”The Legendary Modern Recordings. Featuring Jackie Brenston- Billy Gayles-Lonnie The Cat-Lover Boy ym. Loistava albumi!

Laying in his sick bed at a Los Angeles apartment early this year, the legendary IKE TURNER was recovering from minor surgery on a backside ailment.I was hanging out with Joe Bihari, Turner’s old boss from the Modern Records’ days, awaiting a call from Ike to arrange an interview . He finally phoned and said he could only give me an hour, as he was flying out to Memphis for a presentation at the Sun Studios.Joe Bihari and I finally arrived at Turner’s pad at 4 o’clock on Friday afternoon. He greeted us at the door, dressed in pyjamas and dressing gown, and led us to his bedroom, complaining about his sore backside. He slipped back under the sheets as we gathered around his bed. Sharp as a woodpecker, he started to talk about his early life: about growing up in Clarksdale, and the prejudice that existed at the time; the swimming pool at the end of his street being ”Whites Only”, and that if there were any girls bathing any black man had to ”cross over to the other side of the street. If you turned your head the police would run you in.”As the conversation hotted up, Ike began to talk even faster. Every now and then he would stutter; his Memphis delta accent almost needed sub- titles to understand him. ”Hey Joe”, he said, ”remember when were run out of town by the local Sheriff? I was loading equipment into the back of your car….They didn’t like you fooling around with their local niggers..Did you see that they had a truckload of State Troopers dressed in khaki?” Joe interject – ”Ike, do you remember that gig in Blackfish Lake, Arkansas, where the local sheriff took the money at the door?”. Their reminiscences meant time soon ran out and I had to wind up the interview to let Ike catch his flight.As we left I realised that it was 29 years since I had first met Ike at a London hotel. He was then touring the UK with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Tina was then currently top of the UK charts with the Phil Spector-produced River Deep, Mountain High. Ike had no involvement with that record, but he led the Revue.Ike’s biography has now been published by Headline Books, Ace has released a companion CD of his work. It contains Ike’s first recording, Rocket 88 (released by Chess as by Jackie Brenston), while the rest of the cuts detail some of his finest productions for Modern Records dating from 1954-56. The CD features his blistering blues guitar and rolling piano with a boogie beat. It spotlights some of the vocalists he discovered including Dennis ’Longman’ Binder, Lonnie ”The Cat”, J.W. Walker, Johnny Wright and the late Billy Gayles. On all the sides the Kings Of Rhythm act as accompanists, and Ike himself turns up under the Lover Boy disguise.For many years Turner was the lynchpin of Modern, working as a talent scout for Joe Bihari, a go-getter, a good pair of hands in the studio, and a fine musician to boot. He finally gained international success with Tina as his vocalist. When they split up in the 70s and went her own way, the publicity all concentrated on the details of their relationship rather than Ike’s musical legacy. Now Ike is back on the scene with his side of the story and a new Revue, the focus can change back to his music. The question is, will he make it big again?”