Congratulations Ike!

Ike & Tina Turner - It's Groovier Across The Line

Had Ike Turner made a lot of better choices in his life, would be better known for his role in the development of rock 'n' roll (he played on Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88," a record deemed by many to be one of the first records of the genre), for his scorching guitar instrumentals of the '50s and '60s, for the white-hot stage show that was the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, and for the Ike & Tina Turner records themselves. Instead, Ike has been reduced - and maybe rightly so - to the role of villain in the story of Tina Turner's rise to '80s pop superstardom and to Laurence Fishburne's portrayal of him in the biopic What's Love Got To Do With It. (I saw Ike in Chicago a few years ago and he gave a fantastic show - I was seated, however, among a group of ladies who looked at him disdainfully and made snide remarks about him the whole set.) Fortunately, Turner has made a comeback in the last few years, and last night he scored a Best Traditional Blues Grammy for his latest album, Risin' With The Blues.

Today's selection comes from the large body of unreleased material Ike did with Tina in the '60s and '70s, which Ike has licensed out over the last few years. "Groover Across The Line," from the comp His Woman, Her Man, finds Ike & Tina trading lines a la "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" over a nice rollicking groove.