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5. Ike & Tina Turner
Proud Mary
(John Fogerty)
Liberty LP 7650
Ike Turner headed a revue that
seemingly had it all. His wife Tina was
an explosive front woman. There was
a dynamic vocal group to accompany
her in The Ikettes, and a blistering band
led by Clarksdale, Mississippi-born Ike,
who wielded his Stratocaster like a
scythe. Only one thing was missing
from the rail-thin guitarist’s existence
as the decade turned: a major hit.
During the early ‘60s, Ike and Tina had
posted a string of them.
“I was living in
St. Louis, and I wrote this song, ‘A Fool
In Love,’ for Art Lassiter. He didn’t show
up at the recording session, so I put
Tina’s voice on there with intentions to
erase her voice and put him on when I
found him. I didn’t find him,”
said the
late Turner.
“Dave Dixon was a disc
jockey there in St. Louis. Dave said,
‘Man, I’m sending this to Sue Records.’
So he sent it to Juggy Murray. And
Juggy came down to St. Louis.”
The ultra-raw
A Fool In Love
came
out on Sue and was a huge hit in
1960. It was followed by
I Idolize
You
(humility wasn’t composer Ike’s
strong suit),
It’s Gonna Work Out
Fine
(Mickey Baker subbed for Ike
vocally),
Poor Fool
, and
Tra La La
La La
. They were way in the
rearview mirror by 1971. Apart from
some mid-range R&B charters, Ike
and Tina’s amazing live act hadn’t
