Thinking about Ike Turner

Ike Turner, one of the inventors of rock 'n' roll, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the age of 76. I wanted to post something here because I was disgusted by the arms-length coverage the media accorded him, and the way they focused almost exclusively on his monstrous reputation as an abusive husband to Tina Turner.

Considering how bad he came off in Tina's book, I, Tina, and the nasty rendering of that book in the 1993 movie What's Love Got to Do With It, it's not surprising that people would rather just acknowledge his passing and forget about him. Still, I expected more of august publications such as the New York Times, which turned Turner's death into a referendum, asking, "Should we forgive him"? (To be fair, the Times also published a thoughtful memoriam by Jon Pareles.) The real question, though, is do we need to forgive Turner to appreciate his music?

I planned for this post to be a protest, a way to shed light on Turner's real achievements. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Turner's history. Like everyone else, my knowledge of him solely consists of a classic single, 1951's "Rocket '88," perhaps the first rock 'n' roll song ever recorded; and his broad caricature in What's Love Got to Do With It. I'm unequipped to combat any of the stereotypes held against him.