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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Fans the world over are mourning the loss of music |
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superstar Tina Turner, who passed away on May 24, 2023, at the age |
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of 83; and |
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WHEREAS, Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, she grew |
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up in rural Nutbush, Tennessee, and nearby areas and later moved to |
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St. Louis, Missouri; there, she met R&B bandleader Ike Turner and |
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began singing with his group, the Kings of Rhythm, as a teenager; |
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when the group's main vocalist missed a recording session, she took |
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the lead on "A Fool in Love," and the song reached No. 2 on the |
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Billboard R&B chart; Mr. Turner gave her the catchier stage name of |
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Tina, and they married in 1962; her powerful, richly textured voice |
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fueled a number of R&B hits, while her frenetic dancing and volcanic |
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charisma made the act a big draw at "chitlin' circuit" venues across |
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the country; the Ike and Tina Turner Revue kept up a relentless |
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schedule, and tours with the Rolling Stones in 1966 and 1969 |
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introduced them to a wider audience in Britain as well as the U.S.; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 1966, Ms. Turner recorded the future classic |
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"River Deep, Mountain High" with legendary rock producer Phil |
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Spector and began to recognize she was an artist in her own right; |
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the Ike and Tina Turner Revue scored its biggest hit in 1971 with a |
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cover of the Credence Clearwater Revival song "Proud Mary," but Ike |
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Turner's abusive behavior and drug addiction exacted a toll |
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personally and professionally; Ms. Turner fled the marriage in 1976 |
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and, for a time, was forced to live with friends in exchange for |
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cleaning their houses; determined to make a comeback, she toured |
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again with the Rolling Stones in 1981 and scored her first solo hit |
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with a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"; she was appearing |
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at a New York City nightclub two years later when David Bowie came |
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to see her, Capitol Records executives in tow, and they signed her |
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to a contract; and |
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WHEREAS, Ms. Turner's 1984 album Private Dancer became a |
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massive hit, yielding the No. 1 single "What's Love Got to Do With |
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It"; finally achieving international stardom in her mid-40s, she |
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remained one of the world's top concert draws for the next 25 years |
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and sold over 100 million records; she took on acting roles as well |
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and played a central part in the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, |
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for which she sang the soundtrack hit, "We Don't Need Another Hero |
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(Thunderdome)"; her 1986 memoir inspired the Oscar-nominated movie |
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What's Love Got to Do With It; in addition, she and her husband |
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Erwin Bach were executive producers of a Broadway hit based on her |
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life, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; in 2005, she received a Kennedy |
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Center Honor, and she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame |
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twice, as both a member of the revue and a solo artist; she retired |
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from the stage in 2009; and |
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WHEREAS, A mesmerizing performer with a peerless voice, Tina |
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Turner inspired countless people with her indomitable spirit as |
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well as her immense talent, and her legacy will continue to resonate |
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in the years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Tina Turner and extend |
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sincere condolences to all who mourn her passing; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Tina |
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Turner. |