I, Tina

I, Tina: My Life Story is the autobiography of American-Swiss singer and songwriter Tina Turner, also known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Published in 1986, it was co-written by music critic Kurt Loder. The book surveys Turner’s entire life, from her humble beginnings in Nutbush, Tennessee through the development of her passion for music and ascension to fame in St. Louis, Missouri. Much of her story is intertwined with that of Ike Turner, who was her mentor, lover, and later, her abuser, influencing her decision to take a hiatus from music until the 1980s, when she made a swift comeback. Widely read upon its release, the book inspired a 1993 film adaptation, What’s Love Got to Do with It. Ike Turner later responded to the book with Takin’ Back My Name, in an attempt to refute some of its claims and characterizations to restore his public image. I, Tina has been celebrated as a candid and emotional example of the turbulent private life that often lies behind celebrities’ public images.

The book begins with Turner’s birth. She was born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939, in Nutbush, Tennessee. Her father worked as a supervisor of sharecroppers, and the whole family, at different junctures, worked as cotton pickers. When she and her two sisters were still young and America’s involvement in World War II demanded extreme sacrifices of ordinary citizens, their parents went off to work at a defense facility in Knoxville, Tennessee. Turner then went to live with her mother’s parents in Brownsville. Their parents eventually returned and moved the family back to Nutbush. When Turner was in grade school, she sang at the Nutbush Spring Hill Baptist Church. When she was eleven, her mother fled to escape Turner’s abusive father. This tragic event made the young Turner feel that her mother didn't love her enough. Her father remarried, raising her until she graduated from high school. Turner’s ambivalence about her parents’ protectiveness and compassion followed her throughout her life.

Turner’s first encounter with the music industry was as a teenager when she met Ike Turner. With her mother’s permission, she joined Ike’s band, the Kings of Rhythm, playing around both St. Louis and East St. Louis. Ike’s number one ambition was to become a star musician. Yet, he was haunted by feelings of inadequacy, which became a self-fulfilling prophecy as he was daunted by the competitiveness of the music world. Turner suggests that Ike never really had what it takes to become a star. Tina was the one who ultimately made the leap to stardom, taking Ike along for the ride. In a selfish power move, Ike changed Tina’s last name to Turner without her consent.



Turner’s relationship with Ike and his band was a turbulent one. Ike was extremely abusive. Turner reflects that he never showed an ounce of affection to her; rather, he was obsessed with her strictly because he wanted to use her talents for his own personal gain. He withheld money from Turner so that he could manipulate her. His abuse was not only psychological: at one point, another band member saw him shove a lit cigarette up Turner’s nose. He beat her frequently with instruments from their set and whatever other objects he could get his hands on. Once, before a show, he punched her in the face, shattering her jaw. She resorted to the use of prescription medications to escape the torment. Once, after overdosing, she woke up in the hospital. Ike was there before her, accusing her of trying to compromise his chances of success.

At one point, Turner formed her own band, Tina Turner Revue. Eventually, having split from Ike entirely, Turner made a full comeback and was adored throughout the 1980s Rock ‘n’ Roll scene. Only after she broke up with Ike did he exhibit signs of remorse; Turner writes that he probably lamented the loss of his chance at stardom. The music she created in this decade was the first uninhibited and truly personal music of her life. She also states that it was, by all accounts, better than the music that Ike co-wrote. Turner expresses her compassion for other women whose lives and talents are constrained by abusive and obsessive men.

I, Tina is primarily a reflection on a period of extreme abuse. Turner, lamenting that it undermined her artistry for so long, encourages women with similar experiences to escape the grips of their abusers. Yet, the memoir is ultimately optimistic: Turner’s closing chapter celebrates the joy she found in music and as a solo artist, and the knowledge that her ability was always within her.