Ike Turner – ROCKS (BCD17679)
Released 2024 on the Bear Family Records Label. https://www.bear-family.com/turner-ike-ike-turner-rocks-cd.html
Bear Family Records, founded in Germany in 1975 by Richard Weize, The label specializes in reissues from vintage classic from the genres like Country, Rock & Roll, plus vintage German movie soundtracks.
Reviewed September 2024 by Rockin Rebel,
It as to be said that Ike had a leading role in the early success of R&B, Rock n Roll. His natural talent as a musician helped build the 1950s pop scene. Born Izear Turner Jr in 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Ike soon became known around the music industry. Forming his first band in the early 1940s The “Top-hatters” before splitting and renaming the group The Kings Of Rhythm. Sealing a regular weekly gig at the local Harlem theatre. The story goes that whilst traveling Turner and the band visited the Legendary B.B. kings joint and played a song with King. This leads to him being introduced to Sam Phillips in 1951 in Memphis and the Sun studio records service. This meeting leads us to some of the greatest music, sessions, recordings and song writing. One of the tracks laid down in this session was Rocket 88, which as we all know now was not Jackie with his delta cats but Ike and the kings of rhythm with Jackie providing the vocals. On the actual release for writing the track Jackie Brenston (credited)Ike Turner (uncredited)
https://www.bear-family.com records kicks of this release with a track from 1956 Billy Gayes was the front man for the rhythm Kings whilst Recording for both Flair and Federal labels. During a session in February of 56, they laid down four tracks “Just One More Time” and “I’m Tore Up” co-written by Turner and Ralph Basso, Jr. and two self-penned tracks by Ike “Sad as A Man Can Be” “If I Never Had Known You. Which all feature on this album.
During the last part of 1959 some tracks were released on the Stevens record label which was a 1950s label from Granite City, Illinois. The artist was Icky Renrut. the tracks were “Hey Hey” “Jack Rabbit” “Ho-Ho” and “In Your Eyes Baby, Jimmy Thomas did vocals who Joined Kings of Rhythm in 1958. Icky Renrut was a pseudonym used by Ike Turner along with Lover Boy.
Ike also gave us some cracking instrumentals with several featuring on this compilation, The Rooster, Katanga and Loosely (aka The Wild One) released on a variety of Labels from Capital to Sue. Which featured some of the top musicians in the R&B of the time, musicians like Fred Sample on Piano, John Wings on drums and Marvin Warwick on Baritone Saxophone to name a few.
Ike and Tina, a match made in heaven as we thought, providing us with some of the greatest releases. Meeting back in 1956 when she was in a relationship with the band’s saxophonist Raymond Hill. Ike and Tina parted company in 1976 after a very abusive marriage. This news on Ike’s behaviour took him away from the world of music has nobody wanted to/or refused to work with him. But we have to remember the music that unfortunately came at such a price. Ike defiantly heard a vocal from Little Ann as she was known then and took her to superstardom. We hear on this release songs like “A Fool In Love” from 1960 “Its Gonna Work Out Fine” from 1961, Tina shows her powerful vocals which made her a house hold name.
This Album as been put together in way that show cases a musician at the top of his game. Like I said at the beginning a prolific artist that demonstrated his capabilities in writing, recording but also the ears that could hear a different style and sound from another artist. You can take anything that Ike Turner said with a pinch of salt. Always straying a little away from the truth. But his music will always come across as a true artist.
The album comes to us from the hard-working team at Bear Family Records, with contributions from people like Producer Ralph Bass, Research and Compilation by Nico Feuerbach and a team of dedicated members. 33 tracks complete with fully illustrated booklet can be purchased from their online social media link provided below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbfnh1oVTk0 (Rockin 88 )
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