Tina Turner: Movies, Music, and Books Honoring the Queen of Rock & Roll
It’s official! Tina Turner will be a 2021 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Wednesday’s announcement adds another well-deserved accolade to her legendary career. “I am absolutely thrilled to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame amongst such amazing artists,” the icon said a statement. “Thank you for all your continued love and support over the years! Love, Tina.”
Earlier this year, the superstar gave an intimate look into her life in the self-titled HBO documentary, which you can stream on HBO Max. If you’re not signed up to HBO Max, for $14.99 a month you can watch a huge library of movies and TV shows as well as Warner Bros. movies set for release this year.
The documentary plays as a final act in an illustrious career filled with peaks and valleys. The music legend first rose to prominence through her collaborations with late ex-husband Ike Turner. Despite enduring horrific abuse at the hands of Ike, Tina built a catalog of classics including “River Deep, Mountain High,” “Nutbush City Limit,” and her Grammy-winning cover of “Proud Mary.” After leaving Ike and lying low for a few years, the 1980s saw Tina’s roaring return to music that gave us “Private Dancer,” the chart-topping, Grammy-sweeping blockbuster of an album led by the smash hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
In between the music, Tina found the time to write three memoirs, star in multiple movies, and adapt her life into a Broadway musical. Now, she can add Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to her list. In celebration of all things Tina, we put together a list of must-have items honoring the Tennessee native. See below for a roundup of some of the best books, vinyl records, and more to keep your Tina Turner educational journey rolling smoothly. For more music content check out the best music documentaries streaming on HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
“Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good” by Tina Turner
Leave it to Tina Turner to release a book about finding happiness in a year like 2020, when that advice was desperately needed by just about everyone. She reflects on her life in terms of her soaring highs and crushing lows, and explains how she found peace through Buddhism. This is a great read for anyone looking to improve the way they look at things, even if they’ve never heard one of Tina’s songs. (And if you haven’t, it’s certainly time to rectify that.)
“Simply the Best” Vinyl
“Simply the Best” is the name of Tina’s greatest hits album, as well as a sentence often used by music fans to describe her. She recorded so many hits in so many different decades that it’s hard to fit them all on one album, but this compilation makes a noble attempt. If you liked what you heard in the movie, buying this on vinyl is a logical next step.
“Tina Turner: That’s My Life” Vinyl
“Tina Turner: That’s My Life” tells the superstar’s life story in pictures, documenting her iconic looks from over the years as well as raiding her personal archives for never-before-seen shots. Featuring handwritten comments from Tina herself, this book belongs on the coffee table of any music fan who has ever found themselves whistling, “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”
“Tina Turner: One Last Time Live in Concert”
Tina’s legacy cannot be understood without exploring her unparalleled abilities as a live performer. While she retired from performing after her 50th anniversary tour in 2009, this concert film is a worthy tribute. It features her 2000 concert at Wembley Stadium and provides ample reasons for why she’s one of a kind. Tina was four decades into her career at the time and her energy was absolutely electric as she brought her classic songs to life.
“Private Dancer” Vinyl
The record that kicked off the second phase of Tina’s career is an essential piece of music history, as well as an album that still holds up today. Best known for “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” the multi-platinum album saw Tina breaking away from her bluesy roots and pursuing ’80s pop perfection. Through gorgeous ballads and uptempo pop, the record showcases her impressive range as a performer and won four Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
“What’s Love Got to Do With It”
If documentaries aren’t exactly your thing, how about a biopic? Angela Bassett stars as Tina in this 1993 movies that tells the story of her journey from extremely humble beginnings to international superstardom. The only problem with the film is that Tina did a lot of living between 1994 and now, so it doesn’t begin to capture all of her accomplishments! But any fan of Tina, or music in general, will find that it’s worth a watch.
“I, Tina: My Life Story”
Before there was “Tina” on HBO, this autobiography was the definitive account of her incredible life. Written by Tina herself, the book contains none of the fluff and name-dropping often found in rock-‘n’-roll memoirs, instead focusing on her incredible rise, fall, and reemergence. Tina’s thoughts on her fascinating career reveal a level of depth and introspection that makes it easy to understand why she is one of the biggest stars of her generation.
