Mary. She acquired her quest for worldwide fame when she opened for the Rolling Stones in 1969. She made such a good impression that Mick Jagger still uses some of her on-stage moves in his current acts.

Tina soon had enough of Ike's possessive behavior, and after a failed suicide attempt, walked out on him with thirty-six cents and a gas station credit card. It didn't look like a promising career move for Tina; many believed she would disappear from the music scene without Ike's musical weight supporting her. In 1978, Tina released her first album since her separation from Ike. In 1984, Turner staged what has been widely considered the most "amazing comeback in rock music history". In February 1985, Turner embarked on her first solo world tour, the Private Dancer Tour, which met 170 dates in the U.S., Asia, Europe and Australia.

On January 16, 1988, Turner made history when she entered the Guinness World Records performing in front of the largest paying audience (over 184,000) to see a solo artist. In April, Turner's double live album, Tina Live in Europe, was released. In late 1989, Turner released her seventh studio album, Foreign Affair, which included the international smash, "The Best". In 1996, Turner's Wildest Dreams album was released. In November 1999, Turner released the dance single "When the Heartache Is Over," its parent album, "Twenty Four Seven," was released in Europe the following month. In February 2000, the album was released in America and nearly reached gold status. In 2004, Turner released a new compilation, All the Best, and released the single "Open Arms". On October 16, 2007, Carlos Santana released an album entitled Ultimate Santana which featured Turner singing "The Game Of Love", a song she had recorded in 2002, but which was previously unreleased.