One Woman Show opens March 25th
A gestalt of full-throttle showmanship, gravity-defying aestheticism and rattling vocals which connote a kind of passion that exceeds the limitations of mortal instrument, Tina Turner takes center stage with Morrison Hotel Gallery’s latest online exhibition, One Woman Show, opening March 25th via morrisonhotelgallery.com. From “Nutbush City Limits” to bonafide legend, this web-exclusive exhibition retraces the sensational vision, virtuosity and leg work that have given rise to one of the most enduring powerhouses in music history.
Turner’s story — lived in the glitz and glamor of the spotlight and highlighted in a new HBO documentary entitled Tina — involves blazing trails, overcoming immense struggle, and achieving stellar success. This exhibition documents that journey, from the “Ike & Tina” days of opening for the Rolling Stones, shimmying so hard in her signature fringed dress that she appears almost a blur. In a timeless moment from that tour (and one that photographer Bob Gruen says is possibly his favorite shot ever), Turner pulls Janis Joplin onstage to join her in a duet.
Later, a very public split from Ike Turner, the person who had been her husband and collaborator since she stepped into the spotlight. “The divorce, I got nothing. No money, no house,” Turner says in the documentary. “So I said: I’ll just take my name.”
And take her name, she did. Later shots document her turn into a solo tour de force, stunning in the spiked wig, dazzling sequins, and brilliant colors that were the embodiment of the raw energy she brought to every performance. It’s an energy that turned her into an artist with one of the longest-running careers in music history.
Featuring seminal and never-before-seen works from photographers Bob Gruen, Lynn Goldsmith, Norman Seeff, Terry O’Neill, Glen Craig, Amalie R. Rothschild, Jerry de Wilde, Barrie Wentzell, Patrick Harbron, Charlyn Zlotnik and Paul Natkin, One Woman Show is on view exclusively online.
Turner, who’s been plagued by health issues, says farewell in the HBO documentary. Turner renounced her U.S. citizenship and moved to Switzerland with her husband Erwin Bach. She is currently 81 years old.
