off the leash

Ike Turner could stake a claim as the father of rock and roll. In 1951 he came out with a song called “Rocket 88” that some say is the first rock and roll record. 

But that’s not what he’s known for. Instead he’s remembered for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and, he’s remembered as the abuser of his musical partner and wife Tina.

The Ike and Tina Turner Review ended abruptly in 1976 when Tina pulled out and filed for divorce. The details of Ike’s abuse would come out  in the 1987 autobiography “I, Tina” and the 1993 movie “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”

Ike once offered this rather lame explanation (Frank Spotnitz, UPI, Aug. 23, 1985):

“Everybody has fights.

“Some of them say I beat her, I was brutal to her. I think you can look at her and see about how brutal I’ve been. Anyway, everybody loves her today, definitely think if I was brutal to her – I’m saying if I was – and she’s the one everybody loves today, well then they should be proud I was brutal because she’s what they like to hear.” 

Another member of the Ike and Tina Revue would later come out with charges of abuse by Ike. “American soul singer P.P. Arnold has penned a memoir called ‘Soul Survivor,’ in which she alleges that, during the time she was a member of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, Ike Turner ‘trapped her in a room and raped her.’ The allegation was published in an interview she did with the Telegraph in the U.K. ahead of the book’s release there.” (Thania Garcia, Variety, July 5, 2022)

It wouldn’t be long before Ike Turner’s musical resume would be dwarfed by his rap sheet.

In a obit with the headline ‘Visionary Turned Villain’ written by Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Jot (Dec. 13, 2007), he noted:

“He was arrested 11 times in the ’70s and ’80s for various offenses, mostly drug-related. In 1990, he was convicted of possessing and transporting cocaine, and the next year, as he and Tina were being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was sitting in a prison cell, completing an 18-month sentence.”

In 1974 he “was arrested with the other three defendants at a recording studio March 26, on a warrant accusing them of using studio telephones equipped with ‘blue boxes.’ Authorities said a blue box is a multifrequency device that permits telephone calls to be placed to any dialing point without being recorded by the phone company’s automatic equipment. (Miami Herald, Aug. 8, 1974) Those charges were dropped.

The Albuquerque Tribune had this story on July 14, 1981:

“Rock star Ike Turner, facing trial this month on charges he shot his newspaper delivery man, has been arrested by narcotics officers who reportedly found a small quantity of cocaine in his briefcase. Turner is due in Torrance Superior Court July 27 for trial on charges he shot Andrew Francis in the ankle. Turner pleaded innocent June 18 to a felony count of assault with a deadly weapon. The entertainer, half of the former team of Ike and Tina Turner, allegedly fired two shots at Francis earlier this year in front of the musician’s home. The incident reportedly was triggered when Francis hit Turner’s dog with a newspaper.” The paperboy, who was an adult male, eventually won an $11 million judgment against Turner.

Six years later (Aug. 31, 1987), Newsday had this:

“In December the rhythm and blues musician said he completed a drug recovery and said he kicked a 16-year cocaine habit and vowed to ‘stay sober for the rest of my life’ as he attempted to revive his career. Yesterday it was disclosed that he is being held in lieu of $2,500 bail in Los Angeles on charges of possessing cocaine after police stopped his car as part of a routine traffic check. Police said that Turner, 55, and another man were arrested late Wednesday night in West Hollywood, and that Turner had a quarter of an ounce of cocaine in his possession.” That incident resulted in a one-year jail sentence.

After their breakup, Tina Turner went on to become ‘the queen of rock and  roll.” She was playing stadiums and arenas. Ike’s comeback was a lot different.

Twelve years later Richard Scheinn of Knight-Ridder Newspapers (Nov. 6, 1988) wrote about Turner’s attempt to get his career back on track playing clubs in California.

“Clubs in San Rafael and Cotati had cancelled Turner’s gigs for lack of advance sales. Then, to salvage dates in Soquel and San Francisco, Turner accepted a pay cut for the band from about $2,500 to $1,500 a night.”

Scheinn caught one of the shows at a club called O.T. Price’s.

“The dance floor is full, but it soon becomes apparent that the music is missing a certain edge, a certain groove and commitment – Turner had spoken earlier about the challenge of teaching his new band to ‘sound and feel real.’ Most of the audience remains in its seats, not looking terribly thrilled, as the band rolls through Sly Stone’s ‘I Want to Take You Higher,’ followed by a country tune, a slick pop-soul tune and the inevitable ‘Proud Mary,’ once an anthem for Ike and Tina. Turner looks a little sheepish, fades into the background, then smiles and gives a thumbs-up sign to the audience as he runs off the stage at the end of the set.”

In 2001, 23 years after his last record, Turner released a new album ‘Here and Now.’

His complicated legacy is demonstrated by this story.

“(St. Louis) Mayor Francis Slay denied a request to honor Turner by making Sept. 2 ‘Ike Turner Day’ in St. Louis, the same day Turner was scheduled to play at the Big Muddy Blues Festival. Some had complained to the mayor that honoring a man who has admitted hitting his ex-wife would send the wrong message.” (Cheryl Wittenauer, AP, Dec. 13, 2007)

Turner died in 2007 at his home in suburban San Diego. He was 76.

One unfortunate part of his legacy has apparently lived on: “Ike Turner Jr., son of the late legendary singer Tina Turner and former husband and musical partner Ike Turner, was arrested Saturday, May 6, and has been charged with crack cocaine possession and tampering with evidence.” (Danielle Bacher, People, June 21, 2023)