Since its inception as a genre of music in the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll most often has been associated with men.
But Tina Turner has proved several times over since the late 50s until her retirement from performing in 2009 that the ladies also have something to offer when it comes to guitar-based music.
In fact, in a new interview with The Guardian, the Brownsville, Tennessee native reiterated her desire to be considered the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, when asked how she would like to be remembered.
Now, at 83 and living with her husband in Switzerland, Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock) is opening up about her personal life and career, including her celebrity crush, which is one of the most legendary rockers of all time.
‘I always had a crush on Mick Jagger,’ she said of the iconic Rolling Stones frontman, who she met when she was performing with her ex-husband as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in the 1960s. ‘I loved when we toured with the Rolling Stones.’
Stones crushing: Tina Turner, now 83, says she has ‘always had a crush on Mick Jagger’; the pair pictured performing at the Live Aid Concert in July 1985 in Philadelphia
Turner has always gravitated to rockers like Jagger and David Bowie, but in an interview with Baz Bamigboye for the Daily Mail in June 2017 she insisted her relationships with the two superstar frontmen were always platonic, calling them ‘the brothers that I never had’.
‘We never slept together; and they never came on to me, because I think they saw me as a role model in some kind of way,’ she went on to reveal.
The retired singer, dancer and actress went on to share that it was she and her backup dancers who taught Jagger many of his trademark moves that he’s been using on stage for decades.
‘Mick wanted to dance — and I was a dancer — but he never gave me the credit! He said his mother taught him how to dance. But we worked with him in the dressing room, me and the girls, and we taught him how to Pony’, which is an old 60s dance move.
‘I had a different kind of collaboration with David (Bowie), and it was more to do with the singing,’ she said of the Ziggy Stardust singer-songwriter.
While performing as Ike & Tina Turner Revue, the group became one of the most sought-after R&B and soul acts in the U.S. in the 1960s with hits such as River Deep – Mountain High and A Fool in Love.
And by 1966, they had the opportunity to join up with the Rolling Stones on their UK tour as the opening band.
Mick, Keith and the rest of the Stones reportedly loved performing with them so much that they invited them to join them on their U.S. tour in 1969.
Eventually, Turner would break away from her ex-husband and try her hand at a solo career, and release four albums between 1974 and 1979.
Their history: Turner first met Jagger in the mid-1960s when her band Ike & Tina Turner Revue opened up for the Rolling Stones
Queen rocker: And while she maintained a relationship with legendary rockers like Jagger and David Bowie over the years, it always remained platonic
By the time the 80s came around, she was widely considered a nostalgia act, performing mostly at hotel ballrooms and clubs in the U.S.
Turner would hook up again with the Stones for a few gigs as the opening artist in 1981, which included a duet with Jagger on Honky Talk Women.
Just over two years later, she dropped her cover of Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together, that reached several European charts, including number six in the UK and number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Hot Dance Club Songs.
Riding the momentum of the hit single, Let’s Stay Together would be added to her next studio album, Private Dancer, which ended up being the catalyst of one of the greatest career resurgences, sending her to superstardom status as a solo artist.
Riding the wave of success from the album’s other hits like What’s Love Got to Do With It, Better Be Good To Me and the title track, Private Dancer reached number three on the Billboard 200 and number two in the UK, en route to being certified 5× Platinum in the states, while selling more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Turner retired in 2009 following the massive success of her last tour – Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour – that took her through North America and Europe from October 2008 until May 2009.
‘I got on that plane … I took a deep breath, and I said, ‘It’s over.’ I really felt like it’s over,’ she told CBS’ Gayle King in June 2019 of her retirement from singing and performing.
In the new interview Turner was asked about what scares her about getting older, for which she replied, ‘Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.’
And while she was direct and confident in wanting to be remembered as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, the It’s Only Love star went on reveal she also wants to be know ‘as a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms.’
Sharing the stage: Turner ended up opening for the Rolling Stones several times as a solo artist, and performing with Jagger many other times over the decades, including at the 4th Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall Of Fame induction in New York in January 1989
Life story in music: April marks the fifth anniversary of the premiere of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which is still running at the Aldwych Theatre in London; she is seen at promo event for the musical in London in October 2017
April marks the fifth anniversary of the premiere of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.
The hit musical based on her life story, in collaboration with Phyllida Lloyd and Stage Entertainment, is booking performances through until the spring of 2024 at the Aldwych Theatre in London.
Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, Turner is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.
Her many accolades include receiving 12 Grammy Awards, which include eight competitive awards, three Grammy Hall of Fame awards, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award,
