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''Takin' Back My Name: The Confessions of Ike Turner'' is a 1999 autobiography by American musician
Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...
with British writer Nigel Cawthorne.


Overview

After Ike Turner's ex-wife
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
revealed that his violent behavior and infidelity drove her to attempt
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
in her 1986 autobiography, ''I,Tina: My Life Story'' ( dramatized in the 1993 film ''
What's Love Got to Do with It What's Love Got to Do with It may refer to: Related to Tina Turner * "What's Love Got to Do with It" (song), a 1984 song by Tina Turner; covered by Warren G, 1996 * ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993 film), a 1993 biographical film about Turne ...
''), he became a social pariah whose personal life overshadowed his musical contributions. In ''Takin' Back My Name'', Turner tells his story from his childhood through the pinnacle of his career with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, his
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
-fueled downfall, and his career revival in the 1990s.


Narrative

''Takin' Back My Name'' begins with an introduction by musician
Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...
who emphasizes Ike Turner's influence as a
rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
pioneer. Turner then recounts his life woven with inner thoughts and newfound perspectives. Izear Luster Turner, better known as "Ike Turner," was born in
Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...
. Early in his musical career, he worked for the Los Angeles–based
Bihari brothers The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origin. They founded Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. They were significant figures in th ...
as an
A&R man Artists and repertoire (or A&R for short) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for scouting, financing, and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists and songwriters. It also acts as a l ...
at
Modern Records Modern Records (Modern Music Records before 1947) was an American record company and label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. Modern's artists included Hadda Brooks, Etta James, Joe Houston, Little Richard, Ike & Tina Turn ...
, scouting the
Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...
scene in search of artists to record. With his own band the
Kings of Rhythm Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone c ...
, Turner recorded "
Rocket 88 "Rocket 88" (originally stylized as Rocket "88") is a song that was first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1951. The recording was credited to " Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats"; while Brenston did provide the vocals, the band was actu ...
," a distorted-guitar ode to the
Oldsmobile 88 The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry-level m ...
, which is credited as being the first rock ‘n’ roll record, at
Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American disc jockey, songwriter and record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, R ...
Memphis recording studio in 1951. Instead of Turner's name on the record, his saxophonist (and vocalist on the track)
Jackie Brenston Jackie Brenston (August 24, 1928 or 1930Most published sources and the U.S. Social Security Death Index give 1930 as his year of birth. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and reportedly his gravestone give 1928.  – December 15, 1979) ...
was credited. He then worked as a talent scout and session musician at
Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...
. In 1954, Turner relocated his band to
East St. Louis, Illinois East St. Louis, also known as ESTL, is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. It is directly across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis, Missouri, and the Gateway Arch National Park. East St. Louis is in the Metro East ...
. There he met Ann Bullock who joined his band. He called her "Little Ann" and he eventually created her stage name Tina Turner. He formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1960 which was followed by a string of hit records and relentless touring in the 1960s. At the peak of their commercial success in the early 1970s, they toured internationally and had their own recording studio,
Bolic Sound Bolic Sound Studios was a recording studio complex in Inglewood, California. It was built by musician Ike Turner in 1970, and remained in operation until it burned down in 1981. History As a young bandleader, Ike Turner had grown skeptical of the ...
, which became Turner's playground, rife with explicit tales of sex and cocaine use. By the mid 1970s, the Turners' relationship was deteriorating, and after a physical altercation in 1976, they divorced in 1978. In 1986, after making a success of her comeback, Tina Turner released her autobiography ''I, Tina'', which was filled with recounts of
spousal abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...
. At the time, Turner was on a downward spiral, which ended with an 18-month stint in prison for drug possession. After his release in the early 1990s, Tina's book was adapted into the film ''What’s Love Got To Do With It.''
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
's menacing portrayal of Turner in the film and the alleged fabrications in the script further damaged Turner's reputation. Despite this, Turner reformed a new Revue, and after a long absence from the stage he resumed performing.


Critical reception

Reviewing the book for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Caroline Sullivan wrote: "''Takin' Back My Name'' is one of the few celebrity memoirs unbelaboured by excuses for bad behaviour. Admirably, Turner refuses to blame anyone but himself for a life of excess that began at the age of six when he was seduced by a certain Miss Boozie in Clarksdale." Glyn Brown wrote for ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'': "In it, he comes over as an egotist just doing the best he can in difficult circumstances and, though you wonder if it's maybe 100 per cent unreliable, Ike's an old man now, and he deserves a break. Problem is, Ike doesn't really help himself."


References

{{Ike & Tina Turner Ike Turner African-American autobiographies Music autobiographies Show business memoirs 1999 non-fiction books American autobiographies Books about pop music Books about rock music Books about musicians Books about singers Collaborative non-fiction books Virgin Books books Books by Nigel Cawthorne