Today in 1976 Ike and Tina Turner officially split their musical partnership. Their relationship had long been contentious but a fight after Ike went on a five day cocaine binge was the final straw. They would finalize their divorce a few years later and never again performed together.

When they did perform together there were few acts that could top them. Ike Turner was already an established musician when he met Anna Mae Bullock in 1958. Anna Mae dated a member of Ike’s band, The Kings of Rhythm, and eventually found herself onstage. Ike recognized her talent, renamed her Tina Turner and made her a part of the band.

Ike and Tina would find success in 1960 with their first hit, “A Fool in Love”. Ike and Tina married in 1962 and formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1965. It was under this name they started appearing on television and drew the attention of Phil Spector, who produced one of their biggest songs, “River Deep-Mountain High”. This led to an opening slot on a Rolling Stones tour and world-wide exposure.

From 1969 through their divorce, Ike and Tina were known for both their original songs and for taking hit songs from other bands and turning them into classic Ike and Tina songs. They scored hits with covers of The Beatles’ “Come Together” and Sly and the Family Stone’s “I Want to Take You Higher”. Their rendition of CCR’s “Proud Mary” earned them a Grammy in 1971.

Ike and Tina were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Neither showed up to the ceremony – Ike was in prison and Tina continued to disassociate herself from Ike – and Phil Spector accepted the award on their behalf. Ike died in 2007 from a cocaine overdose while Tina, and her iconic legs, is still going at it. Tina had a surprisingly strong career in the 1980s and early 90s and in 2008 she launched a 50th anniversary tour that saw her sell out 84 shows and rake in over $100 million.  

Here is Ike and Tina in 1974 laying down the funk live on “Baby, Get It On”: