TINA TURNER (1939 - 2023)

I'm very sad about the passing of Tina Turner, the pop music superstar who transcended all genres of music, excelling in them all. She passed away on May 24th at the age of eighty-three in her home near Zurich, Switzerland. Turner had been suffering from several health ailments in recent years which included intestinal cancer and underwent a kidney transplant in 2017 with her long-time love and husband (they had been together since 1986), Erwin Bach being her donor.

I have written previously about her life, career and achievements so I would like to just express how much she meant to me as an performer and the impact she had as an artist. Tina Turner was one of my all-time favorite singers and while I loved her astounding musicality, I greatly admired her for being fearless, determined and a survivor. Turner managed to push through all of the abuse, obstacles and indignities that had come her way, which only ended up making her stronger and resilient. And what was truly amazing is that she never came across as bitter, always projecting positivity and a lightness of being.

You could always tell she loved being on stage, even during those times we were unaware she was having to endure the severe difficulties at the beginning of her career with her former husband, feeding off the energy of the music and the audiences, commanding every show with a fierce, singular style and always a broad, confident smile on her face.

As an African-American woman in music who found great success in expected ways yet managed to break through to become an unlikely, even more powerful force in rock & roll, Turner has left behind an important cultural legacy, displaying what could be accomplished through sheer determination and explosive talent. She was truly a dynamic force of nature, an entertainer that can not possibly be duplicated and will forever be missed.

Here are a few songs I loved from Turner that may not all be as well known as the big hits but should be celebrated.

PHIL SPECTOR (1939 - 2021)

Phil Spector, a highly influential producer and songwriter known for the creation of "the wall of sound" which brought a dense orchestral aesthetic to rock music, has passed away at the age of eighty-one. He died on January 16th from complications of COVID-19 as an inmate at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, CA. after being convicted for the 2003 murder of actress, Lana Clarkson and sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison. This is not a warm tribute to this unstable and deeply troubled man but simply acknowledging his important contributions to pop music.

Born Harvey Phillip Spector in the Bronx, he began his career as a musician, performing with the group, The Teddy Bears as a guitarist and vocalist. He wrote their number one hit, "To Know Him Is to Love Him" in 1958, inspired by words on his father's tombstone. He soon moved to forming his own record label, Philles Records, at the age of twenty-one in 1960 and focusing on production. Spector had an ear for talent and went on to sign and produce The Crystals ("He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me"), The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration"), Darlene Love ("(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry", "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)") and The Ronettes ("Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up"). One of the last artists he signed to his label were Ike & Tina Turner and Spector produced the single, "River Deep, Mountain High" in 1966. While the song reached number three in the UK, it did not even come close to the top-forty in the US, disappointing him greatly since he considered it his greatest work.

Spector slowly began withdrawing from recording after this, living largely like a recluse. He was lured out in 1970 by Allen Klein, the manager of the Beatles, to help work on completing their abandoned project which would ultimately become the group's final album, "Let It Be". The album was a major hit with Spector later producing solo work for John Lennon ("Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)", "Imagine", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)") and George Harrison ("My Sweet Lord", "What Is Life"). Spector went on to produced the albums, "Death of a Ladies' Man" for Leonard Cohen in 1977 and "End of the Century" for the punk-rock band, The Ramones in 1979. In both of these cases, fans were unhappy with the results as they found the records too commercial and strayed too far from their musical roots.

While married to his first wife, Annette Merar, a lead vocalist of the Spectors Three, Spector began an affair with Veronica Bennett, (later known as Ronnie Spector), the lead singer of The Ronettes and married her in 1968. Ronnie went on to later describe being psychologically terrorized by him and in forced isolation in their home for years before escaping from Spector in 1972.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA TURNER

It's hard to imagine but the one and only Queen of Rock & Soul, Tina Turner has just turned eighty years old. She had a birthday on November 26th and has been in the news lately due to the recent arrival to Broadway of the jukebox musical, "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical" which covers her extraordinary life. While she has had a few health problems over the last few years, Turner made an appearance at the opening night of the show earlier this month and she looked absolutely fantastic.

If you are a fan, then you are well aware of her history; a teenage Anna Mae Bullock met Ike Turner, changed her name to "Tina" and together became one of the hottest r&b acts. She suffered many years of emotional and physical abuse from Ike before finally breaking free. Heavily in debt, she had to start over. But after working hard, Turner would go on to become an even bigger star, selling millions of records across the globe.

In honor of this true legend and to celebrate all that is Tina, here are a few of my favorite musical highlights from this iconic performer (including a fan-made clip featuring an overview of Turner's amazing career) :

BLACK MUSIC MONTH

June is Black Music Month.

It began on June 7, 1979, when President Carter announced that this month was designated to celebrate and honor this important American music.

So, here is just a very small selection of some of the great influencial pioneers in Black Music:

"Them There Eyes" - Billie Holiday (1935)

"Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?" - Dinah Washington (1958)

"Try Me" - James Brown (1959)

"A Fool In Love" - Ike & Tina Turner (1960)

"A Change Is Gonna Come" - Sam Cooke (1964)

"I'm So Proud" - The Impressions (1964)

"Since I Lost My Baby" - The Temptations (1965)

"This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)" - The Isley Brothers (1966)

"Oh Happy Day" - Edwin Hawkins Singers (1969)

"Respect Yourself" - The Staple Singers (1971)

"I'm Still In Love With You" - Al Green (1972)

"Love Train" - The O'Jays (1973)

"Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" - Barry White (1974)

"Wake Up Everybody" - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1975)