From the raw power of her vocals, the sweat of her live performances to her enduring personality and star quality, Tina Turner earned her crown as the queen of rock and soul. Here, fans, writers and collaborators explain what made her so special
Tina the singer: ‘She put gravel in her voice’It’s hard to be a female Black rock singer and not to have been influenced by. There weren’t very many Black women around singing rock when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. There was Etta James – I think she’s one of the original rock singers – but to actually have loud guitars as well, it was only Tina Turner, really. She also came with this whole persona: the wigs, the stance, the outfits, the legs.
For more than five decades, Turner commanded the stage in what fans affectionately called “The Tina Dress”, and the longer she performed, the shorter the hemlines became. “There are no rules that say you have to dress a certain way, or be a certain way. We are living in exciting times for women,” she said in 2009 as she embarked on her 50th anniversary tour.
Later came the cinched leather corsets, double denim and those Private Dancer fishnet tights, but for her final tour in 2009 she returned to her first love, sequins. Descending a towering staircase in a floor length gown, as the opening notes of Addicted to Love began to play, Turner whipped off the gown to reveal a thigh-skimming, sparkling brown mini dress underneath. The dazzle – literal and metaphorical – was as blinding as ever.
Women aren’t set up to be headliners, especially Black women. With so few names we could reference, Tina definitely helped us and the next generation feel less isolated and lonely. No one can match her but if we can take a little bit of Tina going forward, that’s such an amazing thing. She teaches you to be your true authentic self, and that when you’re in the music, let go and enjoy yourself.Labels chase after whoever is having the hits of the moment.
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