Iconic entertainer and eight-time Grammy winner Tina Turner died at age 83 at her home in Switzerland on Wednesday (May 24).
Her debut on the Billboard charts came in 1960 as part of Ike & Tina Turner, when “A Fool in Love” debuted at N. 10 on the Hot R&B Sides chart, ultimately reaching No. 2 on that chart. The duo earned 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including their enduring version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary,” which reached No. 4. As a solo artist, Turner would earn hits including “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” and “I Don’t Wanna Fight.” Turner also twice became a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame–as half of Ike and Tina Turner (in 1991) and as a solo performer (in 2021).
But when Turner launched her solo career with 1974’s Tina Turns the Country On!, this native of Brownsville, Tennessee (born Anna Mae Bullock in 1939) proved she also had plenty of country influence. The album included covers of songs by Hank Snow, Dolly Parton and more genre greats. The album came out the same year that The Pointer Sisters introduced their Grammy-winning hit “Fairytale” onstage at the Grand Ole Opry, and as Charley Pride continued a mighty streak of No. 1 country hits, opening doors for Black artists in country music — and also just over a decade after Ray Charles reimagined country classics on his indelibly influential Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music in 1962.
Though Turner never earned a hit on the Billboard country charts, her pop solo breakthrough came in 1984 with her album Private Dancer, which contained signature hits like “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and the album’s title track. Here, however, we look at some of Turner’s most memorable country music moments.
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Tina Turner Covers Dolly Parton, Hank Snow on Debut Solo Album
In September 1974, Turner released her debut solo album, Tina Turns the Country On!
Recorded at Ike Turner’s Bolic Sound recording studio in California, the album featured Turner singing a mix of country and folk covers. The album included a cover of “There’ll Always Be Music,” written by Dolly Parton, previously recorded by Parton and Porter Wagoner and included on their 1973 album Love and Music.
The album also included a cover of Hank Snow’s 1950 song “I’m Movin’ On” (Snow’s version stayed atop Billboard‘s Country Songs chart for 21 weeks upon its release), as well as a rendition of Kris Kristofferson’s classic “Help Me Make It Through The Night” — which had been included on his 1970 album Kristofferson and received a hit cover version by Sammi Smith that same year.
Tina Turns the Country On! earned a Grammy nomination for best R&B vocal performance, female.
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Tina Turner Appears on Lynn Anderson’s Television Special
The Queen of Rock and Roll again got a little bit country when she appeared on Lynn Anderson’s television special in 1977. In addition to performing with Anderson, Turner also performed a solo rendition of “Turn It Up,” as well as one of “(I’m a) Mean Ole Lion,” from the musical The Wiz.
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Tina Turner Covers Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette Classics
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Tina Turner Covers the Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson Classic ‘Good Hearted Woman’
Five years after issuing Tina Turns the Country On!, the project Good Hearted Woman was released in 1979, made of previously unreleased songs from the Tina Turns the Country On! recording sessions. The project included Turner’s version of the Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson 1971 classic “Good Hearted Woman.” The project also features her version of the Troy Seals/Donnie Fritts song “We Had It All,” which appeared on Waylon Jennings’ 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes.
The songs from this project were later packaged as part of other compilations, such as Tina Turner Sings Country and Tina Turner Goes Country.
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