September 28, 2025
The statue’s unveiling was a part of town’s Tina Turner Heritage Days, which celebrates the early lifetime of the singer.
Tina Turner has quietly been honored in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee, for the previous decade however on Sept. 27, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend obtained one other honor, this one solid in bronze.
In line with Billboard, Turner’s statue sits close to her outdated highschool, Carver Excessive Faculty, in shut proximity to the neighborhood of Nutbush, the place she grew up, in Heritage Park, situated throughout the road from the highschool.
Turner’s sculpture was designed by the Atlanta-based, world-famous artist Fred Ajanogha, who aimed to seize her signature wild hair and versatile motion by means of the statue’s posing.
Earlier than Turner died on Might 24, 2023, she immortalized Nutbush by means of her hit track “Nutbush Metropolis Limits,” and left her imprint on the American music scene by means of different hit songs akin to “Proud Mary,” “Personal Dancer,” and arguably her most well-known track that turned the title of an Angela Bassett-led movie, “What’s Love Received To Do With It,” that recounted her tumultuous and abusive marriage to Ike Turner.
Turner’s lengthy profession earned her an extended listing of admirers, from Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to ’90’s R&B icon Mariah Carey to Beyoncé and the affectionately bestowed title of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, a royal title she additionally shared with Little Richard, who was alternatively referred to as the Actual King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
The statue’s unveiling was a part of town’s Tina Turner Heritage Days, which celebrates the early lifetime of the singer, earlier than she left town as a teen to pursue her desires as a recording artist.
Karen Prepare dinner, associates with one in every of Turner’s cousins, traveled from Georgia to attend the occasion, which she mentioned reminded her of listening to Turner along with her mom.
“She’s a fantastic artist, I really like her music,” Prepare dinner instructed the outlet. “My mother listened to her rather a lot. It’s a giant deal and a fantastic factor for the neighborhood to have Tina Turner in her small city.”
In line with Marianne Dunavant, neighborhood relations supervisor with the Ford Motor Firm, their $150,000 contribution in the direction of the statue’s building is a part of their dedication to listening to the voices of the area people.
“We wish to protect historical past for our youth, proper, so once we’re now not right here these statues will nonetheless inform that story and do not forget that Tina Turner got here from this neighborhood and we wish our younger folks to know that they’ll do something they need and thrive too,” she instructed WBBJ 7 Eyewitness Information.
At the moment, a jukebox musical, “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” is touring throughout the nation, after taking a quick hiatus to recast. The play is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and was written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Corridor together with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins.
The unique Broadway run of the manufacturing, which starred Adrienne Warren within the titular function opened in 2019, and Turner was sort sufficient to present the budding starlet some recommendation, even when she was cautious of yet one more depiction of her life for an viewers.
In an op-ed for Rolling Stone, Turner was, effectively, Tina Turner, as she defined the way it all got here to be.
“My life has been fairly a narrative. The story of a bit lady who grew up with large ambitions; the story of a naive younger lady who entered right into a troubled marriage with nothing however her voice and her desires and who escaped — simply barely — with nothing however her voice and her desires; the story of a middle-aged singer with sturdy winds towards her who discovered success and real love with the person she by no means thought she’d meet. I considered that, and of all of the individuals who inform me that my story provides them hope and is my legacy, and I mentioned, “Sure.” Then, I sat again to observe director Phyllida Lloyd and author Katori Corridor do what they do greatest.”
Turner continued, providing excessive reward to Warren. “She took all of it in, labored tougher than exhausting, and stepped into the footwear. She reworked herself into the particular person she wanted to be. With each word and each transfer of her hips, Adrienne is pure Tina. She has my admiration and my blessing. In truth, I wish to say that I wish to thank her mother and father as a result of now that she’s onstage, I can really retire.”
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