Summary

TAPE_NUMBER: EN0003 IN_TIME: 10:36:51 LENGTH: 03:49 SOURCES: APTN/EMI RESTRICTIONS: No re-use/re-sale of film/video clips without clearance, All No access Internet, Music/performance rights must be cleared. FEED: SCRIPT: xfa Story: Tina Turner Location: Paris Date: Recent 99 International singing superstar TINA TURNER is taking to the road one last time this summer, to tour her latest album 'TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN'. The star who recently turned 60, is set to prove she can still rock with the best of them. But it could be the last time many fans get to see her live - she wants to leave stadiums behind in favour of more intimate venues. While popular in the U-S., Turner is bigger overseas, especially in Europe. At one point she held the world record for largest paying audience attending a solo performance, playing to over 180,000 people in Brazil in 1988. Her appeal lies partly in her image - she still overflows with a glamour and energy few a fraction of her age could hope for. She puts her stage presence down to preparation, make up and a lot of thought. It's a look captured on the album cover, which shows Tina ready for action in black trousers and a white shirt. The pose was chosen to reflect the upbeat music, which the singer says has a wide appeal. Her music is created by a small army of songwriters, under her guidance. She explains their songs grab her instantly. She says she falls in love with a new song by hearing the music - sometimes not even noticing the lyrics. The tour is due to start in July 2000. While Tina says it will be her last stadium tour, she is still looking forward to singing old and new songs live. The team travelling with her include backing singers and dancers who have not experienced a major tour before, all of whom are eager to work with the superstar. Tina Turner was born Anna Mae Bullock in Brownsville, Tennessee on November 26, 1939, and was raised in rural Nutbush, Tenn. by her grandmother. When her grandmother died in 1955, Bullock moved to St. Louis and began going to a popular nightclub called Club Manhattan where a group called the Kings of Rhythm, lead by Ike Turner, were house regulars. One day Bullock began singing with the band, and left high school shortly thereafter when she became pregnant by Ike. When she was only 20 years old "Little Ann" recorded the single "A Fool In Love" with the Kings of Rhythm, and the song became an unexpected Top 40 hit. Ike left the Kings of Rhythm and moved with Bullock to Los Angeles, where he renamed her "Tina Turner" and formed a group called the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. The group began touring continuously and recorded a few more hits, but Ike Turner soon became domineering, controlling every aspect of the group on and off stage. As the band became more and more successful, Ike began physically abusing Tina, leading her to attempt suicide in 1968. The couple divorced in early 1978, Tina agreeing to let Ike keep everything earned during their marriage in return for dismissal of lawsuits filed against her. Tina Turner embarked on a solo career that same year, performing with a new backup band in small clubs. Today, 22 years later Tina Turner is an international mega star who says the dark days of her past are well behind her. Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and to date has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. So, while the legend will retire from the big concert scene next year, her sound will live on for many years to come. SHOTLIST: VIDEO CLIP 'WHEN THE HEARTACHE IS OVER' BY TINA TURNER; SOT TURNER; PERFORMANCE IN STUDIO 'WHEN THE HEARTACHE IS OVER'; GVS VAR. ALBUM PHOTOS WITH FEATURED MUSIC 'TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN'; SOT TURNER; PERFORMANCE OF 'SIMPLY THE BEST'; SOT TURNER; PERFORMANCE OF 'SIMPLY THE BEST'; ?