VOA常速英语2007年-Rock and Roll Legend Ike Turner Dies

By Ray McDonald
Washington
13 December 2007

One of the founding fathers of rock and roll, Ike Turner, died Wednesday December 12 at his home near San Diego, California.  He was 76.  The cause of death was unknown.  While an architect of the modern rock sound, he was also notorious for his abusive relationship with his wife, Tina.  VOA's Ray McDonald has more.

Mention Ike's name, and most music fans will likely peg² him as the drug-addicted, abusive husband of superstar singer Tina Turner.

Laurence Fishburne earned a Best Actor Academy Award nomination³ for his portrayal⁴ of Ike in the hit 1994 film, What's Love Got To Do With It.  While Ike disputed those claims, they have overshadowed his real contributions to the birth and development of rock and roll.

Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Ike Turner was eight years old when he began doing odd jobs at a local radio station.  He carried amplifiers for blues⁵ guitarist Robert Nighthawk while learning boogie-woogie piano from his idol⁶, Pinetop Perkins.
 
In the late 1940s, Ike formed his own group, The Kings of Rhythm.  In 1951, he recorded "Rocket 88," which some critics call the first true rock and roll record.

While working with the Kings of Rhythm in the St. Louis area, Ike Turner also became a session musician and talent scout⁷ for Sun Records.  He helped such later stars as Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and Otis Rush sign contracts.
 
In the late-1950s, Ike hired a young singer from Tennessee named Anna Mae Bullock. Changing her name to Tina, after the popular action heroine "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle," Ike featured her in his popular soul review. After enjoying a hit single in 1960 with "A Fool In Love," the pair wed¹ in Mexico, and embarked⁸ upon a stormy 16-year union.

Throughout the 1960s and early-70s, Ike and Tina were one of the most exciting and influential⁹ acts in rock.  They toured with the Rolling Stones, and in 1971 performed in Africa.
 
Shadowing their success, however, was Ike's treatment of Tina.  Acting¹⁰ as the group's manager and musical director, he allegedly treated his wife in a ruthless manner. In her 1986 autobiography¹¹ I, Tina, she wrote that he regularly isolated¹² and abused her, often in the form of vicious beatings.
 
By the mid-1970s, Ike Turner was in the grip of a cocaine¹³ habit.  In July, 1976, Tina fled Ike, reportedly carrying only 36 cents.  She declined to comment on his death.

In 1989, Ike went to prison on drug charges, and was still behind bars when he and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.  He reportedly maintained sobriety after leaving prison in 1993, and in 2001 published an autobiography, Takin' Back My Name.  In it, he admitted to physically¹⁴ abusing Tina, but denied beating her. 

He also continued to perform with the Kings of Rhythm, and in 2007 won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

1 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

2 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

5 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

6 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。

7 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

8 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

9 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

10 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

11 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

12 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

13 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。