Ike Turner, on the other hand, made it nearly impossible to do that. A music entrepreneur and visionary he was first. But he was also a vicious, violent shell of a human being – equal parts narcissist and tyrant. His hands created as many bruises as they did hit singles, and his legacy is that of a wife beater as much as it is music icon. Still, his influence in the world of music is lasting. He’s credited with creating what is arguably, the first rock-and-roll single, “Rocket 88,” released four years before anyone knew who Chuck Berry was. Before he battered Tina Turner, he discovered Anna Mae Bullock. And while Phil Spector—another interesting obit when it happens—was the genius behind one of Tina Turner’s biggest hits, it was Ike who made it happen, even while his role was marginalized to an onlooker at that point. Significant enough was his presence in the history of music, that Martin Scorsese filmed his live collaboration with Pinetop Perkins in 2002 for Scorsese’s deep-digging, comprehensive documentary The Blues.
But in recognizing his achievements in shaping the musical landscape, let’s not ever forget nor condone his monstrous flaws as a human. In fact, it was those that made him human.
