Ike Turner—Dead at 76

Sadly, Ike Turner was better known as a wife beater and coke head than one of the fathers of rock and roll. Last year, he released Rising with the Blues, a defiant, biographical statement of purpose that offered no excuses or apologies for his mistakes and past indiscretions. His searing...

By Chelsea Mueller

December 13, 2007

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Sadly, Ike Turner was better known as a wife beater and coke head than one of the fathers of rock and roll. Last year, he released Rising with the Blues, a defiant, biographical statement of purpose that offered no excuses or apologies for his mistakes and past indiscretions. His searing guitar work certainly laid the foundation for rock and roll even though it was always based in the blues and R&B. Not surprisingly, Tina Turner has been mum on Ike’s demise as her claims of being on the losing end of the back of her ex-husband’s hand are well documented in books and on film. Overshadowed by the nasty rumors and facts surrounding Ike Tuner was his genuine talent, both as a talent scout and as a musician. Turner’s personal demons were apparent in his music as well as his personal life, and his menacing and intense stage presence certainly manifested itself outside of his musical realm. Even though Ike Turner never asked for it, forgiveness might finally be what he receives. -- Darryl Smyers

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.