Tina Turner has been churning out chart hits since the 1960s as part of the husband-wife duo, Ike & Tina Turner. After they split in 1976, Tina Turner continued to perform and slowly put pieces into place for one of the biggest comebacks in pop music history. The comeback arrived in 1984. Her cover of Al Green's #1 hit from 1971, "Let's Stay Together," reached #26 in 1984, nearly a decade since her last chart appearance with Ike. But what really launched her comeback was the next single, "What's Love Got To Do With It," which spent three weeks at #1 and won all kinds of awards. Turner was on fire for the remainder of the decade, nearly hitting the top spot twice more with "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and "Typical Male." She scored more hits teaming up with other famed songwriters and performers like Holly Knight (of Spider and Device), Bryan Adams (who wrote and sang with Tina on "It's Only Love" (#15) and wrote her #97 song from 1993, "Why Must We Wait Until Tonight?"), and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits (who wrote the #7 title track to her comeback album, "Private Dancer"). While Turner is largely known for her soft pop, she always put a rocker or two on her releases. "Back Where You Started," another one written by Bryan Adams, is one of best rock songs of 1986. It comes from the album "Break Every Rule" and won a Grammy for Rock Female Vocal, yet remains largely unknown.
Married for the duration of their chart career, which spanned from 1960 to 1975, Ike and Tina Turner populated the airwaves with their versatile brand of R&B, rock, funk, and pop. They reinvented the stage show and made the performance as much a spectacle as the music. Ike and Tina got their run on the charts started in 1960 when "A Fool In Love" peaked at #27. Among their biggest hits: "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" (#14), "Nutbush City Limits" (#22), "I Want To Take You Higher" (#34), and "Proud Mary" (#4). Their divorce ended their run on the charts, but Tina would became bigger than ever after her comeback in the 80s. Ike passed away in 2007 at the age of 76. "Baby-Get It On" exemplifies the diversity of musical styles this talented duo could master. A full out funky rocker, this single surprisingly only reached #88 in 1975, and marked their last chart appearance as a group.
