Ike Turner RIP

Just heard the news that earbender client Ike Turner has left us.

Incredibly, I had just been in touch with Thrill Mgmt. about a relaunch in January for the great box set The Ike and Tina Turner Story, 1960-1975 from Time-Life. Ike was ready to do some interviews with college and community radio, who over the past few months have accounted for about 20% of all Ike and Tina play in the USA!

College and community radio's support of artists like Ike Turner and the history of music, especially what Max Roach called "the continuum of black creativity" is very important to me and Ike's people were excited to here my term "Black Americana" applied to him and his music. My sympathy to Phil and the folks at Thrill, Ike's family and friends.

He had a lot of miles on that Rocket 88 and they sure aren't making them like him anymore.

Let the conjecture over his value as a person and artist begin.

Tina Turner has the opening closing remark: "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."

According to "Ike Defender," a commentator on NYTimes.com, "Ike Turner met a pregnant teenager named Anna Mae Bullock (impregnated by one of his band members) and married her partially so she wouldn’t bear the shame of being an unwed mother. It was Ike who helped make her a star and - in the process - who gave a break to many R&B musicians as his career took off.

Did he make mistakes? Yes. Did he admit them? Yes.

That’s alot more than most people can say.

Ike was an integral part of American rock and R&B. I’m sorry he’s gone. I am MORE sorry that his legacy is defined by a movie that even Tina admitted was not accurate in its portrayal of Ike Turner, the Man."

You never know what happens behind closed doors and I personally looked the other way on the wife beating reputation.

But I am a fan of Tina and her comeback/recovery from being with Ike. I liked her autobiography I, Tina and the movie a lot. The comeback is the hardest thing in show business and Tina did it -- BIG TIME (as watt would say).

Read the AP obit
Ike Turner Home Page
NY Times by Jon Pareles & Profile from 2001
Ike & Tina Turner in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

Evel Knievel

A little bit of the great Evel Knievel, one of my heroes (and so many other people too). Like many of my generation, I did jumps on my bicycle and had the action figures. I saw him on ABC's Wide World of Sports many times and besides being a term for doing something risky ("what am I, Evel Knievel?" or "Ok, Evel Knievel, have it your way."), I think he also represents a circus/carnival part of show business as well as anyone ever, PT Barnum and Col. Parker included. It's not like their artists didn't put their bodies in the mix right? I bet there are books about Evel's great career.

When I visited Las Vegas, I checked out the fountains at Caesar's to see where Evel did his tumble down the landing ramp and the ramp going down into the garage.

Once on a tour of the Astrodome, I asked the guide about the Evel Knievel jump they had there. He wasn't familiar with it much to his embarrassment, but thankfully, we can see it right here.

The bottom line was everyone was into him in the 60s and 70s. With all his injuries I'm sure none of us thought he was going to last forever, but I am glad we can at least still see him on the net the genius he had as a showman guaranteed that people will love what they see too.