name	Get Back
cover	Beatles_Get_Back.jpg
artist	The Beatles with Billy Preston
b-side	"Don't Let Me Down"
released	11 April 1969
format	7"
recorded	27 January 1969
genre	Blues rock, pop rock
length	3:14
label	Apple
writer	Lennon–McCartney
producer	George Martin
certification	2x Platinum (RIAA)
audio sample?	yes
chronology	The Beatles
last single	"Hey Jude"(1968)
this single	"Get Back"(1969)
next single	"The Ballad of John and Yoko"(1969)
misc	}}

name	Get Back
album	Let It Be
artist	The Beatles
released	8 May 1970
length	3:07
label	Apple Records
producer	Phil Spector
tracks	}}

"Get Back" is a song by The Beatles, originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." A different mix of the song later became the closing track of ''Let It Be'' (1970), which was the Beatles' last album released just after the group split. The single version was later issued on CD on the second disc of the ''Past Masters'' compilation.

The single reached number one in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, France, West Germany, and Mexico. It was the Beatles' only single that credited another artist at their request. "Get Back" was the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US. In the UK, the Beatles' singles remained monaural until the following release, "The Ballad of John and Yoko".

Composition[link]

Musical development[link]

"Get Back" is unusual in the Beatles' canon in that almost every moment of the song's evolution has been extensively documented, from its beginning as an offhand riff to its final mixing in several versions. Much of this documentation is in the form of illegal (but widely available) bootleg recordings, and is recounted in the book ''Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of the Beatles' Let It Be Disaster'' by Doug Sulpy and Ray Schweighardt.

The song's melody grew out of some unstructured jamming on 7 January 1969 during rehearsal sessions on the sound stage at Twickenham Studios. Over the next few minutes, McCartney introduced some of the lyrics, reworking "Get back to the place you should be" from fellow Beatle George Harrison's "Sour Milk Sea" into "Get back to where you once belonged". (McCartney had played bass on Jackie Lomax's recording of the song a few months earlier.) On 9 January McCartney brought a more developed version of "Get Back" to the group, with the "Sweet Loretta" verse close to its finished version. For the press release to promote the "Get Back" single, McCartney wrote, "We were sitting in the studio and we made it up out of thin air... we started to write words there and then...when we finished it, we recorded it at Apple Studios and made it into a song to roller-coast by."

The released version of the song is composed of two verses, with an intro, outro, and several refrains. The first verse tells the story of a man named Jojo, who leaves his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some 'California grass'. (McCartney's soon-to-be wife Linda had attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, where the couple later owned a spacious ranch.) The second verse is about a sexually ambiguous character named "Loretta Martin", who "thought she was a woman, but she was another man." The single version includes a coda urging Loretta to "get back" to where she once belonged.

At the beginning of the ''Let It Be'' version of the song, Lennon can be heard jokingly saying "Sweet Loretta Fart (often misheard as "fat", due to Lennon's pronunciation ), she thought she was a cleaner, but she was a frying pan." The album version of the song also ends with him famously quipping "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition". (Originally he said that at the end of the rooftop concert, but Phil Spector edited it into the "Get Back" song on the ''Let It Be'' album.)

Lennon claimed in 1980 that "there's some underlying thing about Yoko in there", claiming that McCartney looked at Yoko Ono in the studio every time he sang "Get back to where you once belonged."

Early versions[link]

Around the time he was developing the lyrics to "Get Back", McCartney satirised the "Rivers of Blood speech" by former British Cabinet minister Enoch Powell in a brief jam that has become known as the "Commonwealth Song". The lyrics included a line "You'd better get back to your Commonwealth homes". The group improvised various temporary lyrics for "Get Back" leading to what has become known in Beatles' folklore as the "No Pakistanis" version. This version is more racially charged, and addresses attitudes toward immigrants in America and Britain: "...don't need no Puerto Ricans living in the USA"; and "don't dig no Pakistanis taking all the people's jobs". In an interview in ''Playboy'' magazine in 1980, Lennon described it as "...a better version of 'Lady Madonna'. You know, a potboiler rewrite."

On 23 January, the group (now in Apple Studios) tried to record the song properly; bootleg recordings preserve a conversation between McCartney and Harrison between takes discussing the song, and McCartney explaining the original "protest song" concept. The recording captures the group deciding to drop the third verse largely because McCartney does not feel the verse is of high enough quality, although he likes the scanning of the word "Pakistani". Here the song solidifies in its two-verse, three-solo format.

Recordings and post-production work[link]

Billy Preston joined The Beatles on keyboards from 22 January, having been recruited by Harrison partly with a view to deter bickering among the Beatles. The group with Preston playing Fender Rhodes electric piano recorded about ten takes on 23 January. On 27 January they made a concerted effort to perfect "Get Back", recording about 14 takes. By this time the song had the addition of a false ending and reprise coda. After numerous takes the band jammed some old numbers and then returned to "Get Back" one last time in an attempt to record the master take. This performance (Take 11) was considered to be the best yet – it was musically tight and punchy without mistakes, though the song finishes without the restart. On the session tape, George Harrison comments "we missed that end"; this is the version heard on the ''Let It Be... Naked'' album. On 28 January the group attempted to recapture the previous day's performance and recorded several new takes each including the coda. Whilst these takes were good, they did not quite achieve the quality of the best take from the previous day. The lineup for the released versions of "Get Back" was Paul McCartney, lead vocal and bass; John Lennon, lead guitar and backing vocal; George Harrison, rhythm guitar; Ringo Starr, drums; and Billy Preston, electric piano. Harrison, the usual lead guitarist, had temporarily quit the group on 10 January, so Lennon worked out the lead guitar.

The Beatles had EMI produce a mono remix of the track on 4 April, completed by Jeff Jarrett. The Beatles were unhappy with the mix and on 7 April McCartney and Glyn Johns worked at Olympic Studios to produce new remixes for the single release. They made an edited version using the best take of the main part of the song (take eleven) from 27 January and the 'best coda' ending from 28 January. The edit is so precise that it appears to be a continuous take, achieving the desired ending The Beatles had wanted all along. This was a divergence from the concept of straight live performance without studio trickery, but a relatively minor one, and avoids the somewhat abrupt ending of the version that is used on the ''Let It Be... Naked'' album.

The Beatles performed "Get Back" (along with other songs from the album) as part of the "The Beatles Rooftop Performance" which took place on the roof of Apple Studios in Savile Row, London on 30 January 1969. "Get Back" was performed in full three times. During the third, which marked the end of the rooftop performance, The Beatles were interrupted by the police who had received complaints from office workers nearby. After the police spoke to Mal Evans, he turned off Lennon and Harrison's amplifiers only for Harrison to switch them back on, insisting that they finish the song. It was during this period that McCartney ad-libbed, "You've been playing on the roofs again, and that's no good, and you know your Mummy doesn't like that...she gets angry...she's gonna have you arrested! Get back!" None of the rooftop versions appear on record in their entirety although in the ''Let It Be'' film an edited version of the rooftop performance was included, and is available on ''Anthology 3''.

At the end of the last rooftop performance of "Get Back", the audience applauds and McCartney says "Thanks, Mo" in reply to Maureen Starkey's cheering. Lennon adds: "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition". Spector used some of the talk preceding the master take of 27 January and edited on these comments to make the album version sound different from the single.

The stereo single version was the first Beatles' recording to feature Starr's drum kit in true stereo, mixed across the left and right channels. This utilised the then-fairly new 8-track recording technology and was a result of the growing popularity of stereo over mono. The only other Beatles' track to employ this recording method was "The End" on ''Abbey Road''.

Releases[link]

Single version[link]

On 11 April 1969, Apple Records released "Get Back" as a single in the United Kingdom, paired with "Don't Let Me Down" on the B-Side. The single began its seventeen-week stay in the charts on 26 April at number one, a position it held for six weeks. It was the only Beatles single to enter the UK charts at the top. "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down" was released in the United States on 5 May. Five days later, "Get Back" began its first of twelve weeks on the chart. Two weeks after the song's chart debut it hit number one, where it stayed for five weeks.

In both the United Kingdom and the United States, the single was released by Apple, although EMI retained the rights to the song as part of their contract. It was the only Beatles' single to include an accompanying artist's name, crediting "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down" to "The Beatles with Billy Preston". Apple launched a print ad campaign for the song concurrent with its release showing a photo of the band with the slogan ''The Beatles as Nature Intended'', indicating that the sound of "Get Back" harked to the group's earlier days.

The single version of the song contains a tape echo effect throughout and a coda after a false ending, with the lyrics "Get back Loretta / Your mommy's waiting for you / Wearing her high-heel shoes / And her low-neck sweater / Get back home, Loretta." This does not appear on the album version; the single version's first LP appearance would come three years later on the ''1967–1970'' compilation. This version also appeared in the albums ''20 Greatest Hits'', ''Past Masters'' and ''The Beatles 1''. This single version was also included in the original line-up of the proposed ''Get Back'' album that was scheduled to be released during the fall of 1969.

In Britain and Europe "Get Back/Don't Let Me Down" was the Beatles' last single to be released in mono, but in the US the single was released in stereo. It was the Beatles' first single to be released in true stereo instead of mono as part of the "stereo only" movement gaining force in 1969. In both versions the lead guitar played by Lennon is in the left channel and the rhythm guitar played by Harrison is in the right channel. The single was also released in the experimental PocketDisc format by Americom in conjunction with Apple and Capitol in the late 1960s.

''Let It Be'' version[link]

When Phil Spector came to remix "Get Back" he wanted to make it seem different from the version released as the single, though both versions were the same take. The previous unreleased ''Get Back'' albums included elements of studio chatter to add to the live feel of the recordings. In this spirit, Spector included part of the studio chatter recorded immediately before the master take (recorded on 27 January) and added McCartney and Lennon's remarks after the close of the rooftop performance. This created the impression that the single and album versions are different takes. The single's echo effect was also omitted from the remix.

''Anthology 3'' version[link]

In 1996, a different version of "Get Back" from the Rooftop Concert was released. It was the last song from the concert. The police had arrived and warned The Beatles to end their concert. After some bargaining, the group was given the chance to play one more song. During the last verse McCartney ad-libs, "Get back Loretta/You've been singing on the roof again!/...Your mummy doesn't like that.../Oh no... she gets angry/She's gonna have you arrested!"

''Let It Be... Naked'' version[link]

In 2003 "Get Back" was re-released on the ''Let It Be... Naked'' album, remixed by independent producers with the sanction of the surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, with John Lennon's and George Harrison's widows. The "naked" version of "Get Back" is ostensibly a cleaned up version of the single version albeit much shorter as there is a fade immediately before the final "whoo" and coda. Apple also prepared a specially-created music video of the ''Let It Be... Naked'' release of the song to promote that album in 2003. This video is edited together using stock footage of the band, along with Billy Preston, George Martin and others.

''Love'' version[link]

In 2006 a newly mixed version of "Get Back" produced by George Martin and his son Giles was included on the album ''Love''. This version incorporates elements of "A Hard Day's Night" (the intro chord), "A Day in the Life" (the improvised orchestral crescendo), "The End" (Ringo Starr's drum solo, Paul McCartney's second guitar solo, and John Lennon's last guitar solo), and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" (Take 1's drum count-off intro). However, there are several edits in this piece, including an extended intro, and the second verse is removed completely.

''Saturday Night Live'' performance[link]

Paul McCartney performed the song as a kind of encore on ''Saturday Night Live'' on Dec. 11, 2010. The performance was unusual for the show because McCartney had played the two standard songs that musical guests play, then had played a third song ("A Day in the Life"). At the normal conclusion of the show, when host Paul Rudd thanked the cast, McCartney took the stage again for "Get Back", which broadcast was partially cut off due to time constraints.

Personnel[link]

Paul McCartney – lead vocals, bass guitar

John Lennon – harmony vocals, lead guitar

George Harrison – rhythm guitar

Ringo Starr – drums

Billy Preston – electric piano

Covers[link]

Amen Corner released their version as a single in November 1969, at around the time they disbanded.

Patrick Williams, the US arranger and composer, did a jazz-oriented instrumental cover of the song for his 1970 album ''Heavy Vibrations.'' That version became the longtime theme for the TV quiz ''Sports Challenge,'' hosted by Dick Enberg.

Soul singer Doris Troy with assistance from Harrison, recorded the song as the b-side of her version of the folk song "Jacob's Ladder" on the Beatles' own Apple label.

Elvis Presley performs the song as part of a medley with "Little Sister" in the rockumentary film ''That's the Way It Is'' (1970).

Elton John covers it completely during extended live performance of "Burn Down the Mission" on ''11-17-70'' (Uni 19305, 1971), a live broadcast over WABC-FM, New York City on that date.

Ike & Tina Turner covered it twice, with one version appearing on their 1971 album ''Workin' Together''. It remained a staple of their live show for many years.

The Punkles did a Punk cover of this song on their ''Pistol'' album.

Rod Stewart covered the song for the 1976 ephemeral music documentary ''All This and World War II''. (Various Artists, 1976). An alternate version is found on CD 2 of the collectors edition of ''A Night on the Town''. He also performed the song as a duet with Tina Turner on his 1981 TV special, ''Tonight I'm Yours''.

Billy Preston, in the movie ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' and released on ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' (Various Artists, 1978).

Shirley, Squirrely and Melvin, released on ''Shirley, Squirrely and Melvin'' (Excelsior 88009, 1981).

Steve Wariner, in 1995 for the Beatles tribute album ''Come Together: America Salutes the Beatles''.

Status Quo covered the song on their ''Don't Stop'' album in 1996.

Al Green covered the song on his debut LP for Willie Mitchell's Hi Records in 1969.

Chris Clark covered the song on her second and final album, ''CC Rides Again''.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered the song on their album ''Welcome to Woody Creek'' in 2004.

McCartney performed a version of the song at the 1986 Prince's Trust Rock Gala at London's Wembley Arena, along with several other artists, including Tina Turner, Bryan Adams, Paul Young, Elton John, Phil Collins and Brian May.

Slovenian industrial band Laibach covered the song on their album ''Anthems''.

The song appears on Mott the Hoople's 1974 live album, ''Live'', in a medley.

Parodies and cultural references[link]

The Rutles' "Get Up and Go", written by Neil Innes, features a set of lyrics parodying "Get Back". The lyrics are about a jockey by the name of Joe who leaves his "one-horse town" set to an almost identical tune. This apparently caused a copyright dispute which resulted in the song being omitted from the Rutles soundtrack album, although it was reinstated for the later CD reissue.

At the end of ''The Simpsons'' episode "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", all the members of The Be Sharps sing their first hit on Moe's rooftop while George Harrison, driving by, says "It's been done." Also, at the end of their song, Homer says the ending comments "...I hope we pass the audition", followed by everyone laughing and Barney saying "I don't get it." In the 2007 film, ''Across the Universe'', directed by Julie Taymor, most characters are named after lyrics in Beatles songs. A principal character is named Jojo, played by Martin Luther McCoy. In February 2010, NBC used a cover of the song in commercials to promote Jay Leno's return to the 11:35pm time slot for ''The Tonight Show''.

The titular characters in the popular long-running Japanese comic-book series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' are all named after the song. Also a character in the series, also one of the JoJos himself, Joseph Joestar is often seen in the end of the each story arc he appears in listening the song from his Walkman.

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:The Beatles songs Category:1969 singles Category:1976 singles Category:Apple Records singles Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Germany Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand Category:Number-one singles in Norway Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Singles certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America Category:Songs produced by George Martin Category:Songs written by Lennon–McCartney Category:Rod Stewart songs Category:Elton John songs Category:Status Quo songs Category:Tina Turner songs Category:English-language songs Category:Songs produced by Phil Spector Category:Songs published by Northern Songs

de:Get Back es:Get Back (canción de The Beatles) fr:Get Back it:Get Back (The Beatles) nl:Get Back ja:ゲット・バック no:Get Back nn:Get Back pt:Get Back (canção de The Beatles) ru:Get Back (песня The Beatles) scn:Get Back fi:Get Back sv:Get Back

name	Alexandra Stan
alt	Alexandra Stan
nickname	Stanny, ALE(a-lee)
years active	2009–present
background	solo_singer
birth name	Alexandra Stan
birth date	June 10, 1989
origin	Constanța, Romania
label	Maan Music, Media Pro Music, Ultra Records
instrument	Vocals
genre	House, pop, dance
occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, entertainer, model, dancer
website	}}

Alexandra Stan (sometimes stylized as Alexandra Staи) (born June 10, 1989) is a Romanian singer-songwriter. She released her debut single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)", in late 2009. The song impacted Romanian mainstream radios in early 2010, peaking at number-eighteen. Her sophomore release, "Mr. Saxobeat", became her worldwide breakthrough hit, selling almost 1,000,000 copies in less than a year and reaching the top five in over twenty countries such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the top thirty in Australia, Canada and United States. She released her debut album in August 2011, entitled ''Saxobeats''. The album spawned another single called "Get Back (ASAP)".

Early life and early career [link]

Alexandra Stan was born in Constanța. She studied at the "Traian" High School in Constanța, and as of 2011 she is enrolled in her second year as a student at the Faculty of Management Andrei Saguna. In the past, she took part in various music-related contests with a notable appearance at the Mamaia Festival vocal performance-section. She took one year of canto lessons. During an interview, she stated that she believes in God and she has her religious principles, and she does believe in the Church.

''Saxobeats'' era (2009–present) [link]

In 2009, Stan released her debut promotional single, "Lollipop (Param Pam Pam)" The song was out in late 2009 but impacted some major Romanian mainstream radio stations in early 2010, with an A-list addiment in May 2010. During summer 2010, she premiered a new track "Show Me The Way" and toured Romania. In September 2010, Stan premiered her second release "Mr. Saxobeat". In less than two months, the song became her greatest hit in Romania, peaking at number-one on the Romanian Top 100 and defending the position for eight consecutive weeks. The song was commercially successful worldwide. In early 2011, it entered the Spanish Singles Chart and debuted inside the top ten of the French Singles Chart as well as in the Canadian Hot 100. It has firstly hit the #1 position in Italy and Denmark, then in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. In late May, "Saxobeat" became the first Romanian song to reach #1 in Germany since "Dragostea din Tei". It was a number-one in Austria, Germany and Switzerland for twenty weeks in total. It was also a top-five success in over twenty countries, including #2 in Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland, as well as #3 in Spain, Sweden and the UK Singles Chart. In New Zealand it peaked at number-four, while on the Brasil Hot 100 at.number-six while in Australia, Canada and the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #21, #24, 25 and 29 respectively. It was also a #1 in the UK Dance Chart and in the US Hot Dance Airplay for seven weeks (the longest run in the 2010s).

After the success of "Mr. Saxobeat", Stan released a follow-up "Get Back (ASAP)". So far, it peaked at number-one in Slovakia, at number-four in the Romanian Top 100, at number-eight in Finland and inside the top twenty in over five countries. The song "Lollipop" was re-released for international digital markets exclusively, but with no success. In summer 2011, Stan released another single, "Million", featuring famed German rapper Carlprit. As of September, 2011 the song has received little airplay in France and missed the top forty. Its music video's shots started on December 6, 2011.

On August 29, 2011, Alexandra Stan released her debut album, entitled "Saxobeats". It features eight tracks plus five remixes. The album was first released in France, then in Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Spain, Poland and Italy. It was released in the United States and Canada on October 25, through Ultra Records. It is yet to be released in the UK. Her fourth overall single "1,000,000" ft. German rap star Carlprit has just been sent to mainstream radio stations in Belgium, France and Romania. As of January 14, 2012, "1,000,000" has currently peaked at #13 on the Romanian Airplay Chart, its highest peak on the chart to date.

Stan received multiple certification awards for "Mr. Saxobeat", including platinum in Australia and Spain, Platinum in Denmark and Sweden and Multi-Platinum in Italy. At the 2011 Romanian Music Awards she received two nominations for "Mr. Saxobeat" ("Best Dance" and "Best Song", winning the latter) and two nods for herself "Best Female" and winning the "Borderbreaker Award". She was also nominated for Best European Act at the 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards, after winning Best Romanian Act where she was nominated alongside rapper Guess Who and Puia, singer Smiley and band Fly Project. In November, Stan lost the ''Best European'' to Lena Meyer-Landrut from Germany.

Discography [link]

''Saxobeats'' (2011)

Awards and nominations [link]

style="width:5%;"	Year !! Award !! Category !! Recipent !! Result
rowspan="7"	2011	rowspan="4"		"Best Song"		"Mr. Saxobeat"
	"Best Female"		"Alexandra Stan"
	"Best Dance"		"Mr. Saxobeat"
	"Border Breaker"		"Alexandra Stan"
		MTV Europe Music Award for Best Romanian Act>Best Romanian Act"		"Alexandra Stan"
	2011 MTV Europe Music Awards#Worldwide Act nominations>Best European Act"		"Alexandra Stan"
	European Border Breakers Award		"European Border Breakers Award"		"Alexandra Stan"
	2012		RRA Awards		"Best pop-dance song"

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:People from Constanţa Category:Romanian dance musicians Category:Romanian female singers Category:English-language singers Category:Ultra Records artists

az:Aleksandra Stan bg:Александра Стан ca:Alexandra Stan cs:Alexandra Stan da:Alexandra Stan de:Alexandra Stan es:Alexandra Stan fa:الکساندرا استن fr:Alexandra Stan ko:알렉산드라 스탄 hy:Ալեքսանդրա Ստան hr:Alexandra Stan it:Alexandra Stan he:אלכסנדרה סטאן hu:Alexandra Stan nl:Alexandra Stan ja:アレクサンドラ・スタン no:Alexandra Stan pl:Alexandra Stan pt:Alexandra Stan ro:Alexandra Stan ru:Стан, Александра simple:Alexandra Stan sk:Alexandra Stan fi:Alexandra Stan sv:Alexandra Stan tr:Alexandra Stan uk:Александра Стан zh:亞歷山德拉·斯坦

name	Demi Lovato
background	solo_singer
birth name	Demetria Devonne Lovato
birth date	August 20, 1992
birth place	Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano
genre	Pop, pop rock, R&B;, dance
occupation	Singer-songwriter, actress, musician, activist, The X Factor USA judge
years active	2002–present
associated acts	Joe Jonas, Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus
label	Hollywood
website	150pxDemi Lovato's signature }}

Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato (born August 20, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. Her earliest roles included Angela on ''Barney & Friends'', before she became better known for her starring roles in the ''Camp Rock'' movies, as Sonny Munroe in the Disney sitcom ''Sonny with a Chance'', and as the star of the 2009 movie ''Princess Protection Program''. She is also involved in philanthropic activities through charity work and various social and environmental causes.

As a solo musical artist, Lovato released her debut album ''Don't Forget'' on September 23, 2008. The album debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 selling 89,000 copies in the first week. It has since shipped over 500,000 copies, earning a gold certification in the United States. Lovato released her second album, ''Here We Go Again'', on July 21, 2009. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 108,000 copies in the first week. Her third studio album, ''Unbroken'', was released on September 20, 2011 and peaked at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200. She is working on her fourth studio album.

In Fall 2012, Lovato will be a judge on the second season of the American version of ''The X Factor''.

Early life[link]

Lovato was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 20, 1992, and raised in Dallas, Texas. She is the daughter of Dianna Hart de la Garza (born Dianna Lee Smith) and Patrick Martin Lovato. Her ancestry includes Mexican, Irish, Italian, and English. She has an older sister, Dallas Lovato, and a younger half-sister, Madison de la Garza, from her mother's re-marriage. Her mother was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and country music recording artist. Lovato began playing piano at the age of seven. Lovato also began her acting career at the age of seven on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' as Angela, appearing in seasons seven and eight alongside long time friend Selena Gomez. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato revealed going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. According to Lovato, the bullying was so bad that one day, in a fit of frustration and distress, she requested her mom give her a home-schooled education. Lovato earned a high school diploma through homeschooling in April 2009. Lovato also stated in an interview with ''20/20'' in 2011 that she had had a "really unhealthy relationship with food" since age 8 due to bullying experienced as a child, and self-mutilated her wrists to cope with her emotions and depression since age 11. Lovato later became a spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER and appeared on ''America's Next Top Model'' and CNN to speak out against bullying. She has described herself as very spiritual rather than very religious and said she believes in God.

Acting career[link]

2006–09: ''Camp Rock'' and ''Sonny With a Chance''[link]

In 2006, Lovato guest starred on ''Prison Break'' as Danielle Curtin in the episode "First Down." She also appeared in the second season of the television sitcom ''Just Jordan'' as Nicole, in the episode "Slippery When Wet." In January 2007, she landed the role of Charlotte Adams on the Disney Channel Original Short Series, ''As the Bell Rings'', which premiered on August 26, 2007. A few of her original songs, including "Shadow", were featured on the show. In the summer of 2007, Lovato auditioned for the Disney Channel television film ''Camp Rock'' and the television series ''Sonny with a Chance'' in the same day and got both parts. For ''Camp Rock'', she submitted an audition tape and Gary Marsh, Disney's president of entertainment, asked her to sing. She sang Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man", and Hollywood Records senior vice president Bob Cavallo said that their "jaws just dropped". Lovato received the lead role in ''Camp Rock'', and a record deal with Hollywood Records in early 2008. In ''Camp Rock'' she played Mitchie Torres, a fourteen-year-old girl with hopes of becoming a singer. The movie premiered on June 20, 2008, in the United States on the Disney Channel with 8.9 million viewers, making Lovato a household name among young viewers. Its Disney Channel Italy premier received 1.14 million viewers on September 2008. Merchandise of the film is sold at Target, Claires, and Limited Too. They include clothing (such as pajamas, T-shirts, and underwear), bags (tote bags, backpacks, etc.), bedding collection, toys, and dolls of the characters. Play Along Toys, so far, has only released dolls of Mitchie and Shane. On May 13, 2008, Disney published ''Camp Rock: the Junior Novel'', by Lucy Ruggles, the novelization of the film. Target retail stores sell "special editions" of the novel, hardcover books that include photos.

Starting in 2009, Lovato appeared as Sonny Munroe in the Disney channel comedy ''Sonny With a Chance''. The show featured Lovato as the newest cast member on the show-within-a-show ''So Random!''. The series debuted on February 8, 2009 in the United States. This is the first Disney Channel Original Series to be shot and aired in high-definition from the beginning; like most of Disney Channel's sitcoms, it is shot on tape, but uses a "filmized" appearance. The second season, some scenes are shot on location. The series is one of three Disney Channel Original Series to feature a show-within-a-show, with the others being ''The Famous Jett Jackson'' and ''Shake It Up''. The series officially ended on January 2, 2011. Gary Marsh, president of entertainment, Disney Channel Worldwide, stated "This series is rooted in one of the core thematic attributes that we stand for, which is following your dreams, there also was the opportunity to do a hybrid show." The show began production on September 15, 2008 and the first season was taped at Stage 11 at NBC Studios in Burbank, California; for the second season, the show's production moved to Hollywood Center Studios in Hollywood, California, where ''The Suite Life on Deck'', ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' and ''Jonas L.A.'' are also taped. In June 2009 Lovato co-starred in ''Princess Protection Program'' as Princess Rosalinda alongside Selena Gomez on the Disney Channel. The made-for-television movie is the third highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie, premiering on the Disney Channel with 9.8 million viewers. Laura Fries of Variety magazine describes the film as being "light as a summer breeze on the Louisiana bayou". Although the film does not stray far from the Disney formula, she praises writer Annie DeYoung for providing young girls a nice message about self-esteem. She says the film should be a hit with the channel's target audience.

2010–present: ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'' and hiatus[link]

In September 2009, production began for ''Camp Rock'''s sequel, ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''. The Disney Channel Original Movie premiered on September 3, 2010. The film was watched by 7.9 million viewers on its premiere night, about 1 million less viewers than its predecessor. In 2010 it also became the most watched cable television programme that week, as well as the No. 1 movie by number of viewers on 2010's cable television. In its second broadcast on September 4, the film reached 3.7 million viewers. The film also reached 21 million unique viewers over its premiere weekend from September 3 to September 6. In its UK premiere on September 17, 2010 in was watched by 637,000 viewers. The film received generally mixed reviews. The review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 40% of critics gave the film mixed reviews, based on 5 reviews (3 'Rotten' and 2 'Fresh'), with an average score of 6.1/10. The film currently holds an 8.7 rating, earning it a "Great" film rating on TV.com. Lovato appeared as a guest star in an episode of the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as a teenage patient named Hayley May, whose parents brought her in for schizophrenia. In a review of the episode, EW.com praised her performance, stating, "I still believe that even an unbiased observer would conclude that the Disney princess did a fine job acting it up as a suicidal 16-year-old who was admitted after trying to claw her own eyes out." On April 19, 2011, People.com reported that Demi Lovato would not be returning for the third season of ''Sonny With a Chance'' due to her health issues. As a result, the show will be renamed ''So Random!'' and focus only on the sketches rather than the behind-the-scenes antics. As a result of Lovato's departure from ''Sonny with a Chance'', the series is the second Disney Channel original series to have its lead actor/actress leave during the series' run (after ''So Weird''), and the fourth Disney Channel series to have a main cast member leave the series during its run (with ''That's So Raven'' and ''Jonas L.A.'' also included). The third season was then turned into its own new series based on its new format. On leaving the show, Lovato satated "...it's kind of sad for me that a chapter of my life has ended but there couldn't be a better time for me to move on...I don't think going back to ''Sonny'' would be healthy for my recovery...Being in front of a camera would make me nervous."

Lovato said in an April 2012 interview with KOKO POP UK that music is currently her "top priority", but that she is "kind of getting the itch to get back into acting, so we'll see what comes next." In an interview with Fabulous Magazine UK, Lovato will not come back to acting until she is fully confident. "I need to be secure in my body before I go back in front of the camera. Anyone in recovery from an eating disorder would find that triggering, and I'm not ready," she says.

Music career[link]

2007–09: ''Camp Rock'' soundtrack and ''Don't Forget''[link]

Lovato's music career began in 2007, when several of her original songs, including "Shadow", were included on the mini-series ''As the Bell Rings''. In 2008, Lovato signed with Hollywood Records after getting the lead role in the film ''Camp Rock''. She provided vocals on four of the songs featured on the ''Camp Rock'' soundtrack, including "We Rock", "Who Will I Be", "Our Time Is Here" and "This Is Me" featuring Joe Jonas. The song peaked at #9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and peaked at the top 20 in Australia, Canada and Norway. The soundtrack was released on June 24, 2008. The song peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the US ''Billboard'' Top Soundtracks and peaked at the top 10 in Canada, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain. The soundtrack has sold over 1 million copies and was certified Platinum in the United States. Full songs of the album were made available on ''Camp Rock'''s official web site for one week, beginning June 10, 2008, and the full soundtrack premiered on Radio Disney on June 14, 2008 during ''Planet Premiere: Camp Rock''. The soundtrack was released in the UK on July 14, 2008.The soundtrack album (both original and two-disc collector's edition) is an enhanced CD which contains a clip of an acoustic version of "This Is Me" when played on the computer with internet access. On November 16, 2008, a karaoke/instrumental version of the ''Camp Rock'' soundtrack was released. It is not available on iTunes, but can be purchased in stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, etc. In June and July 2008, Lovato performed at various House of Blues and parks for her Demi Live! Warm Up Tour in preparation for the release of her debut album and the Burnin' Up Tour with the Jonas Brothers. Lovato served as the support act on the Jonas Brothers' Burnin' Up Tour from July through September 2008.

Lovato's debut album, ''Don't Forget'' was released on September 23, 2008. The bulk of the album was co-written with the Jonas Brothers, who also produced the album with John Fields. They co-wrote ten songs in a week during the band's headlining Look Me in the Eyes Tour. The album is of the pop-rock genre and is lyrically similar to other teen-pop albums. It peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 89,000 units in its first week of release. It has since sold over 500,000 records in the US. Critics noticed the distinct sound of the Jonas Brothers in the production of the album. ''Don't Forget'' spawned two singles. The first single released was "Get Back". It was written by Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, and produced by the Jonas Brothers alongside John Fields. The song features Jack Lawless on drums and John Taylor and the Jonas Brothers on guitars. The initial writing of the song took place when Lovato wanted to write a song about getting back together with an old boyfriend, as opposed to writing mean or heartbroken songs. The was released as the album's lead single on August 12, 2008, by Hollywood Records. Musically, the song is an upbeat pop rock and power pop song with a guitar-driven sound. The song was met with positive reviews from critics and performed average commercially, peaking at number forty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 and ninety-three on the Canadian Hot 100. In Australia, the song peaked at number ten on the ARIA Hitseekers chart. The accompanying music video, directed by Philip Andelman, shows Lovato and her band performing the song on top of an abandoned building with Manhattan Bridge in the background. Lovato has performed the song on several occasions, including the opening of the 2008 Disney Channel Games and the The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The second and final single, "La La Land", was released on April 10, 2009 through Hollywood Records. It was written by Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, and produced by the Jonas Brothers alongside John Fields. It is one of six songs on the album co-written by the Jonas Brothers, who also contributed backing vocals and guitars to the track. Lovato said that she wrote the song about being yourself in Hollywood and not letting other people change who you are. Musically, the song is a guitar-driven pop rock song and the lyrics speak of Lovato feeling "out of place" in Hollywood. The song was met with positive reviews from critics. Commercially, the song peaked at number fifty-two on the Billboard Hot 100, and number thirty-five on the UK Singles Chart. The song achieved its highest peak in Ireland, where it reached number thirty on the Irish Singles Chart. It was less successful in Australia and Germany, where it peaked in the lower half of the charts. The accompanying music video was directed by Brendan Malloy and Tim Wheeler, and follows the song's Hollywood theme. It was used to promote Lovato's Disney Channel sitcom Sonny with a Chance, and features guest appearances from her co-stars. Lovato joined Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior," and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On," a charity single that served as the theme song for the organization in 2009. The song debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at #20. Disney's Friends for Change directed all of its proceeds from "Send It On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas "Make a Wave" in 2010, the second charity single that currently serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change.

2009–10: ''Here We Go Again'' and ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'' soundtrack[link]

Lovato embarked on the Summer Tour 2009 to promote her second album, ''Here We Go Again'', released in the summer of 2009. The album debuted at #1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 108,000 records sold in its first week. The album was more inspired by acoustic music, such as John Mayer's songs, than her debut's pop rock-influenced sound. The album received favorable reviews from critics, ''Billboard'' called Lovato "a natural talent who could really take flight after outgrowing Disney." Allmusic ranked ''Here We Go Again'' as one of the best pop albums of 2009. The album was preceded by the lead single, "Here We Go Again," which was released on June 23, 2009. It was written by Isaac Hasson, Lindy Robbins and Mher Filian and produced by SuperSpy, for Lovato's second studio album of the same name (2009). It was released as the album's lead single on June 23, 2009, through Hollywood Records. Musically, the song is a power pop song with guitar lines and pop hooks, and the lyrics speak of the protagonist's on-off relationship with a hesitant boyfriend. The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised its pop hook and made comparisons with works by Kelly Clarkson. The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Lovato's first top 40 hit on the chart as a solo artist. The song also peaked at number 38 in New Zealand and in the lower region of the Canadian Hot 100. The accompanying music video was directed by Brendan Malloy and Tim Wheeler. The album's second and final single, "Remember December," was released on November 17, 2009. It was written by John Fields, Lovato and Anne Preven, and produced by Fields. The song was released as the album's second and final single outside North America on January 18, 2010, through Hollywood Records. The song adapts power pop and synthpop genres and diverges from Lovato's usual pop rock sound. The lyrics describe the protagonist's attempt to remind her boyfriend of the good times of their relationship. Lovato described the song's sound as an example of what she wanted her future music to sound like. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics; the majority of them praised its hook and chorus. Several critics also named it one of the album's standouts. The song underperformed commercially; it only managed to reach #6 on ''Billboard'''s Bubbling Under Hot 100 (number 106 on the Hot 100) and it peaked at number 80 on the UK Singles Chart. Tim Wheeler directed the accompanying music video, which features appearances from Lovato's female co-stars in Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Instead of including a love interest in the clip, Lovato chose to give it a theme of female empowerment. Lovato has performed the song numerous times, including on her tour Summer Tour 2009 and The Alan Titchmarsh Show. Lovato's South American Tour was her first international headlining tour. The tour commenced on May 23, 2010, in Santiago, Chile, and concluded on May 28, 2010, in São Paulo, Brazil. She later joined the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert tour as a special guest.

The soundtrack, ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam'', was released on August 10, 2010. She provided vocals on nine of the songs featured on the soundtrack, including "Brand New Day", "Can't Back Down", "It's On", "You're My Favorite Song", "What We Came Here For", "This Is Our Song", "Different Summers", "It's Not Too Late" and "Wouldn't Change a Thing". The song was released on July 31, 2010. The song was released as the soundtrack's fourth single. The song failed to chart in the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but peaked at number 10on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. The soundtrack peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the US ''Billboard Top Soundtracks'', and peaked at the top 10 in Brazil, Canada, Italy and Spain. The soundtrack has sold over 500,000 copies and was certified Gold in the United States. The tour is actually Jonas Brothers' 2010 World Tour, which special guests are Demi Lovato and the cast of Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. The Camp Rock 2 Tour is officially called ''Jonas Brothers 2010 World Tour/Camp Rock 2 Tour''. Meaghan Martin was not be on tour due to filming a movie. The tour started on August 7, 2010, two weeks later than planned.

2010–present: ''Sonny with a Chance'' soundtrack, ''Unbroken'' and fourth studio album[link]

The soundtrack, ''Sonny with a Chance'', was released on It was released on October 5, 2010 from Walt Disney Records. She provided vocals on four of the songs featured on the soundtrack, including "So Far, So Great", "Me, Myself and Time", "What to Do" and "Work of Art". It debuted at no. 163 on the ''Billboard'' 200, making it Lovato's lowest debut and peaking soundtrack there. It also debuted at number 3 on the US Kid Albums and at number 8 on the US Top Soundtracks. Two singles were released from the soundtrack. The first single to be released was "So Far, So Great". It was released on June 9, 2009 and is the theme song for the series. It first appeared on the album ''Disney Channel Playlist'', and was later released on Demi Lovato's album ''Here We Go Again'' as a bonus track. The song is about chasing your dreams. It has also received rotation on Radio Disney. Lovato performed the song in her "Summer Tour 2009". It is the ninth and final track of the soundtrack, written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman and the length of the song is two minutes and fourteen seconds. The second single to be released was "Me, Myself and Time". It was published for the title track of the CD. It was released digitally on August 3, 2010, but was shown worldwide on April 11, 2010, the episode was issued Sonny With a Song in the United States chapter of the series in which Sonny shows her singing career performing the song appears to promote the fashion line of her character. The song managed to peak at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Lovato's third studio album, ''Unbroken'', was released on September 20, 2011. Lovato began working on the album in July 2010, prior to receiving treatment. She had described it as having a more soulful and R&B; inspired sound, citing Keri Hilson and Rihanna as inspirations for the sound. After Lovato's stint in the treatment facility, producer Timbaland expressed interest in working with her. Lovato confirmed in July 2011 that she was working on a duet with the producer. The album was described as more "radio friendly" than her previous albums, as she planned to incorporate dance, hip-hop and R&B; styles in it. The song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, praising Lovato's vocals and growth in musicianship compared to her previous two albums, as well as some of the album's ballad tracks. The first single off the album, "Skyscraper", premiered on July 12, 2011, as a promotional single, before the album released. It was written by Toby Gad, Lindy Robbins and Kerli Kõiv and produced by Gad. The song was inspired by a picture of the apocalypse, in which the world was in ruins, and among collapsed buildings, one skyscraper was still standing. Kerli originally recorded "Skyscraper" and Gad offered it to Lovato, who wanted to record it as she felt that both she and her fans could relate to it. When recording it in 2010, Lovato was very emotional which triggered outbursts and caused her to start crying. Later the same year, she entered a treatment facility to deal with her personal struggles. After finishing it in early 2011, she re-recorded the song, but kept the original recording as she felt that it was "symbolic" to her. "Skyscraper" was released on July 12, 2011 via Hollywood Records as the first single from ''Unbroken''. According to Lovato, the song represents the journey she had been on the previous year. Musically, "Skyscraper" is a ballad and the lyrics speak of staying strong and believing in yourself. The track opens with a lonely piano that is soon accompanied by heavy percussion. Lovato showcases breathy and quivering vocals throughout the song. The song was very well received by music critics and also by the media, with the majority of them praising Lovato's vocals and the inspirational lyrics. Upon its release, it was also met with praise from celebrities on the microblogging site Twitter. The song debuted at number ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending a total of 17 weeks on the chart. The song became Lovato's highest-peaking single on the chart since "This Is Me" peaked at number nine in August 2008. "Skyscraper" sold 176,000 paid digital downloads in its first week of release in the United States, setting a sales record for Lovato. Internationally, the song reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. In August 2011, the song was awarded with Summer Song at the Teen Choice Awards. The song was also officially certified Gold in Australia on April 3, 2012. The song has sold over 1,000,000 digital copies and was officially certified Platinum in the United States on April 24, 2012. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Mark Pellington and shot in the Bonneville Salt Flats for twelve hours. Lovato performed the song for the first time at the Do Something Awards on August 18, 2011. The album officially released on September 20, 2011, with sales exceeding 96,000 copies in its first week of release. On October 24, 2011, Lovato performed the National Anthem at Game 5 of the 2011 World Series. The album's second single, "Give Your Heart a Break", was officially released on January 23, 2012. The track was written and produced by American songwriters Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg. Musically, it is a dance-pop ballad that comprises instruments like the drums, violin and strings; the latter two, according to music critics, are reminiscent of those used in Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" (''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'', 2008). Hollywood Records serviced the song to mainstream radios on January 23, 2012 in the United States. Lyrically, the song chronicles the protagonist's attempt to win over her lover who has been hurt in a relationship. The song received critical acclaim from contemporary music critics, praising the production as well as Lovato's vocals. The single reached number seventy on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and has so far peaked at number 43. It also reached number thirty-nine in Brazil. In Belgium, it peaked at number 32. The music video for the song features Lovato attempting to persuade her lover into falling in love with her again, creating a collage of photographs taken during the video that when put together create a photo of the two in each other's embrace. Lovato has promoted the song through several stage performances, including her performance at the Z100 Jingle Ball concert. Lovato revealed her Summer Tour 2012 and will begin on June 12, 2012 and end on September 1, 2012.

On April 4, 2012, Lovato announced on Twitter that writing for her fourth studio album had began, saying that she was "so excited to start writing for my fourth album", and that "this time, there's NO holding back.."

Other work[link]

Philanthropy[link]

Lovato has partnered with mall proprietor GGP as the face of Shop Til You Rock, a music-inspired series of public events, which kick off at malls around the US in Summer 2010. The combines the season’s hottest fashions & today’s most popular musical guests in a series of interactive events. Lovato is also the spokesperson for anti-bullying organization PACER. Lovato explained to NY Post about becoming a spokesperson against bullying “Bullying is a very serious thing to me, I’ve witnessed it first hand – I was bullied myself when I was 12, I want to be able to help other girls around [my sister’s] age come into their own with a strong confidence in their skin, their size, who they are and everything about themselves.” Lovato is also the spokesperson for the Join the Surge Campaign!, DoSomething.Org and the Clean & Clear Brand launched Joining the Surge, which is a national campaign that empowers teenagers to take action in their communities.

Lovato is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes "environmently-friendly behavior", and appears in its public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel. Lovato, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and the Jonas Brothers recorded "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2009. The song debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty. Disney's Friends For Change will direct all of its proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. Lovato and Joe Jonas recorded a new song called "Make a Wave", the second charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change in 2010. In January 2010, Lovato was one of the many stars featured in a public service announcement for Voto Latino in order to promote the organization's "Be Counted" campaign for the 2010 United States Census. Lovato is also part of the "A Day Made Better" School Advocacy Campaign. "The campaign is giving a deserving teacher with $1,000 in school supplies on behalf of OfficeMax’s “A Day Made Better” school advocacy campaign."

Lovato has also supported charities such as DonateMyDress.org, Kids Wish Network, Love Our Children USA, ST. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and City of Hope. To raise awareness about personal issues similar to her own, Lovato became a Contributing Editor to ''Seventeen'' magazine. She will discuss her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called "Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect", directed towards teen girls.

Judge on ''The X Factor''[link]

In 2012, rumors that Lovato and Miley Cyrus were in talks to be replacement judges on the season two of the American version of ''The X-Factor'', in hopes of luring a younger audience, began circulating. Lovato reportedly signed a deal to judge the show on May 13, 2012. On May 14, 2012, it was officially confirmed that Spears and Lovato would join ''The X Factor'' as the two newest judges. When asked about the new judges, Cowell said: "I'm absolutely delighted Britney and Demi are joining us. Britney remains one of the biggest stars in the world, she's talented, fascinating – and I believe she knows exactly how to spot The X factor. Demi's had an amazing career in music, TV and film for someone her age. She's young, confident, and enthusiastic. I think it’s really important that she speaks to our younger audience. The new panel will be dynamic and will work really well with the changes we are making to the show."

Personal life[link]

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Lovato admitted to going through painful experiences with bullying in the seventh grade. According to Lovato, the bullying was so bad that one day, in a fit of frustration and distress, she requested her mom give her a home-schooled education. In an interview with Fabulous Magazine UK, she said that: "They called me a whore and told me I was fat and ugly. I shouldn't have listened, but I took it to heart and it hurt. I thought maybe I didn't have friends because I was too fat," she remembers. So she starved herself, and anything she did eat, she threw up again. Within six months she had lost over 2st and weighed 6st 4lb - unhealthy for her 5ft 2in height. "I'd make myself sick up to six times a day," she says. "My mum was worried, but because I was going through puberty I was having growth spurts so she assumed that was why I was thinner." She wrote the song "For the Love of a Daughter" about her estranged father. According to Fabulous Magazine UK, the song is about the rift between Lovato and her father after he - seemingly keen to cash in on his daughter's notoriety - did a series of interviews about her. The betrayal is still raw, and she says she has no interest in rebuilding a relationship with him. In an MTV interview, Lovato stated that she likes metal music, particularly black metal and metalcore. She called symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir "one of her favorite live acts". On the July 24, 2009 episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Lovato stated that three of her favorite bands were metalcore/symphonic black metal band Abigail Williams, deathcore band Job for a Cowboy and southern metal band Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. On another episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, after her release of Unbroken, she stated that she is now more into hip-hop and R & B styles of music, and has moved on from death metal. In the March 2009 issue of ''Teen Vogue'', Lovato stated, "My first passion is music, because it comes naturally to me. Acting has been like a hobby." Lovato is a Christian and prays with her band before they perform. She was best friends with Selena Gomez, whom she has known since Lovato "asked her to sit on my jacket and draw with crayons with me" at the ''Barney & Friends'' auditions. On March 12, 2010, Lovato confirmed that she had begun dating Joe Jonas, whom she first met while filming ''Camp Rock'' in 2007. On May 24, 2010, Lovato confirmed via her official Twitter that she and Jonas were no longer together. In an interview with UsMagazine, Jonas stated, "Demi and I knew that going into our romantic relationship it may not be an easy one. I realize that over the time we have spent together that I feel I care more about our friendship right now. It was my choice to break up, but I love her as a friend. She's been there for me when I needed her. I will continue to be her friend and be there for her." Lovato is a vegetarian. Lovato has been honored The Honorary Ambassador of Education award from the American Partnership For Eosinophilic Disorders. In 2010, on her 18th birthday, Lovato bought her family a Mediterranean Style house in Los Angeles. She said, "For me to give that to my family on my birthday, that was the best present." then added, "It's got pretty much everything you could possibly imagine in it. It's the most beautiful, homey-feeling house. I love it." Lovato also purchased their current $1.88 million home in Toluca Lake, LA. She bought the house when she was 16 years old.

Public image[link]

Lovato has been described as an "inspirational person" and has inspired many people after her going through her treatment facility, her release of her song "Skyscraper", and her release of her documentary, ''Demi Lovato: Stay Strong''. She has inspired many celebrities including Lucy Hale, Katy Perry, Pete Wentz, Selena Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, Kim Kardashian, Victoria Justice, Cheryl Cole and Britney Spears.

Personal struggles[link]

On October 30, 2010, Lovato dropped out of the Jonas Brothers Live in Concert World Tour 2010 in order to enter a treatment facility to treat physical and emotional issues. The tour was not scheduled to be complete until November 13, 2010. Lovato's publicist stated that "she regrets not being able to finish her tour, but is looking forward to getting back to work in the near future." In particular, many media sources immediately reported that Lovato had decided to enter treatment right after punching a Jonas Brothers back-up dancer, Alex Welch, on a flight out of Bogotá, Colombia, allegedly because Lovato believed that Welch had informed tour managers of inappropriate behaviour on Lovato's part the previous night, causing Lovato to be confronted by her managers and her stepfather, Eddie de la Garza. Days after Lovato entered rehab, photos circulated on the internet showing Welch sporting a black eye. Welch subsequently confirmed that the story was true, noting that she had been blindsided by the assault. Although Lovato had pulled aside the tour's back-up dancers prior to the flight and threatened, "If I find out who told on me...", Welch was not concerned because she had not witnessed what had happened the previous night and was not the dancer who had informed on Lovato. Welch claimed that she "didn't get a call or text from Demi or a 'hey, you got a problem with me,' nothing." She said Lovato simply approached her during the flight, punched her, and then "literally walked away and got in her seat." Lovato's representatives responded by saying, "We are in the process of engaging with Alex's lawyer and hope to resolve this as quickly as possible." Lovato's camp reached a financial settlement with Welch in late December 2010, with Welch stating that the agreement stipulated for a portion of the settlement to be donated to charity. On January 28, 2011, it was reported that Lovato had completed her inpatient treatment. She took six months off from the limelight after leaving rehab. The day after the announcement, a Disney spokesperson told ''People'' that Disney "support[s] Demi's decision to put her health first and [they] send her [their] best wishes".

On January 28, 2011, it was reported that Lovato had completed her inpatient treatment at the rehab facility and returned home to Los Angeles, where she "will continue to see doctors" to "help her work on the issues she confronted in treatment." On March 8, 2011 an exclusive video was released on Cambio.com in which Lovato thanked her fans for their support during what she described as "the darkest time of my life" and also stated that she was excited to get back to work. Lovato granted her first post-rehab interview to ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, which aired on ''Good Morning America'' and ''20/20'' on April 22, 2011. During the interview, Lovato confirmed reports that her treatment was for bulimia and self-injury, and had taken place at the Timberline Knolls facility in Illinois after the aforementioned confrontation between her and Welch led to an intervention by her family and management team. Her condition came to a head during the tour because Lovato "was performing concerts on an empty stomach...I was losing my voice from purging. I was self-medicating. I was not taking medication for depression, and I literally was so emotionally whacked out that I took it out on someone that meant a lot to me." Later elaborating on this "self-medicating", Lovato said, "I'm not gonna lie. I was self-medicating. I was doing things like drinking and using [drugs], like a lot of teens do to numb their pain." Lovato expressed regret at her actions towards Welch, stating "I take 100 percent, full responsibility..." In another interview, Lovato added that she had "basically had a nervous breakdown", and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder during her treatment. As part of her efforts to raise awareness about issues similar to her own, Lovato was announced in April 2011 as a Contributing Editor to ''Seventeen'' magazine. She will discuss her personal issues as a part of a larger campaign called "Love is Louder than the Pressure to Be Perfect", directed towards teen girls.

On December 23, 2011, Lovato posted a message on Twitter criticizing her former network for airing episodes of ''Shake It Up'' and ''So Random!'' which featured characters making jokes about eating disorders. Disney Channel publicity officials quickly took action and apologized to Lovato, then removed those episodes from the network's airing cycle and video on demand sources, after further criticism in the wake of Lovato's message to the network's public relations account. On March 2012, Lovato released her MTV documentary special called "Stay Strong" about her time in rehab. In the documentary, she opened about her fans, battling her eating disorders and getting back to touring.

Filmography[link]

+ Film	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2008	''Camp Rock''	Mitchie Torres
2009	''Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience''	Herself	Concert film
2009	''Princess Protection Program''	Princess Rosalinda	Disney Channel Original Movie
2010	''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''	Mitchie Torres	Disney Channel Original Movie

+ Television	! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2002–2003	''Barney & Friends''	Angela	Recurring role
2006	''Prison Break''	Danielle Curtin	"First Down" (season 2: episode 4)
2006		Herself	1 episode
2007–2008			Main role, Season 1
2007	''Just Jordan''	Nicole	"Slippery When Wet" (season 2: episode 6)
2008	''Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream''	Herself	(season 2, episode 3)
2008	''Studio DC: Almost Live''	Herself	Second show
2008		Herself	Third annual
2008	''Disney Channel's Totally New Year 2008''	Herself	Disney Channel special New Year's event
2009–2011	''Sonny with a Chance''	Allison "Sonny" Munroe	Lead role
2010–2011	''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''	Herself	"The Williams Family" (season 7: episode 23)"The Walker Family" (season 9: episode 9)
2010	''Grey's Anatomy''	Hayley May
2010	''CNN''	Herself	Guest appearance
2010	''America's Next Top Model''	Herself	(1 episode) Guest appearance
2011	''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''	Herself
2012	''Demi Lovato: Stay Strong''	Herself	MTV Special
2012	''Demi Lovato: Give Your Heart a Break''	Herself	E! Special
2012	''Punk'd''	Herself	Victim
2012		Judge	Musical talent show
2012	''Born to Be: Demi Lovato''	Herself	Released in Canada, released by MuchMusic

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

2008: ''Don't Forget''

2009: ''Here We Go Again''

2011: ''Unbroken''

Soundtracks[link]

2008: ''Camp Rock''

2010: ''Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam''

2010: ''Sonny with a Chance''

Live albums[link]

2009: ''Live: Walmart Soundcheck''

Tours[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Category:1992 births Category:Actors from Texas Category:American bloggers Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American Christians Category:21st-century actors Category:Barney & Friends Category:American female singers Category:American Internet personalities Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American rock singers Category:American television actors Category:The X Factor (U.S.) Category:The X Factor judges Category:Child pop musicians Category:Fascination Records artists Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Hollywood Records artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Dallas, Texas Category:People with bipolar disorder

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name	Ike & Tina Turner
background	group_or_band
origin	East St. Louis, Illinois, United States
genre	Rock 'n' roll, soul, blues rock, funk rock
years active	1960 – 1976
label	Sue, Liberty, United Artists
associated acts	Tina Turner (solo career), The Ikettes
past members	Ike TurnerTina Turner }}

Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo composed of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner. The duo started as an offshoot splinter act from Ike Turner's The Kings of Rhythm before the name changed to the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. The duo was once considered "one of the hottest, most durable, and potentially most explosive of all R&B; ensembles".

Their early works including "A Fool in Love", "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", "I Idolize You" and "River Deep - Mountain High" became high points in the development of soul music while their later works were cited for wildly interpretive re-arrangements of rock songs such as "I Want to Take You Higher" and "Proud Mary", the latter song for which they won a Grammy Award. They're also known for their often-ribald live performances, which were only matched by that of James Brown and The Famous Flames in terms of musical spectacle.

The duo was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

Career[link]

1956-1959: Origin[link]

In 1956, Ike Turner and his band, the Kings of Rhythm were, along with Chuck Berry's band, one of the most popular live performing attractions to East St. Louis' nightlife. In East St. Louis, the Kings of Rhythm headlined Club Manhattan. That year, Anna Mae Bullock was taken to Club Manhattan by her sister Aillene. Ann became an instant fan of the band after seeing their performance and sought out Ike Turner to have her sing for his band. Ike Turner rebuffed her due to the fact that "lots of girls wanted to sing in my band". Turner's band was predominantly male and only a few female performers were ever part of the act, including two of Turner's own former wives. Ann sang a song during an intermission between performances one night in 1957 after a drummer of Ike's band passed her the microphone at her insistence. Ike Turner was impressed after he heard her and soon agreed to have her become part of the Kings of Rhythm as a background vocalist, with occasional lead spots. A year later, in 1958, Ike featured Ann in his recording, "Box Top", which became a regional hit. At the time of its release, Ann was going by the stage name, "Little Ann". In late 1959, the 20-year-old Ann recorded a vocal for Ike's composition, "A Fool in Love", which was to have been sung by the Kings of Rhythm lead vocalist, Art Lassiter. Lassiter walked out of the session due to monetary complaints with Ike. Ann recorded her vocal as a demo in an attempt to erase her vocals when Lassiter returned.

1960-1963: Career development[link]

Ike Turner sent the song in early 1960 to Sue Records president Juggy Murray in New York. When Murray heard the song, he convinced Ike to keep Ann's vocals on the song, offering Turner a $25,000 advance for the song convinced of its hit potential. This came at a crucial time as Ann had been sought after by an ex-member of the Kings of the Rhythm, Raymond Hill, to join his band. Ike Turner would later write that he feared losing his chance at becoming famous if Ann left him especially after agreeing to release "A Fool in Love" with her vocals. When he asked Ann to use his last name to discourage Hill, Ann obliged. To complete her name change, Ike Turner renamed her Tina Turner. Ike not long after had the name patented just in case Ann left him in which he could get another girl and have her perform as Tina Turner.

Following this, the duo signed with Sue Records and "A Fool in Love" was released in the late spring of 1960 and became a national hit, reaching number two on the R&B; chart and peaking at number twenty-seven on the pop chart becoming a million-seller. A mild reception for the couple's second single, "I'm Jealous", was cooled by a much more successful single, "I Idolize You", which peaked at number five on the R&B; chart. Up until the release of "A Fool in Love", Ike and Tina's relationship had been a platonic friendship, even something close to being like siblings. Ike Turner would later say that their first sexual encounters were awkward, stating, "it felt like I was strewing (sic) my sister..." Ike Turner was still married to another woman when Ike and Tina began their sexual relationship, which resulted in the birth of their only child together, Ronald, born after Ike and Tina had made their national TV debut on ''American Bandstand'' in October 1960. The duo went on a national tour after the release of "A Fool in Love". In 1961, the group released their debut album, ''The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner'', and had another million-seller with "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", which later won the duo their first Grammy nomination.

That year, Ike had changed the name of his backing girl group that he hired after he put Tina in his band, from The Artettes to The Ikettes, and had them record his composition, "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)", which became a million-selling hit in 1962. That year, Ike & Tina had three more hit singles, "Poor Fool", "Tra La La La" and "You've Shoulda Treated Me Right". It was right around this time that Ike's band changed its name from The Kings of Rhythm to The Ike & Tina Turner Revue on the road, which was a combination of several performers - Ike & Tina Turner, The Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes. Soon the band gained a reputation for their high-energy performances, with only James Brown's Revue rivaling it. Sometime around either 1961 or 1962, Tina Turner suffered the first of her abusive episodes with Ike Turner after she questioned him about monetary royalties opting to leave Ike. Tina said Ike responded by hitting her with a shoe stretcher. In 1962, Ike and Tina traveled to Tijuana and conducted a quickie marriage. Despite this, it's alleged Ike Turner didn't divorce his third wife, Lorraine Taylor, until sometime in 1974.

1964-1969: The Ike & Tina Turner Revue[link]

In 1964, Ike & Tina Turner left Sue Records and moved to Los Angeles. Ike Turner felt he wasn't being fairly compensated for his works with Sue, and sought short deals with other companies for quick money. Ike Turner was one of the few recording artists to own his own publishing companies at a time when artists who were also songwriters would often sell their publishing to major labels, who later failed to compensate them for earnings after the songs became hits, something Ike himself learned after selling rights to his composition, "Rocket 88" a decade earlier, to Sun Records president Sam Phillips. Between 1964 and 1969, Ike and Tina would record for Sonja, Warner Bros., Kent, Loma, Modern, Philles, Innis, Blue Thumb, Minit and A&M.;

Some have argued that the reasoning why Ike & Tina weren't as successful with their subsequent post-Sue recordings as they were with their live performances was due to Ike's refusal to have outside help, often asserting that he had full control of the productions and also worked out deals in which the labels didn't interfere with his and Tina's creative control in the studio. Ike Turner was often called a ruthless taskmaster in the same sense that Ray Charles and James Brown were. During his early years, Ike was said to have demanded perfection of his band mates. He sometimes fined or fired musicians for any wrongdoing, including any drug or alcohol intake since Ike himself wasn't an alcoholic or used drugs of any sort at the time. Ike housed his entire band and rehearsed them daily. According to some accounts, if Ike was upset by another musician's demand for money, he'd hit them over the head with the butt of his gun, later leading to Ike being sometimes called "Pistol-Whippin' Ike".

Tina Turner pulled her own weight in the band, helping to buy and design outfits for the Ikettes and herself, with Ike helping along, cutting parts of the dresses Tina bought to make the Ikettes' and Tina's attire exotic, keeping up with the image of them as "wild women" and Tina as the "ultimate wild woman". Known for her frenetic dance moves, Tina would choreograph dance moves with the Ikettes and was said to have been known as much of a perfectionist as Ike was with his band. The original Ikettes left Ike Turner over royalty issues and later alleged that Ike was brutally dominant. The Ikettes soon became a revolving door of session musicians and onstage dancers. In 1965, Ike & Tina became show-stoppers when they and the Revue performed on ''The Big T.N.T. Show''. It was during this show that the duo would be pursued by Phil Spector. Spector offered to sign the act to his Philles record label. Prior to signing, he had wanted to record Tina Turner solo for at least a few songs. Ike Turner only agreed to this after Spector offered him $25,000 to stay out of the studio. That year, Tina recorded what later became a signature hit for her, "River Deep - Mountain High", composed by the team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry. During the Philles sessions, Tina would record several other solo recordings including a cover of the Motown ballad, "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)" and another Greenwich-Barry composition, "Hold On Baby".

In 1966, "River Deep - Mountain High" was released as a single but failed to become a hit in the U.S. Stories on how the single flopped has been debated, with some including Ike and Tina both insisting the reason was that radio deejays didn't know whether to consider it as either "pop" or "soul", while others claimed that there were few copies of the song sold in the U.S. leading to dismal promotion. It's also alleged that Phil Spector was struggling to control his Philles label leading to issues. Spector took the mild reception of "River Deep" hard that he stopped recording for a couple of years. Spector had originally signed Ike & Tina to record an album with the label but when Spector abruptly announced a hiatus in recording, Ike Turner decided to leave Philles and got A&M; Records to sign them. Ike Turner then produced several other songs to complete the ''River Deep - Mountain High'' album. But while "River Deep" wasn't a hit in the states, it began to reach audiences overseas mainly in the UK where the song became a top five hit and "A Love Like Yours" became a top 20 hit there. Shocked by the news, the duo were even more shocked to learn that Mick Jagger had called them to have them open for them on The Rolling Stones' UK tour that year, they happily accepted, becoming instant UK sensations. In 1967, Tina Turner was such an attraction that she was featured on one of the first covers of the rock magazine, ''Rolling Stone''.

In 1968, the Ike & Tina Turner Revue temporarily halted after Tina Turner allegedly attempted suicide. It's alleged Tina's attempt to take her own life was due to Ike Turner impregnating a member of the Ikettes while she was also pregnant. After recovering, she quietly had her baby aborted, refusing to have another child with Ike's lineage. Tina then returned to the studio to record the first of two blues rock albums with Blue Thumb. The first of the records, ''Outta Season'', featured the duo on the cover mocking the use of minstrel depictions of blacks, eating watermelon, wearing whiteface and winking at the camera. The album featured their first significant hit in a couple years with their heavily sexualized cover of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long". During live performances, Ike conducted the action in which Tina not only repeated his words in a call and response but also had Tina touching the microphone suggestively. Tina later wrote she hated this practice. The album included a Tina composition, the autobiographical "Motherless Child". Their next Blue Thumb release was 1969's ''The Hunter'', with another interesting cover, this time of the couple being surrounded by mannequins and with Ike wearing a hunter's jacket. ''The Hunter'' included the funk-oriented hit, "Bold Soul Sister", which Ike wrote with uncredited lyrics by both Tina and her sister Aillene. The song later won Tina Turner a solo Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance in 1970.

1969-1975: Mainstream success[link]

Ike & Tina began to hit their mainstream stride when The Rolling Stones got them opening for them again on their U.S. tour in 1969. This time, their opening for the Stones' U.S. tour led to them becoming superstars even without a major hit. That year, Tina was featured for the second time on the cover of ''Rolling Stone''. Under Tina's suggestion, Ike began incorporating rock songs into their repertoire. In 1970, Ike & Tina Turner signed with Liberty Records, releasing the album, ''Come Together'', which was their first album in which they would record rock covers including The Beatles' "Come Together", the Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and Crow's "Evil Woman" (recorded as "Evil Man"). That album included their first US top 40 hit in many years with their cover of Sly & The Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher", which became as much a signature hit for Ike & Tina as it had been for Sly & The Family Stone. Sly Stone would later include Ike Turner on his hit album, ''There's a Riot Goin' On'' and would also record for Ike's Bolic Sound Studios. That same year, Ike and Tina reached a major milestone in their careers when they began performing in Las Vegas and also appeared on the popular variety show, ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' and also appeared on the Stones' concert documentary, ''Gimme Shelter''.

Ike & Tina's biggest peak in their career would come with the early 1971 release of their cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary". Featured on their second Liberty album, ''Workin' Together'', the single was released in January 1971 and became a top five pop hit for the duo that March peaking at number four on the Hot 100, becoming their fourth million-selling single, and later won them a Grammy Award for Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. ''Workin' Together'' also included the modest hits, "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" and "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter". Later in 1971, the group's contract was reassigned to a Liberty subsidiary, United Artists, which would release all of the duo's albums until their disbanding in the mid-1970s. Ike & Tina later appeared in a cameo role on Miles Forman's ''Taking Off'' and also appeared in a concert festival with other notable R&B; performers in Ghana titled ''Soul II Soul''. A documentary film of this was later released three decades later. The group's first headlining world tour became a huge success as was a performance at Carnegie Hall, which was later documented for the live album, ''What You Hear Is What You Get - Live at Carnegie Hall''. Another live album was culled from the group's performance at Paris' Olympia Hall, which was later taped for Paris TV showcasing the highlights of Ike & Tina.

The success of their recordings in 1971 led to Ike Turner creating Bolic Sound Studios. A year later, in 1972, the albums, ''Feel Good'' and ''Let Me Touch Your Mind'', was released. ''Feel Good'' had several songs that charted including the title track. One of its tracks, "Black Coffee", a blues rocker composed by Ike and Tina, would later be covered by Humble Pie. Ike & Tina later appeared on ''Soul Train'' and was one of the few acts who appeared on the show and performed fully live rather than lip sync. A year later, in 1973, the duo released what became their last notable hit single, "Nutbush City Limits". The song was another Ike & Tina composition, based on Tina's Southern upbringing. The song peaked at number twenty-two on the US Hot 100, number four in the UK and reached the top ten in several other European countries. The parent album from the single, also titled ''Nutbush City Limits'', as well as the albums, ''Feel Good'' and ''Let Me Touch Your Mind'' hinted at Tina Turner's own solo aspirations.

Between 1969 and 1975, Ike and Tina Turner mixed in duo recordings with solo offerings. Ike Turner released a few solo albums including ''A Black Man's Soul'', while Tina Turner's first solo offering, ''Tina Turns the Country On'', was released in 1974. Tina's solo debut led to Tina being nominated again for the Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance Grammy. That same year, Ike & Tina reached back to their gospel roots releasing, ''The Gospel According to Ike & Tina'', later winning them several nominations in Grammy's gospel categories. Their next secular release was ''Rhode Island Red'', which featured one of their final charted hits, "Sexy Ida (Part 1)", which helped them nab a second appearance on ''Soul Train'' the following year. ''Rhode Island Red'' and ''The Gospel According to Ike & Tina'', as it turned out, would be the final albums recorded in the duo's lifetime together. In 1975, Tina released her second solo album, ''Acid Queen'', in response to her success in her film role as The Acid Queen in the rock musical, ''Tommy''.

1975-1976: Decline and divorce[link]

Throughout the early years of Ike & Tina, Ike Turner had once been so much of a strict disciplinarian, he had fined anyone who ever went behind his orders including any usage of drugs. However, by the late-1960s, Ike had begun to use marijuana. Not long afterwards, Ike, who had been teetotal, was introduced to cocaine while performing in Las Vegas by, Ike would later say, "two very famous people I'd been working with in Las Vegas at the same hotel". His drug use would later be documented in the song, "Contact High", from the ''Come Together'' album. By 1974, Ike had developed a cocaine addiction. By then he had used so much cocaine that he had burned a hole through his nose, leading to nosebleeds, which led to him using more cocaine. Ike's cocaine addiction wreaked havoc on his personal life as well as his usual dominance over his act, and mainly Tina Turner, had allegedly gotten worse. Tina Turner began to seek change in her personal life and found it after a friend of her's and Ike's introduced her to Buddhism. She'd fully convert to the religion in 1975.

That year, Ike's drug addiction had him deemed unfit to appear in television performances, sending Tina Turner on her own. In an article about Ike Turner following his death, Ike's children Twanna and Ronnie said that they felt Ike's drug use was a "set-up", an attempt to undermine him by those in the industry jealous of his success, who wanted to make use of Tina Turner's talents themselves. That year, Tina filmed her role for ''Tommy'' in London. After the film's release, Tina Turner was given rave reviews for her role. That year, Ike and Tina released their final charted single, "Baby, Get It On", which was featured on Tina's ''Acid Queen''. Ike Turner's drug use led to a fallout in Ike & Tina's career. By 1976, they had began making headlines for the wrong reasons, including having to book out of shows in what was alleged was financial misconduct. One such tour of Malaysia led to Ike and his band leaving prior to their performance there.

In July of 1976, Ike was scheduled to leave United Artists Records and was set to sign a contract with Cream Records for a reported yearly amount of $150,000, which would have kept Tina Turner legally binding to Ike Turner for another five years. Early on July 2, Ike and Tina went by airplane from Los Angeles to Dallas where they were to perform to start another national tour. According to Ike Turner, Tina Turner refused to help him with his constant nosebleeds, "turning her nose up at me". Ike alleged Tina knew how to anger him. Tina alleged in her memoirs that Ike then slapped her in the back of her head, starting a fight, but led to Tina hitting him back. They later got in a limousine and en route to the hotel they were renting, they had a nasty fight, with both of them physically hitting each other. By the time they arrived, both Ike and Tina were bruised up and bloody, Ike's eyes later bruised and his nose bloodied; Tina with her eyes almost closed shut and a cut lip and head injuries so massive she hid under a hat but without her wig.

After entering the hotel, Ike Turner fell asleep and Tina Turner escaped from the back of the hotel, running through a Dallas freeway before getting inside another hotel where she stayed until she was able to book a flight back to Los Angeles, hiding in friends' homes in fear Ike Turner would seek her out by force. Tina Turner later bought a gun to protect herself and was once detained for gun possession before they realized why she possessed the gun and let her go. On July 28, 1976, Tina Turner filed for divorce after 14 years of marriage. The news of the divorce made international headlines and remnants of Ike & Tina's back story made tabloids. The former couple spent a year and a half in divorce court arguing over royalties and ownership. It's alleged that Tina Turner wanted to continue work with Ike Turner but as an ex-wife, only wearing the name "Tina Turner" as a stage name while legally going her real name, Anna Bullock (she sometimes wrote contracts under another name, "Martha Nell Turner"; in 1993 while being interviewed for Howard Stern, Turner alleged "Martha Nell Bullock" was Tina's real name but that has yet been verified). By November 1977, Tina decided to forego any arguments to get any royalties or keep her percentage of the publishing companies that she had earned by being a song lyricist for some of the Ike & Tina songs, only agreeing to retain the use of her stage name as a means to get paying gigs. Ike Turner agreed to let her keep the stage name despite the fact that he had patented the name just in case Tina did leave him, losing rights to the name.

Ike & Tina's divorce was finalized on March 29, 1978. Tina laid low for nearly two years during the divorce proceedings and asked her Hollywood neighbors to help clean their homes and accepted food stamps. Ike sent her sons (and his own sons that Tina helped to raise) over to Tina's home once he realized she wasn't going to return to him. After the children reached legal age, Tina asked them to leave the house while she pursued her solo career. Tina reemerged professionally in the fall of 1978 after Ike & Tina's divorce was finalized. United Artists would release two posthumous Ike & Tina albums, ''Delilah's Power'' and ''Airwaves'', culled from 1975 recording sessions.

1978-present: After Ike & Tina[link]

In late 1978, Tina Turner released her third solo album and first post-Ike Turner recording, ''Rough''. The album failed to produce any hits as did its follow-up, 1979's ''Love Explosion''. Despite this, Tina Turner remained a popular live attraction both in the United States and overseas. In 1980, she hired respected music manager Roger Davies to look after her career. After a few years reinventing herself from a self-made Las Vegas cabaret act into a gritty rock diva, Tina's solo stardom culminated in the release of 1984's ''Private Dancer'' album, which made Tina a megastar. Tina Turner would go on to break ticket sales with her stadium and arena-headlined world tours. Her 1986 memoirs, ''I, Tina'' and the semi-autobiographical film, ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' endeared Tina to millions, who hailed her as a "survivor".

Ike Turner's first post-Tina Turner release, 1980's ''The Edge'', ironically featured recordings with Tina. Like Tina's first solo efforts, Ike failed to find a hit and, by his own admission, his behavior had grown increasingly erratic. Unlike Tina, who was able to carry on her career as a successful live performer, Ike struggled with his own band with live performances as his cocaine use increased. By then, he was freebasing cocaine and throughout the 1980s would be in the headlines for legal matters instead of the stage. In January 1981, his fabled Bolic Sound Studios would be burned to the ground on the day he was presenting to a group who had been interested in pursuing it after Ike was forced to put the studio in foreclosure after having financial difficulties. In 1982, he was alleged to have shot a 49-year-old newspaper delivery man who he accused of assaulting his wife, Margaret Thomas. He was later found not guilty of the charge of assault. Ike Turner would mostly be convicted of drug offenses, culminating in a four-year sentence for cocaine possession in 1990. Sent to California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, he completed 18 months of his prison sentence before being released from parole in September 1991.

Following his release, Ike Turner slowly returned to his music career. In 1993, he received royalties from Salt-n-Pepa's sample of his "I'm Blue" song for their hit single, "Shoop", and responded by recording a duet version with Billy Rogers. In 1999, Ike released his own memoirs, ''Taking Back My Name''. The musician credited blues musician Joe Louis Walker with inspiring him to return to his blues roots. Turner contributed guitar to Walker's 1997 album, ''Great Guitars'' and toured internationally with him and Walker paid Turner $5,000 a night for six songs. The positive reaction to the performances led to Ike Turner reviving The Kings of Rhythm in 2001. That year, Turner released his first solo album in 20 years with ''Here and Now'', which resulted in a Grammy nomination in the blues category. During this time, singers Jeanette Bazzell and Audrey Madison, both of whom he married, would be his front woman onstage. In 2007, Turner won his first solo Grammy for the album, ''Rising with the Blues'', which he happily accepted with his eldest son, Ike Jr., looking on.

Later in December of that year, Ike Turner was found dead at his home in San Marcos, California at the age of 76. The cause of his death was later revealed to be of "cocaine toxicity", including hypertensive cardiovascular disease and emphysema. Ike Turner had been clean for much of the 1990s following his release from prison but said to have had a relapse after entering a crack house to rescue an old friend of his and "smelt the fumes". Following news of her former partner's death, Tina Turner's personal spokeswoman released a statement that Tina was told of Ike's death but said because the couple hadn't spoken to each other "in over 30 years" that Tina refused to release a comment on the story.

Awards and accolades[link]

Ike & Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1991; Ike Turner was still incarcerated and Tina, still not wanting any ties to Ike whatsoever, didn't attend, but stated she was working on an album. Phil Spector accepted their induction on the former duo's behalf.

The group was nominated three times for Grammy Awards. They were nominated and won Best R&B; Vocal Performance by a Group in 1971 for "Proud Mary" at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards. Tina herself received a nomination for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance for the 1969 song "Bold Soul Sister". The group also received a nomination for their 1961 recording "It's Gonna Work Out Fine".

The group received a NAACP Image Award. Both Ike and Tina each received stars and were inducted individually to the St. Louis Hall of Fame.

Two of their songs, "River Deep - Mountain High" and "Proud Mary", were inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2003, respectively.

Tina received a solo star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

1970: ''Gimme Shelter''

1971: ''Soul 2 Soul''

1971: ''Taking Off''

1999: ''Ike & Tina Turner – The Best of MusikLaden''

2004: ''The Legends Ike & Tina Turner – Live in ‘71''

2004: ''Kenny Rogers Rollin’ Vol. 1''

2005: ''Ike & Tina Turner: Live''

2006: ''Through the Years''

2006: ''Ike and Tina Turner: Rollin with Ike and Tina Turner Live''

2006: ''Flashbacks: Soul Sensation''

See also[link]

Supercouple

What's Love Got to Do with It (film)

References[link]

External links[link]

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page on Ike & Tina Turner

History of Rock Page on Ike & Tina Turner

Rolling Stone page on Ike & Tina Turner

Category:African American rock musicians Category:African-American musical groups Category:American soul musical groups Category:American rock music groups Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:American funk musical groups Category:American blues musical groups Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ike & Tina Turner Category:Kent Records artists Category:Liberty Records artists Category:Musical groups from Illinois Category:Musical groups established in 1960 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1976 Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Rock music duos Category:Sue Records artists Category:Warner Music Group artists Category:United Artists Records artists

bg:Айк и Тина Търнър de:Ike & Tina Turner fr:Ike and Tina Turner hr:Ike & Tina Turner it:Ike & Tina Turner nl:Ike & Tina Turner ja:アイク&ティナ・ターナー no:Ike & Tina Turner pt:Ike & Tina Turner ru:Айк и Тина Тёрнеры fi:Ike & Tina Turner sv:Ike & Tina Turner uk:Ike & Tina Turner

name	Tina Turner
background	solo_singer
birth name	Anna Mae Bullock
alias	Tina Turner, Ann Bullock, Little Ann
birth date	November 26, 1939
birth place	Nutbush, Tennessee, U.S.A.
origin	Brownsville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
occupation	Singer, dancer, author, actress
genre	Rock, soul, R&B;, pop
instrument	Vocals
years active	1958–present
label	EMI, United Artists, Capitol, Parlophone, Virgin
associated acts	The Ike & Tina Turner Revue }}

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards. Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Success followed with a string of hits including "River Deep, Mountain High" and the 1971 hit "Proud Mary". With the publication of her autobiography ''I, Tina'' (1986), Turner revealed severe instances of spousal abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. After virtually disappearing from the music scene for several years following her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career, launching a string of hits beginning in 1983 with the single "Let's Stay Together" and the 1984 release of her fifth solo album ''Private Dancer''.

Her musical career led to film roles, beginning with a prominent role as The Acid Queen in the 1975 film ''Tommy'', and an appearance in ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. She starred opposite Mel Gibson as Aunty Entity in ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and her version of the film's theme, "We Don't Need Another Hero", was a hit single. She appeared in the 1993 film ''Last Action Hero''.

One of the world's most popular entertainers, Turner has been called the most successful female rock artist and was named "one of the greatest singers of all time" by ''Rolling Stone''. Her combined album and single sales total approximately 180 million copies worldwide. She is known for her energetic stage presence, powerful vocals, career longevity, and widespread appeal. In 2008, Turner left semi-retirement to embark on her ''Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour''. Turner's tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–2009. Turner was raised a Baptist, but converted to Buddhism and credits the spiritual chants with giving her the strength that she needed to get through the rough times. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked her at 63 on their 100 greatest artists of all time and considers her the "Queen of Rock and Roll".

Early life[link]

Anna Mae Bullock was born in Nutbush, an unincorporated area in Haywood County, Tennessee, on November 26, 1939, the daughter of Zelma Bullock (née Currie), a factory worker, and Floyd Richard Bullock, a Baptist deacon, farm overseer, and factory worker. She long believed her mother had significant Native American ancestry, specifically Navajo and Cherokee; however, a DNA test showed her to be 66% African American, 33% European and 1% Native American. She attended Flag Grove School in Haywood County, Tennessee (the land for the school was sold below market value to the school trustees by her great great-uncle in 1889). Ann's older sister was named (Ruby) Aillene. For a time during World War II, their parents relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee to do factory work. By the time of their return to Nutbush, they separated and later divorced following an abusive marriage. Zelma Bullock later relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. Floyd Bullock moved to Detroit and later settled in California.

Ann and her sister relocated to Brownsville where they were raised by their grandmother. She recalled in her early years working with her parents at a farm as sharecroppers. She performed on several talent shows as a child and sang at her church choir. She was raised Baptist and lived most of her childhood as a tomboy participating in her high school's basketball team. When she was 14, she began work as a domestic for a family in Ripley. This continued until she was sixteen when her half-sister Evelyn was killed in a car crash followed by the death of her grandmother around the same time. After her mother returned from St. Louis to attend her funeral, she invited her daughter to move with her in St. Louis, where Anna and her sister reunited. In St. Louis, she attended Sumner High School. She eventually graduated from the school in 1958 and, following graduation, took work as a nurse aide at Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Ike & Tina Turner[link]

Origins[link]

Ann became enthralled by St. Louis's thriving nightlife, and her sister often took her out to clubs, much to their mother's chagrin. Anna was introduced to Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm band at Club Manhattan in East St. Louis, where Aillene served as a barmaid and was then dating a Kings of Rhythm member. It was there that Ann also began dating one of the Kings of Rhythm band mates. Ann pursued Ike Turner for months asking him to let her sing with his band but Turner was reluctant to have her in his band. When she was seventeen, she sang during an intermission in the Kings of Rhythm show at Club Manhattan after she was giving a microphone by the band's drummer. Impressed by her vocals, Ike allowed her to join the band as an occasional lead and background vocalist. Ike gave Ann her first stage name, Little Ann, during this time and included her in his record, "Box Top", which was a local hit in St. Louis after its 1958 release on a St. Louis label titled Tune Town, Ann sung with a male vocalist named Carlson Oliver, that was a member of the Kings of Rhythm. In November 1959, when vocalist Art Lassiter failed to show up for a recording session for Ike's composition, "A Fool in Love", Anna was told to lay down a guide vocal. Ike intended to eventually have Lassiter record over Anna's take, for the final production.

Ike Turner met with Sue Records president Juggy Murray in New York, and played the demo for him. Upon hearing it, Murray insisted Turner keep Ann's vocals, and gave Ike a $25,000 advance, convinced the song would become a hit single. In response to this, Ike Turner decided to form a duo around him and Ann. In the process, he changed her name from Little Ann to Tina Turner, stating he got the name because he felt it "sounded good". Despite the early romanticized version of their story in the biopic, ''What's Love Got to Do with It'', Ike Turner and Ann Bullock were not romantically involved until around the release of "A Fool in Love", which by then had been released under the billing Ike & Tina Turner, effectively starting the duo and launching Ann into show business. Ike Turner claimed later that he helped mold and shape Tina Turner's style and image.

Early success[link]

"A Fool in Love" was released in the spring of 1960 and by late summer the song had reached number two on the R&B; chart and crossed over to number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 later going on to sell a million copies. After Ike and Tina Turner made their national television debut performing the song on ''American Bandstand'' in October 1960, she gave birth to Ike's child, Ronald Renelle. Ike and Tina's relationship started around 1959 shortly after Raymond Hill, a member of Ike's Kings of Rhythm, childhood friend of Ike's, and father of Tina's first-born son, left the band due to monetary complaints. Tina had moved into Ike's home after she had been kicked out of her mother's house following news of her pregnancy. The relationship started while Ike was still married to his wife, Lorraine, who was mother of two of his children. Both Ike and Tina felt strange about the relationship with Tina later saying she felt forced into a sexual relationship. Ike had felt the affair was incestuous, later telling an interviewer that "it felt like I was strewing (sic) my sister." Neither Ike nor Tina felt a strong attraction: Tina didn't think Ike was physically handsome while Ike felt Tina was "too skinny" to be his girlfriend since, according to Tina, he favored curvaceous women. Lorraine Taylor eventually left Ike with his children after a confrontation with Tina.

Sue Records followed the success of "A Fool in Love" with "I'm Jealous" but the record bombed. The couple quickly recovered with the release of the top 5 R&B; single, "I Idolize You". Their second top 40 pop hit, "It's Gonna Work Out Fine", surpassed "A Fool in Love" on the pop charts reaching #14 and winning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock & Roll Performance. In 1962, this was followed by "Tra La La" and "Poor Fool" while "You Shoulda Treated Me Right" had milder success. With the arrival of Tina Turner, Ike Turner changed his band's name from The Kings of Rhythm to the Ike & Tina Turner Revue and featured a backing girl group he named The Ikettes. A strenuous touring schedule built up the band's reputation as one of the hottest R&B; acts in the chitlin' circuit. By 1963, Ike Turner had upgraded their shows to include raunchy choreography for Tina and the Ikettes, with their energized shows only matched by James Brown and The Famous Flames. Ike Turner himself hated to be in front of the spotlight and chose to perform with his back mainly turned to the crowd though he occasionally would come out in front during skits with Tina. The success of their revue led to numerous other revue-led package shows from crossover R&B; labels such as Motown and Stax. At a time when racially mixed audiences were still a controversy, Ike and Tina Turner were one of the few acts to perform openly for mixed audiences due to the money that they could bring to its venues, especially in the American South.

In 1962, Ann Bullock married Turner in Tijuana, Mexico. Following this, she began raising Turner's previous sons, Ike Turner, Jr. and Michael, while her eldest son Craig Bullock (born from her earlier relationship with Raymond Hill, a saxophone player in Ike's band), adopted Turner's last name after Ike adopted him as his own. Tina raised them and her only child with Ike, Ronald. The Turners' relationship with Sue Records ended in 1964. Between that year and 1969, Ike and Tina Turner recorded for a various number of labels, in part due to Ike Turner's demands for money and lucrative deals. They recorded over a dozen albums including several live recordings during that period and kept themselves in the public eye during the mid-1960s by appearing on shows such as ''American Bandstand'', ''Hollywood A Go-Go'', ''Shindig!'', ''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' and ''The Andy Williams Show'' where their brand of entertainment was given both critical and artistic raves. Their performing success kept the Turners in the public eye while their records plummeted.

Mainstream success[link]

After several years touring the chitlin' circuit and other major rock and roll venues, Ike and Tina Turner began reaching the pinnacle of their success after the release of the pop-oriented ballad, "River Deep - Mountain High". While the song's initial release flopped at the time of its release in 1966, it led to modest international success in Europe. Upon hearing the track and another UK hit the group recorded, which was a cover of the Motown ballad, "A Love Like Yours (Don't Come Knocking Everyday)"; Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones asked the couple to open for them on their 1966 UK tour, which they obliged. The single became a bigger success in the UK, reaching #3 there. After their successful opening spot on the Stones' tour, Ike Turner renegotiated contracts for Tina and The Ikettes and Ike & Tina on several successive labels. In 1968, Ike produced the number, "You Got What You Wanted (Now You Don't Want What You Got)" under the billing "Tina Turner with Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm", while recording the album, ''So Fine''. That year, Ike and Tina signed with Blue Thumb where much of the musical focus was mainly on blues and blues rock material. The albums, ''Outta Season'' and ''The Hunter'' produced their best charted success in years with the releases of the songs, "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "The Hunter" and "Bold Soul Sister" respectively, with "Bold Soul Sister" later winning Tina Turner a solo Grammy nomination.

During performances of "I've Been Loving You Too Long", Ike choreographed Tina to perform suggestively to the microphone, a practice Tina later said she hated doing but did it because she felt she had no say in it as it was Ike Turner's band. Due to this success, the Turners were invited to perform in Las Vegas and their shows would be attended by the likes of David Bowie, Sly Stone, Janis Joplin, Cher, James Brown, Ray Charles, Elton John and Elvis Presley. This exposure also led to Tina Turner and Ike Turner being on the cover of the rock magazine, ''Rolling Stone'' three times between 1967 and 1971. In 1970, the group signed with Liberty Records and scored their first top 40 US hit in years with their cover of Sly & The Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher" and appeared on the ''Ed Sullivan Show'', the ''Dick Cavett Show'' and the ''Mike Douglas Show''. This success led to an extended run in Vegas and also more opportunities to perform for bigger venues though the couple still frequented predominantly black venues including The Apollo Theater. In 1971, they released the ''Workin' Together'' album, which led to their biggest successes with the former album producing a hit version of "I Want to Take You Higher" and the latter producing their biggest hit single, a frenzied cover of "Proud Mary", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1971, two months after it was released. The song later won the duo a Grammy for Best R&B; Performance by a Duo or Group.

By 1972, the group had even made headlines by performing at Carnegie Hall, which was documented for a double live album. That year, they switched to United Artists Records and released ten albums between 1971 and 1978 (two albums were released posthumously following the duo's infamous 1976 split). In 1973, the group released their final hit with "Nutbush City Limits", culminating in the duo's full embrace of funk rock rhythms. Though the song was musically composed by Ike, Tina was solely credited to the song as its lyricist. The song peaked at number twenty-two on the Hot 100 and number four in the UK. In 1974, the Turners released several albums including ''The Gospel According to Ike & Tina'', which later won the duo another Grammy Award nomination for Best Soul Gospel Performance, and Tina's first solo album, ''Tina Turns the Country On'', which won Tina Turner another Grammy nod for Best R&B; Female Vocal Performance.

Decline in popularity[link]

By the mid-1970s, Tina's personal life and marriage had fallen apart. Ike's growing cocaine use led to increasingly erratic and physically abusive behavior. Ike Turner also played a hand in their professional career hitting the doldrums for refusing to accept any outside management and using all the money he earned to maintain his cocaine habit. This led to low ticket sales and lower record sales. By 1975, Ike Turner was so addicted to cocaine that he couldn't make it to rehearsals for scheduled TV appearances leading Tina Turner to be onstage without her partner. That year, Tina accepted an offer to appear in The Who's rock opera, ''Tommy''. Tina's role in the film as the Acid Queen proved to be successful as critics raved of her appearance on the film.

Ike Turner responded by releasing Tina's second solo album, ''Acid Queen'', which in turn became the last Ike & Tina associated album to be released and featured the duo's last charted single, "Baby Get It On". A non-album single, "Delilah's Power", was also released during the same time. Tina's increasing independence led to increasing fights between the couple. In July 1976, Tina and Ike had a violent fight before an appearance at the Dallas Statler Hilton, where Tina alleged that this is when she hit Ike back "for the first time". After arriving at the hotel, Tina left Ike, fleeing with nothing more than thirty-six cents and a Mobil gas station credit card in her possession. She spent the next few months hiding from Ike while staying with various friends. Following this, Tina filed for divorce on July 27 after fourteen years of marriage, ending the Ike & Tina Turner Revue for good.

Tina would later credit her new-found Nichiren Buddhist faith with giving her the courage to strike out on her own. By walking out on Ike in the middle of a tour, she learned she was legally responsible to tour promoters for the canceled tour. Needing to earn a living, she became a solo performer, supplementing her income with TV appearances on shows such as ''The Hollywood Squares'', ''Donny and Marie'', ''The Sonny & Cher Show'' and ''The Brady Bunch Hour''. After a year in court, their divorce was made final on March 29, 1978. In the divorce, she completely parted ways with him retaining only her stage name and assuming responsibility for the debts incurred by the canceled tour as well as a significant IRS lien.

Life after the Revue[link]

After lying low for a year following her separation from Ike Turner, Tina Turner went back on the road in 1977 supporting herself with a cabaret act in Las Vegas. In 1978, Tina released her third solo album (and her first album since her separation from Ike) entitled ''Rough'' on EMI Records. The album was considered a departure from the blues rock sound of Ike & Tina. Choosing to focus on "happier music" and strong readings of hard rock songs, the album would yield four singles, none of which charted. In 1979, Turner released the disco-infused ''Love Explosion'' album, but it also failed to chart.

Due to the albums' performances, United Artists and EMI Records dropped Turner from her contract after her obligations ended with the companies. Turner supported herself by touring constantly, starting her first solo tour with ''The Wild Lady of Rock 'n' Roll'' in 1978. Following the end of the tour in 1979, she was invited to perform on Olivia Newton-John's musical variety show in Australia, where she met Newton-John's manager Roger Davies and pursued him to manage her career. Davies accepted Turner's offer after seeing her perform in San Francisco in 1980 and advised Turner to revamp her stage act. Despite her career downturn, Turner remained popular as a stage performer.

Return to prominence[link]

In 1981, Turner made headlines when she performed at the Ritz Theater in New York, leading to Turner performing with Rod Stewart, first on ''Saturday Night Live'' and then on his televised Los Angeles concert tour. That same year, Turner appeared onstage with her old 1960s acquaintances The Rolling Stones. In 1982, Turner teamed up with B.E.F. for a remake of the Temptations' "Ball of Confusion". The song became a hit in European dance clubs. Following this success, the producers asked her to incorporate a cover of Al Green's classic, "Let's Stay Together". Released in November 1983, just days before Turner's 44th birthday, the song became a hit single in the UK reaching number six on their charts and also became a hit in several other European countries. The success of "Let's Stay Together" in Europe convinced Turner's new company Capitol Records to release the song in the US in early 1984, with the song reaching number twenty six on the Billboard Hot 100 while also peaking at the top five of the R&B; and dance charts.

Following its success, Capitol quickly gave Turner a new three-album contract and had them do an album, with Turner later staging what ''Ebony'' magazine called an "amazing comeback". Done in two months, the album ''Private Dancer'', was released in June 1984. That same month, Turner issued the album's second single, "What's Love Got to Do with It". It quickly reached the top ten within a month and in September had reached number one on the Hot 100 in the US, making it the first time in Turner's career that she had reached that position. ''Private Dancer'' peaked at the top five of the Billboard album charts later selling five million copies in the US and a total of eleven million copies worldwide, though some sources stated the album has sold over twenty million making it her most successful album. ''Private Dancer'' also featured two more top ten singles, the rock-oriented "Better Be Good to Me" and the seductive title track while another US single, "Show Some Respect", became a modest top forty hit. Turner's comeback was culminated in early 1985 when she won four Grammy Awards including Record of the Year for "What's Love Got to Do with It". In February of that year, she embarked on her second world tour supporting the ''Private Dancer'' album, where she toured to huge crowds. One show, filmed at Birmingham, England's NEC Arena, was later released on home video. During this time she also contributed on vocals to the USA for Africa benefit song, "We Are the World".

Turner's success continued in 1985 when she appeared in her first acting role in ten years in the film, ''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'', playing Aunty Entity, the ruler of Bartertown. Upon its release, the film grossed $36 million. Turner later received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress for her role in the film and also contributed songs to the film's soundtrack, two of which, "We Don't Need Another Hero" and "One of the Living", became hits, with "One of the Living" later winning Turner a Grammy for Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In July, Turner performed at Live Aid alongside Mick Jagger. Encouraged by a performance together during Tina's filmed solo concert in England, singer Bryan Adams released their duet single together, "It's Only Love", later resulting in a Grammy nod for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Subsequent releases[link]

Turner returned with her next solo album, ''Break Every Rule'', in 1986. The album quickly became platinum launching several hit singles including "Typical Male", "Two People" and "What You Get Is What You See" going on to sell two million copies in the United States and four million together worldwide. That same year, Turner published her autobiography, ''I, Tina'', which she talked about her early life and volatile marriage to Ike Turner. She later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that summer. Turner's European ''Break Every Rule Tour'', which culminated in March 1987 in Munich, contributed to record breaking sales and concert attendances. In January 1988, Turner made history alongside Paul McCartney when she performed in front of the largest paying audience (approximately 184,000) to see a solo performer in Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil earning her a Guinness World Record. The success of Turner's two live tours led to the recording of ''Tina Live in Europe'', which was released that April. Turner lay low following the end of her ''Break Every Rule Tour'' emerging once again with ''Foreign Affair'', which included one of Turner's signature singles, "The Best". She later embarked on an European-only tour to promote the album. While ''Foreign Affair'' would go gold in the United States, with its singles "The Best" and "Steamy Windows" becoming top forty hits there, it wasn't as successful as Turner's previous offerings, though it was hugely successful in Europe, where Turner had personally relocated.

In 1991, Ike and Tina Turner were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Phil Spector later accepted on their behalf. That same year, the ex-couple signed away their rights to have their lives dramatized in the semi-autobiographical film, ''What's Love Got to Do with It'', later released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina and Laurence Fishburne as Ike, with the actors later winning Best Actress and Best Actor Academy Award nominations for their portrayals of the former husband-and-wife team. Turner contributed to the soundtrack for ''What's Love Got to Do with It'', re-recording songs from her Ike and Tina days and recording several newer songs including what turned out to be her last top ten US hit, "I Don't Wanna Fight". Other than helping Bassett with her wardrobe and teaching her dance steps as well as providing songs for the soundtrack, she refused to be involved fully in the film, telling an interviewer "Why would I want to see Ike Turner beat me up again? I haven't dwelled on it; it's all in the past where it belongs." Following the film's and soundtrack's release, Turner embarked on her first US tour in seven years. Following the tour's end, Turner moved to Switzerland and took a year off from the road at the end of the tour.

Turner returned in 1995 with the U2 composition, "GoldenEye" for the James Bond film of the same name. Its huge success in Europe and modest success in her formerly native United States led Turner to record a new album, releasing the ''Wildest Dreams'' album in 1996. Though the album itself was not as hugely successful in the United States, thanks to a world tour and a much played Hanes hosiery commercial, the album went gold in the United States. The album reached platinum success in Europe where Turner had hits with "Whatever You Want", "Missing You", which briefly charted in the US, "Something Beautiful Remains", and the sensual Barry White duet "In Your Wildest Dreams". Following the tour's end in 1997, Turner took another break before re-emerging again in 1999 appearing on the VH-1 special ''Divas Live '99''. In 1998 the duet with Italian superstar Eros Ramazzotti in "Cose della Vita" that became a European hit. Before celebrating her 60th birthday, Turner released the dance-infused song, "When the Heartache Is Over" and its parent album, ''Twenty Four Seven'' the following month in Europe, releasing both the song and the album in North America in early 2000. The success of "When the Heartache is Over" and Turner's tour supporting the album once again helped in the album going gold in the U.S. The ''Twenty Four Seven Tour'' became her most successful concert tour to date and became the highest-grossing tour of 2000 according to Pollstar grossing over $100 million. Later, Guinness World Records announced that Turner had sold more concert tickets than any other solo concert performer in music history. Afterwards Turner announced a semi-retirement.

Recent years[link]

In 2002, Tennessee State Route 19 between Brownsville and Nutbush was named "Tina Turner Highway". In 2003, she teamed up with Phil Collins to record the song "Great Spirits" for the Disney film ''Brother Bear''.

In 2004, Turner released a new compilation, ''All the Best'', and released the single "Open Arms". The song became a modestly successful European hit and a modest R&B; hit in America. In 2005, Turner briefly performed on shows such as ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' and ''The View''. ''All the Best'' became Turner's first album to go platinum in the U.S. in over eleven years.

At the end of the year, Turner was recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and was elected to join an elite group of entertainers. President Bush commented on Turner's "natural skill, the energy and sensuality", and referred to her legs as "the most famous in show business". Several artists paid tribute to her that night including Oprah Winfrey, Melissa Etheridge (who performed "River Deep - Mountain High", Queen Latifah (who performed "What's Love Got to Do with It"), Beyoncé (who performed "Proud Mary"), and the Reverend Al Green (who performed "Let's Stay Together"). Winfrey stated, "We don't need another hero. We need more heroines like you, Tina. You make me proud to spell my name w-o-m-a-n," and "Tina Turner didn't just survive, she triumphed." In November, Turner released ''All the Best - Live Collection'' and it was certified platinum by the RIAA.

In early 2006, the ''All the Invisible Children'' soundtrack was released. Turner sang "Teach Me Again" from the ''All the Invisible Children'' soundtrack with Elisa charted at No. 1 in Italy. In May 2007, Turner returned to the stage to headline a benefit concert for the Cauldwell Children's Charity at London's Natural History Museum. This was her first full show in seven years. Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock released an album paying tribute to singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entitled ''River: The Joni Letters'' on September 25, 2007, on which Turner contributed her vocals to a version of "Edith and The Kingpin". On October 16, 2007, Carlos Santana released an album entitled ''Ultimate Santana'' which featured Turner singing "The Game of Love", a song originally intended for her to sing, but which was instead released by Santana with Michelle Branch due to demands from the recording label.

On December 12, 2007, Turner issued a brief statement through a spokesperson regarding the death of her former husband Ike Turner: "Tina hasn't had any contact with Ike in more than 30 years. No further comment will be made."

Turner performed with Beyoncé at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2008. It was Turner's first major public performance since her record-breaking Twenty-Four Seven Tour. In addition, she picked up a Grammy as a featured artist on ''River: The Joni Letters''. On May 5, 2008, she performed in a televised concert and interview for the Oprah show at Caesar's Place in Las Vegas with long time friend Cher.

Turner embarked on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour on October 1, 2008, which began on in Kansas City, Missouri at the Sprint Center. The album, ''Tina!: Her Greatest Hits'', was released in support of the tour.

In 2009, Turner participated in the ''Beyond'' singing project with fellow musicians Regula Curti, Seda Bagcan and Dechen Shak Dagsay. This CD combined Buddhist chants and Christian choral music along with a spiritual message read by Turner. The album was released only in Germany and a handful of other countries. It peaked at No. 7 in Switzerland. In 2011, ''Children Beyond'' followed and charted again in Switzerland.

A new live album was released by Parlophone in September 2009 entitled ''Tina Live''. The double disc set included the full concert recorded in the Netherlands as part of her 50th Anniversary Tour on DVD and selected tracks on CD. It is only Turner's second live album with the first, ''Tina Live in Europe'', being released twenty years previously in 1988.

In April 2010, Turner once again had a hit with her 1989 single ''The Best''. It peaked at No.9 in the UK Singles Chart after an internet campaign by supporters of Glasgow Rangers Football Club.

Personal life[link]

Born in a farm in Nutbush, a town in Haywood County, Tennessee, Tina's parents subsequently abandoned her at a young age before reaching her teen years. She moved to Brownsville to stay with her close grandmother. After her grandmother died when she was sixteen, her mother moved her to St. Louis. Tina Turner had two sisters, Alline Selico and Evelyn Currie, both of whom are deceased. She was close to both sisters growing up and later credited Alline with introducing her to Ike Turner after taking her to Club Manhattan which Turner frequented. After Tina graduated from St. Louis' Sumner High School at 18, she became pregnant with musician Raymond Hill's child. Hill was a childhood friend of Ike Turner's and an original member of Ike's Kings of Rhythm band. After her mother kicked her out of her house after finding out about the pregnancy, Tina moved in Ike Turner's home in East St. Louis, where she remained until she and Ike relocated to Los Angeles in 1964.

Tina's accounts of her life with Ike Turner differ from his accounts: whereas Turner alleged in her memoirs, ''I, Tina'' that Ike Turner was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive towards her, Ike Turner alleged that he never beat her but did admit to "slapping her a few times" and "punching her to the ground without thinking" in his own memoirs, ''Taking Back My Name''. In 1976, after years of alleged abuse, Tina left him after suffering a beating by Ike's hands while in Dallas. Ike Turner pursued her for half a year stopping his pursuits in 1977. Tina filed for divorce and left most of the monetary assets in Ike Turner's care while retaining the use of her stage name as a means to perform. Ike Turner later alleged that their marriage was illegal, and that Tina took his last name to discourage a former lover's attempt to reconcile with her, resulting in her full stage name of Tina Turner.

Turner was introduced to Buddhism by a friend of hers and Ike's in 1972. Turner wrote in her autobiography that she first used Buddhist chants (mainly nam myoho renge kyo) before performing at a recording session at Ike's Bolic Sounds studio and it resulted in Ike sending her money to go shopping, showing Buddhism as both a source of strength and a means of getting what she wanted. Two years later, she converted to Nichiren Buddhism and later credited the religion for getting her through the rough times especially during her post-Ike/Revue life and career. In 1985, she met her current companion, German-based music executive Erwin Bach, while at a record label party in London. They began dating a year later and have remained together since. Turner has been living in a lakehouse called Chateau Algonquin in Zurich since moving there in 1994. She also has had residences in London, Cologne and on the French Riviera.

Tina is a mother to four sons. His first son, Raymond Craig, was from her brief affair with Kings of Rhythm band mate Raymond Hill, born weeks before Tina's 19th birthday, in 1958. She had one more biological child, Ronald Renelle, with Ike Turner, born in October 1960. Following Tina's subsequent marriage to Ike, she raised two of Ike's eldest sons, Ike Turner, Jr. and Michael, from Ike Turner's marriage to Lorraine Taylor.

Awards and accolades[link]

Turner was listed on ''Rolling Stone'''s list "The Immortals — The Greatest Artists of All Time". Turner is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and three of her recordings, "River Deep - Mountain High" (1999), "Proud Mary" (2003) and "What's Love Got To Do With It" (2012) are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Turner has won 8 Grammy Awards.

Bryan Adams, who toured with her on the Private Dancer Tour, praised Turner's live performances, saying, "I never saw Tina walk through a performance, she always put on a great show, and was gracious and grateful to her audience."

Her legs were noted specifically as she was honored by President George W. Bush.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

''Tina Turns the Country On!'' (1974)

''Acid Queen'' (1975)

''Rough'' (1978)

''Love Explosion'' (1979)

''Private Dancer'' (1984)

''Break Every Rule'' (1986)

''Foreign Affair'' (1989)

''Wildest Dreams'' (1996)

''Twenty Four Seven'' (1999)

Other albums[link]

Soundtracks

''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome'' (1985)

''What's Love Got to Do With It'' (1993)

Live albums

''Tina Live in Europe'' (1988)

''VH1 Divas Live '99'' (1999)

''Tina Live'' (2009)

Compilation albums

''Simply the Best'' (1991)

''The Collected Recordings'' (1994)

''All the Best'' (2004)

''Tina!'' (2008)

''The Platinum Collection'' (2009)

Tours[link]

1978–1979: ''Wild Lady of Rock Tour''

1982–1984: ''Nice 'n' Rough Tour''

1985: ''Private Dancer Tour''

1987–1988: ''Break Every Rule Tour''

1990: ''Foreign Affair Tour''

1993: ''What's Love? Tour''

1996–1997: ''Wildest Dreams Tour''

2000: ''Twenty Four Seven Tour''

2008–2009: ''Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour''

Filmography[link]

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1970		Herself	Documentary
1971		Herself
1975		The Acid Queen
1976	''All This and World War II''	Herself	Documentary
1978		Our Guests at Heartland
1979	''John Denver and the Ladies''	Herself	Variety Show
1985	''Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome''	Auntie Entity	Won (1986) - NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
		Herself	Singing voice for Angela Bassett, also archive footage
''Last Action Hero''	The Mayor
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1966	''The Big T.N.T. Show''	Herself	Documentary
1970	''It's Your Thing''	Herself	Documentary
1971	''Soul to Soul''	Herself	Documentary
2000	''Ally McBeal''	Herself	cameo appearance one episode: "The Oddball Parade"

References[link]

External links[link]

Tina Turner's Entry on the St. Louis Walk of Fame

Category:1939 births Category:Actors from Missouri Category:Actors from Tennessee Category:African American dancers Category:African American female singers Category:African American rock musicians Category:American Buddhists Category:American expatriates in France Category:American expatriates in Germany Category:American expatriates in Switzerland Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American people of European descent Category:American pop singers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American rock singers Category:American soul singers Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:Female rock singers Category:Former Baptists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Ike & Tina Turner members Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Illinois Category:Musicians from Missouri Category:Musicians from Tennessee Category:Music of St. Louis, Missouri Category:People from Haywood County, Tennessee Category:People from St. Louis, Missouri Category:People from East St. Louis, Illinois Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Virgin Records artists

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