Tina Turner

Aretha Franklin Scolds Beyonce For Grammy Slight; Plus Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears & More, In For The Record

13 Feb 2008 17:47:00 EST

Cyrus featured in Barbara Walters special; Wayne indicted; Snoop to be honored for community-service efforts.
By MTV News staff

There is only one Queen of Soul, and you don't want to mess with her. Aretha Franklin, who has held that title for decades, lashed out at Beyoncé on Tuesday after the young singer introduced Tina Turner as "the queen" at Sunday's Grammy Awards. According to an Associated Press report, Franklin released a statement in which she said, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé. ... However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy." In her intro to Turner's set, Knowles mentioned Franklin among a list of legendary female singers, then tagged Turner as the "one legend who has the essence of all of those things: the glamour, the soul, the passion, the strength, the talent. ... Ladies and gentlemen, stand on your feet and give it up for the queen." Showing her feelings were not that hurt, the missive from Franklin ended with a thank you to the Grammys and "love to Beyoncé anyway." ...

A day after coming under fire from Consumer Reports for being shown not wearing their seat belts in the new Hannah Montana flick, Billy Ray Cyrus has admitted that he and his daughter Miley were in the wrong. "We got caught up in the moment of filming, and we made a mistake and forgot to buckle our seatbelts," he told People in regards to the new 3-D movie "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert." "Seat-belt safety is extremely important," he added. ... As for Miley, tune in for a chat with the starlet after the Academy Awards on February 24. Along with nominee Ellen Page, Harrison Ford and others, Cyrus will be part of the 27th annual Oscar edition of "The Barbara Walters Special," airing at 7 p.m. on ABC. ...

Lil Wayne has been indicted by a grand jury on felony drug and weapons charges in connection with his arrest on January 22 near Yuma, Arizona. According to his lawyer, James Tilson, Wayne (born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) was in court Friday and pleaded not guilty to possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, possession of drug paraphernalia and misconduct involving weapons. Tilson said the rapper will remain free on bond as the case proceeds, and that he is "still free to travel and perform, and there are no changes in the conditions of his release." Wayne, 25, is due back in court on March 7 for a status hearing. ...

Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Doug E. Fresh, Jim Jones and others will be recognized at this year's Action Awards for their community-service efforts. The fifth annual fundraising dinner ceremony, put on by Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, will take place February 25 at Capitale in New York. ... Add the Rothbury Festival to the list of new American fests launching this summer. The three-day affair at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan, will take place over Independence Day weekend (July 3-6) and feature sets from Snoop, John Mayer, the Dave Matthews Band, Modest Mouse, the Mars Volta, Colbie Caillat, the Black Keys, Of Montreal, Widespread Panic, Beth Orton, Gogol Bordello, Phil Lesh & Friends and 311. The festival will have an environmental bent, including a panel discussion on climate issues and an energy fair. ... The Eagles have hopped onboard the Stagecoach Country Music Festival, set for May 2-4 in Indio, California. ...

Does Britney Spears want her kids back? Her first ex-husband, Jason Alexander, claims the singer told him no. "She wants to see them, but she doesn't want to be a full-time mom," Alexander told In Touch Weekly, claiming that he and Britney got back in touch in the last few weeks. "I got a ... a voice mail ... that says, 'Hey! It's me. I know we haven't spoken in a while.' It was Britney. She said she'd call me back, and we've been speaking ever since." ... Meanwhile, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is hoping to get Jamie and Lynne Spears to get Brit to cut back on dairy and meat, which the animal-rights organization claims could have a connection to her mental disorder. In a letter to the pop star's parents, PETA claimed bipolar patients worsen their condition if they ingest ice cream and other milk products. A PETA rep told MTV News that the group has yet to hear back from Spears' parents. ...

Here's an APB for all the Police fans out there: The recently reunited band will retire for good after one more North American tour, according to Billboard.com. Sting and the gang will play roughly 30 shows across the continent in May and July, as well as gigs in Europe in June, but that'll be it. Elvis Costello & the Imposters will open the North American shows, which start May 1 in Ottawa and end the first week in August. Billboard.com reports that the tour will gross in the $340 million range, making it one of the five top-grossing tours ever. ... With Stone Temple Pilots, Led Zeppelin and Rage Against the Machine also doing the whole reunion thing ... and could a Pavement reunion be on the way too? Well, frontman Stephen Malkmus told NME that, while the idea was an "interesting" one, he doesn't see it happening anytime soon — he's busy with his new band, the Jicks. But he isn't ruling it out entirely. "We're on fine terms, we don't have any plans to [re-form] yet," he told the magazine. "We haven't talked about sincerely doing that. I'm 1,000 percent committed to the people I'm working with now. I would never cheat on them and go and do Pavement, it's not [in] the cards. But who knows? Maybe it would be a good thing to do, maybe it'll feel right one day. I don't really ever think about it, except when I do interviews." ...

DJ Khaled is launching an exclusive partnership between his We the Best Music label, and Def Jam. Ace will put out the first release under the new deal, although the title and release date have yet to be determined. "We the Best Music/ Def Jam ... get ready for history!!!" Khaled said in a statement. ... The Bravery have put together quite the scheme to hype their March 18 release, The Sun and the Moon Complete. Starting Tuesday, the synth-rockers will dish up a song from the disc each week for the next month on iTunes, and the first offering will be a reworked version of "Believe." The March release is a two-disc set — the first one, titled The Sun, is the 12-song album the band issued in May; the second disc, The Moon, is the reimagined version of the release. ...

As if Barack Obama didn't have enough support from musicians already, the senator is earning some ancillary support from TV on the Radio amigos Dragons of Zynth. The electro-psychedelic band will try to rouse more love for the Democratic presidential candidate with an "Obamathon" in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, which is Valentine's Day. ... After initially being hit with a cease and desist from Radiohead for his unauthorized eight-track remix of songs from the band's In Rainbows, Oakland, California, DJ/producer Amplive has been given the go-ahead to release the free album. Rainydayz Remixes features verses from Too Short, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. ...

Mel Gibson can finally put his infamous DUI arrest behind him. According to TMZ, a judge on Wednesday (February 13) said there is no need for future progress reports on the actor, who was busted in July 2006. He still has 18 months of probation but has completed the requirements of his plea deal.

2.12.08

Juvenile was arrested in Mississippi on Tuesday (February 12) for marijuana possession, according to TMZ.com. The New Orleans rapper was reportedly pulled over for having expired tags on his car — it has yet to be determined whether he was the one driving — after which authorities discovered the drugs. He was released Tuesday afternoon after being arrested, and it's not yet known when his court appearance will be. ...

Joel Madden is busy raising his new baby girl with Nicole Richie, but life isn't as sweet these days for his brother Benji. Good Charlotte's lead guitarist has split with his fiancee, actress Sophie Monk, according to Australia's Daily Telegraph. "The decision was mutual and they remain amicable," Monk's agent in Sydney, Yoon Kim, reportedly said in a statement. The two got engaged in January last year. ... Shakira has drummed up $76,000 for her Bare Feet Foundation, a charity group that helps impoverished kids in Colombia, via an Internet auction, The Associated Press reports. A fan paid $14,000 for a meet-and-greet and front-row seats to one of her upcoming shows, while others threw down big bucks for a bra ($3,000), a skirt ($1,000) and other items from her recent Oral Fixation tour. ...

Buckle up, Miley Cyrus — that's what Consumer Reports is telling the pop tart, who is shown not wearing a seat belt in her ne

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Grammy Hits And Misses: Tina Turner Showed Beyonce How It's Done; Will.I.Am Was No Substitute For MJ

11 Feb 2008 16:23:00 EST

Plus, Amy Winehouse made a triumphant return ... but why was she introduced by 'Snow Dogs' star Cuba Gooding Jr.?
By MTV News staff

Before Sunday's Grammy Awards, we had no idea who Keely Smith was. We still don't, really, but we're kind of in love with her nonetheless.

The subject of one of the greatest award-show teases ever ("When we return, Kid Rock and a new female friend!"), Keely was invited to appear on the 50th-anniversary telecast to commemorate her winning the first-ever Grammy for Best Vocal Group or Chorus in 1959 — by performing alongside never-nominated rap-rocker Kid Rock.

It was just one of the dozens of moments that made half of us think, "Wow, that's cool!," while the other half was screaming, "Really?!" Here are more of those head-scratchers:

Cool: Tina Turner coming out of retirement to show Beyoncé how it's done.

Really?: A confused-looking Jerry Lee Lewis joined by Geico pitchman (oh, and the inventor of rock and roll) Little Richard with young whippersnapper John Fogerty along for the ride.

Cool: Jay-Z teasing Rihanna about her barely there accent by translating her acceptance speech.

Really?: Kid Rock not having anyone to translate his mumbling when he forgot the words to "That Old Black Magic."

Cool: National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences President Neil Portnow skipping the usual "Don't download" speech.

Really?: Replacing it with a "Children are the future" speech, exemplified by Eldar, a jazz pianist and Grammy nominee who performed on a previous telecast as a child prodigy. He entertains the crowd with some ragtime. The future!

Cool: Herbie Hancock. At any time or place, Hancock embodies what cool was, is and always will be — from his unflinching soulful sound, to being one of the first sighted guys to rock sunglasses at night. He even acted "surprised" to win Album of the Year.

Really?: Everyone besides Herbie Hancock who wears sunglasses at night, and indoors. We're looking at you, Kid Rock.

Cool: Amy Winehouse's triumphant return to the stage for a two-song set via satellite from London and the look of genuine shock at winning Record of the Year.

Really?: The introduction from "Snow Dogs" star Cuba Gooding Jr. That must have been a hell of a gift bag they were offering.

Cool: Daft Punk suiting up for their first-ever TV appearance, backing Kanye West on "Stronger."

Really?: Carrie Underwood's black-vinyl jumper and "Stomp"-fueled performance, which felt like a Duran Duran video from the '80s — and not even one of the good ones.

Cool: Alicia Keys playing a gospel/funk orchestra version of her hit "No One."

Really?: Pairing her with a Frank Sinatra hologram to open the show and not checking John Mayer's ID before he wandered onto the stage.

Cool: Seal wearing YSL was OK, Rihanna in Zac Posen was great, but Nas wearing a promo T-shirt for his controversially titled upcoming album, Nigger, on the red carpet was next-level cool. And his wife, Kelis, wearing a matching jacket was even cooler.

Really? Whatever Beyoncé was (not) wearing before she changed into that silver outfit to sing with Turner.

Cool: Beyoncé showing enough leg to keep Jerry Lee Lewis alive (because he looked like he could have been a stand-in for the title character in "Weekend at Bernie's").

Really?: Her sliver dress without the fringe, though, not so much. Do Anna Mae right if you're gonna pay tribute.

Cool: Offering to fill in at the last minute when Michael Jackson (reportedly) bails on the show.

Really?: Will.I.Am's embarrassing, rambling, time-filler rap, which was so bad it might make people forget he produced the best records on the Game's and Nas' albums faster than it will take people to forget who won Album of the Year.

Cool: Kanye West asking producers to cut the music when he was paying tribute to his late mother, Donda West.

Really?: West was so restrained during his acceptance speech for Best Rap Album, we're afraid this might be a kinder, gentler 'Ye, and those embarrassing tantrums at awards ceremonies are no more.

Cool: Country nice guy Vince Gill dissing Kanye.

Really?: That sick feeling we get in our stomachs when we think about the inevitable hick-hop track on the genre-jumping MC's next album.

Cool; Jason Bateman introducing the Foo Fighters with hilarious one-liners and shout-outs to "creepy guys" in the audience.

Really?: Making the Foos play a parking lot in the hot sun.

Cool: Not seeing any of the following at this year's Grammys: Britney Spears, 50 Cent, Diddy, Paris Hilton, the cast of "High School Musical" and Timbaland.

Really?: OK, we kind of wish Britney had been there.

Cool: Honoring Max Roach, Pimp C, Porter Wagoner, Ike Turner and Hilly Kristal during the "In Memoriam" montage, which also included the passing of sound engineers and obscure promotions reps.

Really?: Leaving out musicians like Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert (who died November 24 of an accidental drug overdose) and Quiet Riot frontman Kevin DuBrow (who succumbed to a cocaine overdose November 19).

Cool: Morris! Jerome! The mirror! It wasn't exactly a reunion — they continue to gig regularly — but seeing the Time perform again (with Jimmy Jam, no less!) on a national stage was pretty cool. It became even cooler when Rihanna joined the jam.

Really?: The generation-spanning mash-up left us somehow unfulfilled. Maybe it was knowing that Prince was in the house ... but not in the house, if you know what we mean.

Cool: Handing out metal awards, even if they didn't make it into the televised portion of the show, and nominating the likes of King Diamond and Machine Head for Best Metal Performance.

Really?: Slayer taking home the prize for "Final Six," a song that helped make the band's Christ Illusion one of the worst metal albums of 2007.

Cool: A gospel choir singing the Beatles' "Let It Be."

Really?: Having to watch Cirque du Soleil while not under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs. If "Knocked Up" taught us anything, it was that the theatrical troupe is not to be viewed without them.

Geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

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Lindsay Lohan Wants To Work With Kanye West, 50 Cent; Plus Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Beyonce & More, In For The Record

07 Feb 2008 19:48:00 EST

Aguilera says she 'laughed off' Paris Hilton's blabbing; Danjahandz wants to work with Spears again; B to duet with Tina Turner at Grammys.
By MTV News staff

Lindsay Lohan just spoke publicly for the first time since leaving rehab in early October — she gave an interview to the U.K. edition of Glamour for its new cover story — but the starlet has more to say. She told Harper's Bazaar for its own LiLo cover story that she'd like to have a low-key relationship, that she's trying to smoke cigarettes less often and that she's "always been a homebody." She also spilled who she would like to make music with next — "I'd love to work with Timbaland. I'd love to work with Kanye West, 50 Cent if I could" — and admitted, "When I look back on this last year, it's like, what was I thinking?" Harper's Bazaar's March issue, in which the story appears, hits stands February 19. ...

Christina Aguilera just made her first public appearance this week since giving birth in January, and now comes news that the singer is already digging into her next album. "This whole incredible thing has taken place in my life," the new mom recently told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, so there's "so much in me to write about. The next record, I want to have a lot of fun with it. [I've been] brainstorming for the last nine months. This next album will have a whole new me, a different me, so it's a lot to look forward to." She also spoke about her son, Max Liron Bratman — "he's constantly changing, and doing these incredibly cute things and stinky things" — and even touched on Paris Hilton spilling the beans about Aguilera's pregnancy during VMA weekend last year. "It was funny," Aguilera said, taking the high road. "We all looked at each and laughed it off. She did it in a sweet way. It wasn't a tattle-on-me sort of thing." ...

Britney Spears' father, Jamie, had previously been granted temporary conservatorship powers over the singer for a week, during which time it was expected when the powers were granted that she would be in the hospital. Now that she's out, some legal questions were raised in court Thursday (February 7) when Spears' co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, and the attorneys for the conservatorship appeared for an emergency ex parte hearing. Since the hearing was closed and the court documents were sealed, according to a court clerk, no one could say what happened in the hearing. But Adam Streisand, who tried to represent the singer at a previous hearing, only to be ejected from the court, was definitely not present on the singer's behalf, since prior to the hearing, his firm released a statement that he "has decided he will not represent her at this time." Streisand met with Britney Spears on Wednesday "to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate," but following the meeting, he learned that there was a court order preventing the singer from retaining counsel of her own choosing. ... Despite all Britney Spears' troubles, she still has Danjahandz on her side. The producer recently told MTV News that he'd like to hook up with the singer in the future. "I would work with her again. Hopefully she'll get better," he said, admitting that he hadn't heard of her recent hospitalization. "I definitely have ideas [of] what I would do with her." ...

As had been previously rumored, when Beyoncé takes the stage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, she'll be joined by none other than reclusive rock legend Tina Turner, the Recording Academy has announced. Other additions to the show's lineup included Kid Rock, who will perform, as well as presenters Akon, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Cher, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Joe Mantegna, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder. ...

Can't remember the last time you bought a CD single? Well, here's a reason to consider picking one up: Ashlee Simpson will meet fans and sign copies of her new "Outta My Head" single February 14 at a Walmart in Dallas. ... Sevendust have a friend in ... Chris Daughtry? Yup, it's true: The Daughtry frontman recently teamed with the hard-rockers to chip in a guest vocal for the band's new song "The Past." The track will be included on Sevendust's April 1 LP, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, which will also feature contributions from Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. ... This year's South by Southwest festival just got a little more hip-hop-friendly. Ice Cube and N.E.R.D. have hopped onto the sprawling roster for the Austin, Texas, shindig, which will go down March 12-16. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a group that helps career musicians in need — is putting up for auction an original Clash T-shirt printed by bassist Paul Simonon. The item will be up for bidding on eBay for 10 days starting Saturday. As MTV News reported late last year, Simonon originally gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief — but the group was not able to raffle the tee because of sweepstakes laws. ...

Don't believe those stories about how infighting and personal disputes are the reason the Spice Girls have canceled most of the remaining dates of their reunion tour. Trying to combat the rumors, the Girls posted a one-minute apology video to fans on their Web site on Wednesday, reiterating that the decision to cancel shows in China, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was due to "family and personal commitments." In the video, Mel C explains: "There has been a lot of rubbish in the media over the last few days, so we wanted you to hear it from the horse's mouth. We're very sorry not to be able to get to all the places we really, really wanted to get to." Several members say that the tour went a month longer than they had actually intended when they first announced the reunion last year. Victoria Beckham adds, "Our kids need to go back to school, and we always said our families are our priorities. So we want to thank all our fans. Sorry we haven't got to see everybody." The singers then get into a mock fight before Mel B screams, "We hate each other? Are you kidding? We love each other!" ...

A star-studded gala organized by Madonna at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday night to benefit sick and poor children around the world raised $3.7 million. Hosted by Chris Rock, the $2,500-to-$10,000-a-plate dinner and live auction attracted guests Drew Barrymore, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Dita Von Teese, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Amy Adams, Brooke Shields and Salma Hayek. But, according to The Associated Press, the event also made some officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a bit uncomfortable with its mix of charity and commercial promotion. The event was paid for by luxury-goods maker Gucci, which used the occasion to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York's Manhattan borough on Friday and put its logo along with UNICEF's behind the walkway on the red carpet. Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys performed at the event. The night's most expensive auction item was a $600,000 bid to tour with Madonna and take a dance class with her and Gwyneth Paltrow. ...

Eva Mendes left rehab briefly on Thursday. "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly," a representative for the actress who was not named told TMZ.com. ... Having conquered the reality-TV world, Public Enemy court jester Flavor Flav has signed on to try his hand at scripted comedy. The sometime rapper will star in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV called "Under One Roof," which creators call a classic "fish-out-of-water" story. In the show, for which 13 episodes have been ordered, Flav will play Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother and, predictably, wreaks havoc by parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's uptight wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is slated to launch in the spring.

2.06.08

According to The Associated Press, police in London have questioned Amy Winehouse about a video that surfaced online two weeks ago that purportedly shows the Grammy-nominated singer smoking crack cocaine. No charges have been filed against the singer, but an investigation into the video is said to be ongoing. The video shows Winehouse inhaling fumes from a small pipe during a party at her home. Winehouse checked into a rehabilitation center in late January. ...

Avril Lavigne fans can expect to see outfit changes, backup dancers and the singer covering Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" on her upcoming five-month world tour, which starts March 5 in British Columbia, RollingStone.com reports. She plans to hole up in L.A. with husband Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 and work on some new material when the tour

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Ike Turner, Rock And Roll Pioneer And Former Husband Of Tina Turner, Dead At 76

12 Dec 2007 18:32:00 EST

Cause of death has not yet been released.
By Chris Harris and Jem Aswad

Ike Turner, the musician, bandleader, talent scout and record producer best known for his work with former wife Tina Turner, died at his home on Wednesday (December 12), according to The Associated Press. He was 76.

Turner's death was confirmed by his manager, Scott Hanover. "He did pass away this morning," Hanover said. There has been no official announcement of the cause of his death, but TMZ.com reports that Turner died in his sleep at his San Marcos, California, home.

Turner, who, along with Tina, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, released his last solo album, Risin' With the Blues, in 2006; the effort won a Grammy Award. He was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2001.

"There is no doubt that Ike Turner was one of rock and roll's great architects with his genre-defying sound as an instrumentalist and bandleader," Neil Portnow, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement issued Wedneday. "His innovative musicality helped lay the foundation for rock and roll and R&B more than 50 years ago. As a bandleader, his well-rehearsed ensembles were some of the most exciting live groups the world had ever heard. As a two-time Grammy Award winner and recipient of the Recording Academy's 2004 Heroes Award, Ike's legacy as a groundbreaking pioneer in the music industry will never be forgotten."

(See photos of Ike Turner from over the course of the rock and roll legend's career right here.)

While his contributions to the world of music have been largely overshadowed by his personal turmoil (documented in the 1993 Tina Turner biopic, "What's Love Got to Do With It"), Turner was a true rock and roll pioneer, having released what many consider to be the first rock and roll song, "Rocket 88" (albeit under the name of his band's singer, Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats), in 1951.

Izear Luster Turner Jr. was born in 1931, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He formed his first band while still in high school, and by the late '40s had assembled an outfit dubbed the Kings of Rhythm — the group recorded "Rocket 88," although authorship of the song has been disputed. The song became a hit and the Kings went on to work with such legendary blues musicians as Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and many others.

Turner and the group continued performing and recording throughout the 1950s, with Tina joining the group late in the decade and ultimately marrying Turner in 1958. In the ensuing years the Ike & Tina Turner Revue built up a strong following, scoring several hits in the 1960s and becoming a top live draw. Tina's voice caught the attention of producer Phil Spector, who cut "River Deep - Mountain High" with them in 1966; a huge hit internationally (although not in the United States), the song has since attained classic status.

In 1969, the group was invited to open the Rolling Stones' American tour (documented in the film "Gimme Shelter"), which broke them out of genre status and led to a series of hit covers of rock songs, including Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary," which won them a Grammy. However, Turner's problems — including substance and spousal abuse — soon became untenable and Tina left him in the middle of a tour in 1975; they divorced in 1978.

Reflecting the distance that had grown between the ex-spouses over the years — and the bitter feelings that allegedly still existed between them — Tina Turner's publicist reportedly told TMZ.com on Wednesday, "Tina is aware that Ike passed away earlier today. She has not had any contact with him in 35 years. No further comment will be made."

While Tina's career eventually thrived following her split with Ike, Turner's own solo efforts failed to generate much interest. He was married four times publicly, although in October of this year, Turner was interviewed on "The Howard Stern Show" and claimed he and Tina were never actually wed.

For years, Turner denied Tina's claims of spousal abuse, but in his 2001 autobiography "Takin' Back My Name," he said, "Sure, I've slapped Tina ... There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her."

During the 1980s, Turner was convicted of drug-related charges; he was later sentenced to serve several years in a California state prison. When he and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, he was in prison and missed the ceremony. He was released in 1993, and claimed sobriety thereafter.

After his release from prison, Turner returned to music. In 2001, Turner's Here and Now was nominated for a Grammy, and in 2005, he appeared on the Gorillaz's album Demon Days, playing piano on the track "Every Planet We Reach Is Dead."

In February of this year, Turner won his first solo Grammy in the Best Traditional Blues Album category for Risin' With the Blues.

"I went back over my complete life, man, and I see the things that I did that was good and I see things that I've done that was wrong," he told VH1's "Behind the Music" in 2000. "I don't wanna be remembered as the demon they made me [in the media]. ... People that know me, what they really know I am, that's what I want to be remembered for."

[This story was originally published at 4:51 p.m. ET on 12.12.2007]

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Live Aid: A Look Back At A Concert That Actually Changed The World

29 Jun 2005 21:22:00 EDT

Some of the performances may not have aged well, but the spirit of the event lives on.
By Gil Kaufman

There's a good reason why, 20 years after Live Aid, Bob Geldof still looks exhausted.

Even as he hustles to coordinate 10 global events in support of his ambitious July 2 sequel, Live 8 (see "Good Charlotte, Bjork In For Live 8 Tokyo; Moscow Concert Added"), Live Aid — a still-unprecedented feat of good will, logistics and old-fashioned guilt-tripping, all masterminded by Geldof — looms large as the show that proved music can actually change the world. (See photos from Live Aid.)

Live Aid was the biggest, but it wasn't the first all-star charity show. Rockers had been lending their efforts to various causes for years, from ex-Beatle George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 (which aided refugees of that war-torn country) to the anti-nuclear power No Nukes show in 1979.

But Live Aid was different.

For one day — July 13, 1985 — an estimated 1.4 billion of the planet's five billion people stopped and watched Geldof's "global jukebox," and were treated to one of the biggest, most ambitious concerts ever staged. At one point, according to a stage announcement, 95 percent of the world's television sets were tuned in to Live Aid — an even more incredible statistic when you consider that it happened before the Internet, cell phones, e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging and blogging. Through music and an eminently worthy cause, much of the world actually felt connected — even at the height of the eminently selfish "Me Decade."






	Live 8 artists stress debt relief, critics of the plan sound off and the G8 summit is explained in "Live 8: A Concert To End Poverty" on Overdrive.

That might explain why, 20 years later, even though I recently acquired the shows on DVD, there is still a stack of VHS tapes in my attic somewhere that contain most of the broadcast in all its grainy glory. They've been packed and unpacked, moved and temporarily heaped in the junkpile more than a dozen times as I've moved around the country. But they've never been tossed.

I won't lie: I've never watched them, but for some reason I just can't let go. Maybe I thought I'd want to show them to my kids, or pop them in some day to remind myself of a time when, despite all the other turmoil around the globe, the world was made aware of injustice and rose up together to try and make a difference.

It all started with a song ...

The seeds for Live Aid were sown in 1984, after Geldof saw a BBC documentary about the famine in Ethiopia — which claimed more than 1 million victims in 1984-85 alone — and decided to write a song to help raise money for the starving citizens of the East African nation.

Geldof (then singer of the Boomtown Rats) teamed with Ultravox leader Midge Ure, gathering 40 of the British Isles' biggest stars of the time to record a song for African famine relief under the name Band Aid. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" featured memorable vocal contributions from Bono, Sting, Boy George, George Michael and several less-memorable others (Britain's biggest stars at the time included Paul Young, Heaven 17 and cross-dressing non-singer Marilyn) became a worldwide hit, raising more than $10 million for the cause. It sold more than 3 million copies in the U.K. alone, making it the biggest and fastest-selling single in British chart history at the time.

The Band Aid single set off a slew of companion songs across the globe, from the Michael Jackson co-penned USA for Africa smash "We Are the World" to Canada's "Tears Are Not Enough," as well as songs from France, Spain, South Africa, Holland, Australia, Jamaica and Belgium.

It also opened the floodgates on a rush of benefit songs and events for a variety of causes, from Little Steven's anti-apartheid "Sun City" to the well-intentioned American homeless-relief effort Hands Across America, in which 5 million people raised nearly $100 million by forming a (slightly broken) chain from New York to California. There were also the popular Comic Relief benefits for the homeless and the annual Farm Aid shows for struggling American farms.

How do I know? Well, because somewhere near those Live Aid tapes are a stack of T-shirts, singles, buttons and/or baseball caps from all of the above events. I participated in Hands Across America (and bought the shirt), I watched multiple Comic Relief specials (and bought the shirt the first three times), I went to the first Farm Aid show (and yes, bought the shirt) and I distinctly remember annoying my friends by endlessly playing the multiple remixes of the still-funky "Sun City" single.

... And peaked with the show

On the cover of the recently released "Live Aid" DVD is the now-iconic logo of the event (an Africa-shaped guitar), the date of the shows and the tag line "The day the music changed the world."



	Check out pictures from the 1985 Live Aid concerts.

The event was tagged as a music event like none the world had ever seen, but even the advance hype couldn't accurately portray the momentousness of the occasion. After all, no one had ever tried to coordinate two massive concerts on two continents with the world's biggest music stars, and make the whole thing a sufficiently slick TV event to encourage the kind of donations Geldof had in mind.

Relying on satellites, a Concorde jet and lots of good will, Geldof split the show in half, with the majority of the English artists performing in front of 74,000 fans (including Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana) at Wembley Stadium in London and the rest taking the stage for 90,000 fans at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia.

Keep a few things in mind: Geldof got the acts to perform — for free — at a show that was organized in just three weeks. Before the days of instant digital communication, someone had to figure out how to coordinate the satellite-linked broadcasts of the two shows, along with beamed-in and taped performances from Holland, Japan, Austria, Yugoslavia, Norway, Germany, Australia and what was then still called the Soviet Union.

Luckily, Geldof had a few aces up his sleeve, among them, the reunion of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin for their first gig together since the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham, as well as reunions by the Who and the original lineup of Black Sabbath.

Then there was Phil Collins. The Genesis drummer and solo star made history during the broadcast when he started the day out by playing his hit "Against All Odds" and performing with Sting in London and then hopping a supersonic Concorde to make it to Philly to sit in with the reunited Zeppelin. (The notoriously sloppy set was not included on the "Live Aid" DVD at the request of the surviving Zep members — ditto Santana's performance.)

As people from 160 countries tuned in to watch, Geldof pulled together some amazing, one-of-a-kind collaborations. Among them: Mick Jagger and Tina Turner tearing up the stage for "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," Madonna — described at the time as an "up-and-coming singer" — joining the Thompson Twins, Nile Rodgers and Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens for a ragged take on John Lennon's "Revolution," and Neil Young re-teaming with Crosby, Stills & Nash for "Teach Your Children."

In addition, the London show cemented U2's place as one of the best live bands in the world, placing the group on an international stage that they have yet to relinquish, both as a live act and as a force for positive change. Their unforgettable performance — "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and a 12-minute version of "Bad" — saw Bono running down the lip

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Game Takes Back #1 Spot On Albums Chart, Tops 1 Million Sales

09 Feb 2005 13:48:00 EST

Tina Turner best-of debuts at #2.
By James Montgomery

One week after being bumped from the #1 spot on the Billboard albums chart, the Game is right back at the top of the heap.

His album, The Documentary, sold more than 190,000 copies to reclaim the crown on next week's chart, according to SoundScan. The Game's performance at cash registers last week also means he's sold more than a million copies in just three weeks.

Following the Game is soul legend Tina Turner, who notched the week's highest debut by selling more than 121,000 copies of All The Best, her double-disc greatest-hits anthology. Green Day are next at #3, selling more than 112,000 copies of their American Idiot album. In its 20th week of release, Idiot shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon — it's now sold more than 2.9 million copies and will probably pass 3 million this week.

Last week's chart champ, Kenny Chesney, falls to #4, selling more than 109,000 copies of his Be As You Are album. The record suffered a 65 percent drop in sales in its second week of release. Up next, John Legend holds at #5 by selling more than 93,000 copies last week of his debut album, Get Lifted.

Coming in at #6 are the newly re-formed Mötley Crüe, who scored the week's second-highest debut by selling more than 90,000 copies of their two-disc anthology Red, White & Crüe. It's the band's highest debut since their Generation Swine album bowed at #4 way back in 1997.

Eminem's Encore is next at #7, selling more than 85,000 copies and inching closer to the 4-million mark. And inspired by an early bout of Grammy fever among record buyers, the 2005 Grammy Nominees compilation — featuring cuts from artists like Kanye West, Green Day and Usher — sold more than 78,000 copies to debut at #8.

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz follow at #9, selling more than 69,000 copies of their Crunk Juice album. And what would the Billboard top 10 be without Usher? Mr. Entertainment's Confessions album sold more than 68,000 copies to land at #10.

Notable debuts on next week's chart include Kanye West's Chicago cohorts Do or Die at #40 with D.O.D., More Music From "Ray," the second album of music taken from the film "Ray," at #46 and SoCal punk dudes Unwritten Law's Here's to the Mourning at #51.

It's All About Ray
Everywhere you look, much-deserved tributes to the late Ray Charles continue to crop up. His final album, Genius Loves Company, is nominated for seven Grammy Awards, and a tribute to his life and music is planned for the show's broadcast on Sunday (February 13). The biopic "Ray" is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture of the Year. And the soundtracks to that film continue to make splash on the Billboard charts. As mentioned above, More Music From "Ray" opens next week at #46, but the real news is the success of the first volume of tunes from the film. The "Ray": Original Motion Picture Soundtrack posts an incredible 130-percent increase in sales (from more than 23,000 to more than 52,000) on next week's chart, and leaps 27 positions up the chart (from #43 to #16). The sales boost also moved the soundtrack to total sales of more than 909,000 copies in its 16th week of release.

Not So Bright ...
Lauded last week for their unprecedented chart success (two albums in the top 15), Bright Eyes mastermind Conor Oberst and his cohorts are now looking at the harsh reality of the second-week sales slump. Last week's #10 album, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning suffered a 47 percent drop in sales, and falls to #37. And Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, last week's #15 album, was hit with a 55 percent sales dip, and falls all the way to #55 on next week's chart. Still, it's nothing to sneeze at for two albums released on the small Omaha, Nebraska-based indie Saddle Creek Records.

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Tina Turner, 'NSYNC Had Year's Top-Grossing Tours

28 Dec 2000 18:14:00 EST

Boy band sold more tickets than R&B diva but charged less; Dave Matthews Band, who didn't release new album, came in third.
By Brian Hiatt

The genre-spanning trio of Tina Turner, 'NSYNC and Dave Matthews Band ruled North American concert venues this year, according to statistics released by the concert-industry trade publication Pollstar. Turner's tour — which was billed as her last — was the year's top-grossing outing, earning $80.2 million. But 'NSYNC were close behind, pulling in $76.4 million in their tour behind their record-breaking album No Strings Attached. 'NSYNC sold more tickets than Turner did, but their ticket prices were lower, according to Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni.

"Tina Turner turning in the top tour was pretty remarkable, considering she didn't have a huge record," Bongiovanni said. Turner released the album Twenty Four Seven in December 1999.

Dave Matthews Band, who didn't release a new album in 2000, earned $68.2 million on the road this year, followed by veteran rockers Kiss, who earned $62.7 million on their own alleged farewell tour.

Two country tours made the top 10: Husband-and-wife duo Tim McGraw/Faith Hill took the fifth spot with $48.8 million, while the Dixie Chicks pulled in $47.3 million for sixth place.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band earned $45.9 million on the second leg of their reunion tour, while another reunited group, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, earned $42.1 million.

Metallica were close behind, earning $42 million, while pop stars Britney Spears and Ricky Martin followed with $40.5 million and $37.2 million, respectively.

Coming off the success of 1999's Californication, the Red Hot Chili Peppers came in next, earning $31.3 million on tour.

Cementing their newfound status as full-fledged arena-rockers, Creed earned $26.2 million, while the perennially on-the-road Santana got a huge boost from the comeback album Supernatural, raking in $26.1 million.

The Backstreet Boys earned $25.8 million on tour, and the "Up in Smoke" Tour, featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem, dragged in $22.2 million, making it the year's top-grossing hip-hop outing.

Jam-rockers Phish, who announced a hiatus this year, rounded out Pollstar's top 20, earning $21.4 million.

Some big names were edged out of the top 20. Rockers Pearl Jam landed at #28, with $15.9 million in revenue, while Christina Aguilera found herself at #33, earning $13.5 million.

Limp Bizkit, who mounted the Family Values Tour with Eminem and Papa Roach, earned $15.6 million on the road, coming in at #29.

Pollstar's Top 10 Tours of 2000:

1. Tina Turner: $80.2 million
2. 'NSYNC: $76.4 million
3. Dave Matthews Band: $68.2 million
4. Kiss: $62.7 million
5. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill: $48.8 million
6. Dixie Chicks: $47.3 million
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: $45.9 million
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: $42.1 million
9. Metallica: $42 million
10. Britney Spears: $40.5 million

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The Rolling Stone Photo Shoot, Pt. II

24 Oct 1997 00:00:00 EDT

The 30th anniversary edition of "Rolling Stone" arrived on newsstands in New York and L.A. on Friday, doing double duty as a "salute to women" sort of issue, and featuring on its cover, all corralled in one photo, the diva triumvirate of Courtney Love, Tina Turner and Madonna. How did they all get along at the photo session? Well, there were no shootings, but some slight differences of opinion did arise over what sort of fun music to play while the shutters snapped. Here's the first-hand word.

MADONNA: What if I don't like it? I feel like I looked like I was a Spice Girl in it. I don't know how I got talked into that outfit.

KURT LODER: So the music at the photo shoot, were you controlling it, or...

MADONNA: Well, there was a bit of a skirmish over who was going to play what. We finally agreed that every other CD was mine and every other CD was Courtney's. But the ultimate song that we ended up dancing to all the time was DMC stereo remix of the Tricky song, which is a very good song to dance to.

LODER: So Tina didn't get a chance to...

MADONNA: She didn't care. Tina was so easy, she was like, whatever, I'll wear whatever, listen to whatever. I got to become a Buddhist, that's all I have to say.

LODER: We can all learn something from her.

MADONNA: But she's been around, she like could care less. She's very cool. I like her.

LODER: So, how's Courtney? Do you think she has matured?

MADONNA: Oh yeah. Definitely.

TINA TURNER: It was like working with kids. You know, I've always had... for dancers. So they were pretending a few times that they were my dancers. We always had some pretense going on, but it was always built around me being the mother of the two in some kind of way. In terms of Tina is this and we are that, and I was laughing the whole time, honestly. If the photograph comes out with me really laughing seriously, it was because of their reaction to each other. It was wonderful.

That issue of "Rolling Stone" will filter out to the rest of the country by Tuesday.

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Madonna, Tina Turner Talk About Rolling Stone Photo Shoot

21 Oct 1997 10:00:00 EDT

October 21 [10:00 EDT] -- Put Madonna, Courtney Love, and Tina Turner in the same room and you can expect disagreement about what music to listen to.

When the three got together to be photographed for the cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine's 30th anniversary issue, a salute to women in rock, it should come as no surprise that background music was an issue.

"There was a bit of a skirmish over who was going to play what." Madonna told MTV News. "We finally agreed that every other CD was mine and every other CD was Courtney's and we sort of went back and forth. But the ultimate song that we ended up dancing to all the time was the MC stereo remix of the Tricky song, which is a very good song to dance to."

Madonna was also concerned about the outcome of the shoot. "What if I don't like it? I feel like I looked like a Spice Girl in it, though. I don't know how I got talked into that outfit."

Tina Turner, provided a more nonchalant, easygoing presence at the shoot, which the other two appreciated.

"She didn't care," Madonna recounted. "Tina was so easy, she was like 'whatever, I'll wear whatever with whatever.' I've got to become a Buddhist, that's all I have to say. [600k QuickTime] She's been around. She probably could care less. She's very cool. I like her."

Turner returned the affection, happily taking on the parental role to the two younger musicians.

"It was like working with kids," she said. "You know I've always had Ikettes for dancers, so they were pretending a few times that they were my dancers. They had all kinds of pretence going on, but it was always built around me being the mother of the two in some kind of way. In terms of 'Tina is this and we are that,' and I was laughing the whole time, honestly. If the photograph comes out with me really laughing seriously, it was because of their reaction to each other. It was wonderful." [600k QuickTime]

Also featured in the "Women In Rock Issue" are such artists as Ani DiFranco, Mary J. Blige, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Fiona Apple, Natalie Merchant, and Patti Smith. The issue was also witten and photographed entirely by women.

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The Rolling Stone Photo Shoot, Pt. I

17 Oct 1997 00:00:00 EDT

Hi, I'm Kurt Loder and this is "The Week In Rock."

The negotiations must have been baroque, and the wheedling wondrous to hear, but several weeks ago, "Rolling Stone" magazine actually managed to get Courtney Love, Tina Turner and Madonna into the same room together to pose for the cover of its thirtieth-anniversary issue, which comes out next week. It's devoted to the evergreen subject of "women in music" -- thus the three cover icons, whose careers span 40 years of pop chart legendry. No feedback yet from Courtney Love, but we spoke to Madonna recently in Los Angeles, where she's finishing up a new album, and here's what she and Tina Turner, interviewed by "Rolling Stone," had to say about this all-icon photo shoot.

KURT LODER: Tell me how this "Rolling Stone" cover came about. Was it difficult to get the three of you together?

MADONNA (mucnhing on peanuts): Yeah. You know, last time I met Tina was when we did a photo shoot -- for Live Aid, believe it or not. That was like a hundred years ago. Care for a nut?

LODER: Sure, thanks.

MADONNA: It was hard getting our schedule together, everyone to have free time, a free date.

LODER: Now, what did you think when this was first proposed to you, a picture of you Tina and Courtney? Did you jump for joy at this thought?

MADONNA: I thought, the Slice Girls! (Kurt laughs) [759k QuickTime] I thought it was an incongruous mix, in a way it's good, because it was a representation of all different kinds of women in music. So then the date part was hard, and then agreeing on what we were gonna wear -- that was probably the hardest part. That took 6 hours.

TINA TURNER: I watched these two ladies often, and I've wondered what it would be like. Actually, Madonna and I had been photographed together before, but never with the three of us. The energy of the three of us... I'm very excited about it.

We'll have more on this unprecedented charisma pile-up on next week's show.

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Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do With It

01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST

What's Love Got to Do With It

Artist: Tina Turner
Label: Capitol
Director:
Album: Live at Newport 1958

Photos | Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More

10 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

Great Grammy Moments: Beyonce, Kanye, Rihanna, More

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