Ike
Ike Turner died yesterday.
It is kind of a touchy subject, as certain aspects of his personal life left much to be desired, however nearly any blog or news source will take great pleasure in filling you in on the details of that, and for no added cost add in their opinion too I’m sure, and although I cannot agree with Ike’s actions in those matters, I will leave it for every one else to discuss.
What I can say is that throughout his musical career he put out some of the most amazing recordings, and he has certainly been a big influence on many peoples music. If you are not familiar with his recorded works I recommend you check out some of the Ike & Tina stuff.
There is one story from Ike’s private life that cracked me up though I cannot remember where I heard it, apparently he was having a hard time sourcing some coke, I think it was, so he dresses up in a Police uniform, drives around until he sees some users and then stages a bust, confiscating the drugs for himself.
There may be no excusing Ike Turner’s actions, a reputation that will stick with him until long after his death, however as I say, if you are not familiar with his recorded works you really should look some of it up.
UPDATE : The San Diego County medical examiner’s office declared the cause of death to be cocaine toxicity with cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema as “significant” factors.