Those legs. The big blonde hair. The moves. The big voice. Beyonce right? Nope, we are speaking of one of Beyonce’s big influences, the very beautiful Tina Turner.

“She was one of the ones that were sitting in front of her little television, her little self looking at the big screen when I was Tina in the Ike and Tina Turner days and she took from all the stars at that time.

“Diana Ross influenced her, I influenced her. What I like about her is that she knows what she is doing, she really did her homework and decided to stay elegant.

She’s not rock ‘n’ roll – she’s totally elegant. Unless you’re rock ‘n’ roll from the heart you can’t mimic that. The stance, the movements, it has to come from the inside.”   Tina Turner speaking about Beyonce

 

It is wonderful to see an artist like Beyonce not only pay homage but show such respect for the uber talented Tina Turner.

There was nothing like Tina before she hit the stage in the late 1950’s. She began her musical career as a featured singer with Ike Turner‘s Kings of Rhythm, first recording in 1958 under the name “Little Ann”. Her introduction to the public as Tina Turner began in 1960 as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Success followed with a string of notable hits credited to the duo, including “A Fool in Love“,”River Deep – Mountain High” (1966), “Proud Mary” (1971) and “Nutbush City Limits” (1973), a song which she herself wrote. In her autobiography, I, Tina, she revealed several instances of severe domestic abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce.

One of the world’s most popular entertainers, she is also called the The Queen of Rock n Roll. Turner has been termed the most successful female rock artist,winning eight Grammys and selling more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Her combined album and single sales total approximately 100 million copies worldwide.^[12] She is noted for her energetic stage presence,powerful vocals, and career longevity.In 2008, Turner returned from semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour. Turner’s tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008–2009. Rolling Stone ranked her no. 63 on their 100 greatest artists of all time In 1991, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.