Tina Turner Read online

  With that, everyone at the company meeting wanted to come along too. In addition, Bowie wanted to bring along several of his friends, including his co-star from the film The Hunger, Susan Sarandon, as well as Keith Richards and Ron Wood from The Rolling Stones, and tennis star John McEnroe.

  Tina had no idea that all of this was going on. However, when she hit the stage at The Ritz that night, there seemed to be some sort of a buzz in the crowd. She figured that there must have been some movie star in the audience. Little did she know that half of the staff of Capitol Records was there, along with Bowie and company.

  The show was incredible that night, and she was surprised and delighted to have her buddies Bowie, Richards, and Wood there at the Ritz. They invited her back to an after-concert party at Keith’s apartment in the Plaza Hotel. They ended up drinking champagne and singing songs all night long. Tina and Roger didn’t leave Keith’s until 8:30 the next morning.

  Well, that night at The Ritz really turned the heads of the executives at Capitol Records. After seeing her in action, they agreed to sign Tina in America also—since she was now signed to a singles deal with EMI Records for England only. When the British executives heard the two songs that she had recorded with John Carter at the helm, they were deemed “too American” sounding to have a big impact on the international market. Capitol wasn’t impressed with them either, and declined releasing them. Roger was insistent that he and Tina go back to England to record.

  Davies arranged for Tina to return to the studio with the B.E.F. guys to produce her first British single that was part of her new deal. Ware and Marsh were thrilled by the idea of working with Tina again. Since the record company was not going to pay to get them to Europe, Roger lined up a concert over there to finance the recording of the song. The only concert he could put together was in Stockholm, Sweden. The engagement called for Tina to sing with a twenty-one-piece orchestra. She had never performed with a full orchestra, why not? Tina was such a hit in Stockholm that she made the front page of the newspaper there the morning after the show.

  Roger and Tina arrived in England, only to find—to their horror—that Ware and Marsh had been so busy with their group, Heaven 17, that they hadn’t custom written a new song for the session as planned. Here Davies had booked famed Abbey Road studios for the recording, it was the night before the session, and they didn’t have a single song!

  There was an emergency meeting in Roger’s hotel room at Grosvenor House, where Ware and Marsh brought over a stack of their favorite singles that they thought Tina might do a good job of covering. When she saw that they had brought with them only rhythm & blues songs to suggest for her, she asked them if they were into any rock & roll. She explained that she had no interest in R&B, since that was part of her life in the old Ike & Tina days. While brainstorming, Tina, Roger, Martyn, and Ian all agreed that they were into Bowie, so off Roger went to purchase every David Bowie cassette he could find. When he returned, the one song that they seemed to agree upon was “1984.” They liked the idea of that one, as well as one of the R&B songs they had played earlier in the evening—Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” Okay, now they had two songs to work on the next day in the studio.

  Everyone involved in the session that day was thrilled with the results. She sang “Let’s Stay Together” only once, and Roger and the producing duo all claimed that was it—a perfect performance. With that finished, they went on to “1984.” According to Martyn Ware, “The highest compliment I can pay her is that in fifteen years of producing various artists—her performances of ‘Ball of Confusion’ and ‘Let’s Stay Together’—were the only complete unedited ‘first take’ vocals I’ve ever had the pleasure of recording and mixing. In this world of increasingly sophisticated technology, she is still unique” (21).

  The executives at EMI Records in England were thrilled with the two recordings they had done in the studio that day, and they wanted to release a twelve-inch vinyl single version of “Let’s Stay Together” immediately. However, Capitol Records in America flatly didn’t like it at all, and had no interest in releasing it in the States. The single was released in Europe as planned, and it became a huge hit, hitting No. 6 in the United Kingdom. Roger had booked several foreign dates for Tina when “Let’s Stay Together” was first released. Here she was in concert in the Persian Gulf, while her record was scaling the British charts. When she returned to England, she was booked at a small club that Virgin Records owned, called The Venue. The record had become such a smash that the gig was extended to eleven nights to meet the sudden demand for tickets.

  Tina recalls, “So I came back to London and did a tour with the hit record. Was it huge! When I sang ‘Let’s Stay Together’ everybody sang it with me. And I looked out there and I thought, ‘So this is what it feels like’ ” (1).

  In 1983, a music writer wrote about Tina’s stage show in Great Britain’s newspaper The Daily Mirror, “When she wraps her vocal cords around a microphone, men go weak at the knees. When her hips start to gyrate, they break out in a sweat . . . the moment she walks on stage, wearing a mini-dress of leather rags, the lady becomes a vamp” (27).

  To further promote “Let’s Stay Together,” Tina very quickly did a simple but sexy video version of the song, with her pair of female dancers—Lejeune Richardson and Ann Behringer. In the beginning of the video, Tina wore one of her mini-dresses of shredded material cut up to her thigh. With the pair of dancers groveling at Tina’s feet and running their hands up and down her exposed legs in the video, it was titillating, and it looked particularly lesbian oriented. This started all kinds of speculation about Tina’s own sexuality at that time. After all, if an abusive marriage wouldn’t make a girl want to go gay—what would? The press wanted to know details. Tina got a big chuckle over the controversy, and purposely never made any denials. Roger agreed that publicity was publicty—whatever the rumor.

  Since “Let’s Stay Together” was making prominent appearances in American record stores as an “Import” single, New York City DJ Frankie Crocker started playing the song on radio station WBLS. The record was so popular that the European singles were disappearing from store shelves in the “States.” Capitol Records in America, who had just turned down releasing the single, suddenly had to rush release their own version of the song to match the demand. In the United States, the song made it to No. 19 on the Pop charts, and No. 5 on the R&B charts. Suddenly Capitol wanted a whole album—immediately—in less than a month!

  Davies was floored as he had just booked thirty concert appearances for Tina in England to capitalize on the success of the single. Since she was in America at the moment, Capitol wanted him to cancel the tour and get her into a recording studio instantly. Roger was insistent that since Great Britain had been the country that was the most loyal to Tina in the last couple of years, he refused to cancel the dates. The album had to be recorded in England. Capitol Records producer John Carter agreed with Davies’ logic and helped persuade the company to give Roger and Tina the “green light” to record in England and to send the bills back to them. So, off Tina and Roger flew—back to London.

  While Tina and her band were zigzagging their way across England, Roger Davies was in London pulling together what was to become the most important album in Ms. Turner’s career.

  13

  PRIVATE DANCER

  There was no time to take a breath or come up with a concept for Tina’s first album for Capitol/EMI Records. Decisions had to be made fast. The one thing that Tina was the most insistent upon was that this album had to rock. This was a make-it-or-break-it kind of project. If the momentum of “Let’s Stay Together” was going to be capitalized upon, it had to happen quickly and the music had to be great. There might not be another opportunity like this again.

  The one song that Tina and Roger arrived in London with was the tune “Better Be Good to Me.” It was a song that had been recorded by an American band, Spider. Now, they just needed the whole rest of the album. Recalling his qu
est for songs for Turner to sing, Davies recalls, “I hit the streets. I called everyone I knew and begged for songs” (2).

  An Australian friend of his by the name of Terry Britten was currently residing in London. Roger gave him a call to see what kind of song ideas he had for Tina. Britten had once been the lead guitar player in a group called The Twilights. Terry had one song already written that he thought might be good for Tina, called “Show Some Respect.” He also had another song that he had composed with his writing partner, Graham Lyle. It was a pop-oriented song called “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

  One of the next people Davies went to was Robert Hine, who had recently come to prominence by producing The Fixx. He thought that Hine would be the perfect producer to bring “Better Be Good to Me” to life. Hine had an idea: he wanted Tina to meet with his girlfriend, Jeannette Obstoj, with whom he was currently writing songs. Turner told her life story to Jeannette during their meeting, and, inspired by what she heard, Obstoj wrote a tailor-made song for Tina called “I Might Have Been Queen.” It was all about Tina’s deep belief in reincarnation. When she heard the demo for the song, Tina was so touched by it, she was in tears. It was literally tailor-made for her.

  However, she had the opposite reaction when she heard the two songs that Terry Britten submitted. But Roger was persistent, and kept playing “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Show Some Respect for Her.” Tina claimed that they didn’t rock enough and that they were pop songs. She claimed, “I can’t sing that wimpy crap” (2).

  Roger was insistent that she at least give them a try, and he booked time at Mayfair Studios. Tina wanted the songs to be rougher, and she didn’t like the key in which they were written. Terry Britten obligingly started tinkering with the songs. Finally, they came up with versions that Tina could live with—however, she still didn’t love them.

  The next person that Davies went to was Ed Bicknell, who was the manager of Dire Straits, and a singer by the name of Paul Brady. Bicknell gave him “Steel Claw” from the Brady catalog. There was also a track left over from the latest Dire Straits album, which Mark Knopfler had written called “Private Dancer”; however, only the instrumental tracks had been recorded.

  Capitol Records producer John Carter came to London to see how the album was progressing and he ended up personally producing “Steel Claw” and “Private Dancer,” credited on the album simply as “Carter.” Tina’s guitar-playing rock star buddy from way back—Jeff Beck—was featured on both of those cuts.

  After Terry Britten recorded his two cuts with Tina, he also produced her version of the Ann Peebles hit “I Can’t Stand the Rain.”

  By adding the Martyn Ware and Greg Walsh–produced songs “1984” and “Let’s Stay Together,” the album was completed—in a record-fast two weeks! Adding front and back photographs by Peter Ashworth, Tina Turner’s startling new album, Private Dancer, was complete.

  As a bonus cut for the European version of the album, Tina finally nailed down The Beatles’ song “Help,” which was produced by Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, and Ndugu Chancier. While she was working on her album, “Help” was released in England and reached No. 40 on the British charts.

  The process was very rushed, and Tina had to rely on Roger Davies’ instincts a lot during this frantic process. According to her, “I can’t say these are my type of songs. It was like our backs were against the wall to get an album out. . . . I said, ‘Whatever is gonna make a hit record’ ” (18).

  What she liked the most was the fact that it really rocked, much more so than any of her previous recordings. “It’s neither rock & roll nor R&B, but it’s a bit of both,” she explained. “Rhythm & blues to me has always been a bit of a downer . . . in the attitude—in the moan, in the plea. Rock & roll has always been straight on. You wanna put it on to get you going” (18).

  She had to admit that the album reflected the new and reborn Tina Turner. “I don’t want to beg and plead and weep and moan anymore. I had enough of that. Now what I like to sing are ass kickers. I want to get crazy. That’s who I am” (28).

  The finished album was presented to Capitol Records in America and EMI in Europe. Now it came time to test the waters, to start releasing singles, and to promote the hell out of them. With that, Tina was off on a four-month tour as the opening act for Lionel Richie’s first major solo tour.

  Since Richie was hot on the charts at the time with his solo songs “All Night Long” and “Hello,” there was a big demand for him in concert. Although he had been an R&B star with The Commodores for years, he was suddenly a huge star on his own with pop hits. She wanted to “rock out” and go crazy on stage, and the crowd he drew was a bit subdued for her. However, the exposure was good for her. Said Tina during this tour with Lionel, “I know I’m not at my best with Lionel” (18).

  Her new album wasn’t out yet, and audiences mainly knew her from the old days. “It was real hard being on stage by myself at first,” she explains. “Because Lionel’s crowd is not my crowd. Plus, it was brand new material, and the only things they wanted to hear were ‘Nutbush City Limits,’ ‘Let’s Stay Together,’ and ‘Proud Mary’ ” (9). That was all about to change forever.

  Prior to releasing the album, the single version of “What’s Love Got to Do With It” hit the marketplace. By June 1984, Private Dancer entered the Billboard charts in America at No. 101, and “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was in the Top 50 and on its way up the charts.

  The critical reviews of the album were ecstatic. The New York Times declared that Private Dancer was a “landmark” in the “evolution of pop-soul music” (2). The Los Angeles Times claimed her voice was so hot it “melts vinyl” (4).

  Furthermore, MTV completely jumped on the bandwagon by keeping her new “What’s Love Got to Do With It” video in constant rotation. At the age of forty-five, she was the hottest thing with the youth-oriented MTV crowd. Tina’s simple video of her singing her triumphant new signature song struck a perfect chord with MTV audiences. The video depicted her strutting in a park and on a pier, delivering the song like she was giving sage advice to lovers around the world. It didn’t just become a simple hit; it became the biggest smash of the year.

  In July, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” hit No. 3 in the United Kingdom. The following month Private Dancer peaked at No. 3 in America, No. 2 in England. The only reason that the album didn’t make it to the top in the United States was the fact that the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the chart were locked in by Prince’s Purple Rain soundtrack and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. In the United States, Private Dancer was to remain in the Top 10 until May 1985—eventually selling over ten million copies worldwide. On August 21, 1984, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” was certified Gold in the United States. Finally, on September 1, 1984, the song officially hit No. 1 in America—her first chart-topping single ever. Tina was officially back—and bigger and better than ever!

  Tina was in New York City to appear again at The Ritz and to have an autograph signing at Tower Records on Broadway in Greenwich Village. The same day, she received word that she would be starring in the third movie in Mel Gibson’s Mad Max trilogy, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. She was ecstatic about all of this news, and reportedly ran through Tower Records shouting “My record’s No. 1, my record’s No. 1!” As she so succinctly put it, “Is this a happy ending or what?” (1).

  Instead of being only a happy ending to a long hard struggle to the top, it was just the beginning of good things for Tina Turner. She didn’t have long to rest on her laurels, however—now she really had some work to do!

  On September 18, she was one of the performers at Radio City Music Hall for the First Annual MTV Music Awards. Hosted by Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd, the show was to become a huge television tradition, and Tina was right there, performing at her exciting best.

  Tina’s tidal wave of success became an across-the-board global event. John Martin of Canada’s TV video network, Much Music, claimed at the time, “Her success
corresponds with a new way of looking at sexy, self-assured women. She’s doing it on her own and she’s a heroine because of that” (29).

  On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Capitol and EMI continued to pull singles from this landmark album. In November 1984, “You Better Be Good to Me” peaked at No. 5 in America. And in December 1994, “Private Dancer” hit No. 26 in the United Kingdom.

  In late 1984, Tina was now a regular fixture at the top of the charts and wowing rock audiences around the globe. Ironically, however, she was still fulfilling some leftover concert engagements that were set up when no one seemed to care to book her for big public events. During the pre–“What’s Love Got to Do With It” days, she had signed a contract to perform at several “industrial” gigs—entertaining straight-laced corporate convention goers. Most members of the general public don’t realize that hundreds of once-huge rock, pop, and soul performers exist on performing for after-dinner crowds of convention attendees. In Tina’s case, she had signed a contract with the hamburger king, McDonalds, to perform at fourteen separate corporate functions. At the time she signed the contract and began the concert dates, she was happy to have the gig and the income. A performer of Tina’s stature could pick up $30,000 to $50,000 in one night at such a convention. The audiences were usually stiff and unresponsive middle-aged businesspeople, but the money was always good—and guaranteed.

  In Ottawa, Canada, although she had returned to rock & roll supremacy—and was all over the radio with her new material—she performed her final corporate gig that autumn, fulfilling the McDonald’s contractual obligation. No more corporate gigs for hamburger salespeople or business bigwigs for Tina. After the date, she was free to move on to the much bigger hamburgers she had to fry on her rock & roll grill. She had her own mind-boggling show business comeback to focus on! Ronald McDonald would have to find someone else to entertain his corporate executives.