The Ikettes
Encyclopedia
The Ikettes were a trio
(sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalist
s for the Ike & Tina Turner
Revue, a prominent American
rhythm and blues
group from the 1960s.
formed the Ikettes to replace the Artettes as the backing group for the Ike & Tina Turner
Revue. The Ikettes began recording
in 1960, when lead Delores Johnson, Eloise Hester, and Joshie Armstead
accompanied Tina Turner
on her first recording, "A Fool in Love
". They cut "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" the following year. Ike produced
the record
and leased it to Atco Records
, who issued three less successful Ikettes singles
in 1962. The following year, Ike switched them to his Teena record label
for two singles: "Crazy in Love" (credited as Robbie Montgomery & the Ikettes) and "Prisoner in Love". "Here's Your Heart" came out on Innis in 1964 but failed to go national; nor did a Phi-Dan single in 1965.
Despite their beginnings, the Ikettes became successful artists
in their own right. They had hits in the early and mid 1960s, charting with "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" in 1961, "Camel Walk" in 1964, and "Peaches and Cream" and "I'm So Thankful" in 1965. Unheralded, they were arguably one of the ten top R&B
female groups of all time. Ike never paid them much, which caused their lineup to change frequently, and they never received royalties
. Former Ikettes Clydie King and Venetta Fields had a spectacular career after leaving Ike & Tina-Joining Ray Charles as the Raylettes, the UK rockers Humble Pie (post Frampton) as two thirds of the Blackberries, a brief stint with Delaney and Bonnie, and, most famously, sang backup on the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter".
A six-record stint from 1964 through 1966 on Modern Records
saw a new lineup of Robbie Montgomery (ex-Artette), Venetta Fields
, and Jessie Smith. Armstead, the first of the originals to leave, went solo
and sang with groups before hooking up with a pre-Motown Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson to form the formidable songwriting
/production team of Ashford/Simpson/Armstead. The Ikettes scored three hits on Modern: "The Camel Walk", "Peaches and Cream", and "I'm So Thankful". Ultra funky remakes of "Sally Go Round the Roses" and "Da Doo Ron Ron
" did not go as well; neither did "He's Gonna Be Fine, Fine, Fine," though it sounded like a precursor to the stuff Betty Davis
did later. When "Peaches and Cream" exploded, Ike sent a different set of Ikettes, Janice Singleton (Hughes), Diane Rutherford and Marquentta Tinsley, on the road with "The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars", and kept the ones who recorded the song on tour with his revue. Janice Singleton and Diane Rutherford provided backing vocals for Tina Turner
on the Phil Spector
-produced classic "River Deep - Mountain High
". Janice Singleton (Hughes) left the Ikettes to lead groups on A&M (The Secrets: lead vocals on A&M recording by Diane Rutherford-Swann) and Verve (The Unit Plus), then teamed with Ikette Maxine Smith (Green) on world tours with Leo Sayer
, Martha Reeves
, Boz Scaggs
, and Joe Cocker
, among others. In 2007, they joined the Mohegan Sun (Casino) All Stars.
This caused much annoyance to the Ikettes, and they left the Ike and Tina Turner Revue in late 1965. After trying unsuccessfully to continue using the name The Ikettes under management of Tina Turner's sister, Alline Bullock, they changed their name to "The Mirettes", after the Mirwood label they had signed to. Their single release did not chart and they signed with Revue. The stint with Revue proved luckier: their first two singles, a sexy "In the Midnight Hour
" and "Take For a Little a While", made impressions. A third single, "First Love", stiffed, as did a single on Minit Records in 1968 entitled "Help Wanted". A shift to Uni Records was more fruitful for The Mirettes, but the songs were not big hits. Zea Records dropped the raunchy "Ain't My Stuff Good Enough" in 1970. The Mirettes broke up in 1971, after Venetta Fields left the group and was replaced by one-time Ikette Pat Powdrill.
In the meantime, Turner hired new women as Ikettes. The first set included Pat Arnold (aka P. P. Arnold
), Juanita Hixson, Gloria Scott and Maxine Smith. Later members included Pat Powdrill, Ann Thomas, Shelly Clark (later of Honey Cone
), Rose Smith and Paulette Parker. Innis, attempting to earn some money from its unreleased material, issued "So Blue Over You"/"So Fine" credited to 'Ike & Tina Turner & the Ikettes' in 1968.
Pompeii and Liberty Records
issued singles credited to the Ikettes in 1969 and 1970 respectively, but only a remake of Sly & the Family Stone
's "I Want to Take You Higher
" (with Ike & Tina Turner) got much notice. It was followed by two more singles credited to the Ikettes on United Artists
, including a remake of "Camel Walk" in 1971 and "Two Timin', Double Dealin'" in 1973, the last known single by either the Ikettes or the Mirettes.
Lejeune Richardson was a long-time member of the Ikettes. She was married to Ike Turner's drummer Soko Richardson, but later was divorced. She later became a backup dancer for Tina Turner
during her solo years.
As Ike Turner revived his career in the 1990s, he formed a new set of Ikettes including Jeanette Bazzell and Audrey Madison-Turner.
Tina Turner no longer uses Ikettes in her shows; instead, she affectionately refers to her back-up dancers as her "flowers."
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
(sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
s for the Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
Revue, a prominent American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
group from the 1960s.
Career
Ike TurnerIke Turner
Isaac Wister Turner was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer. In a career that lasted more than half a century, his repertoire included blues, soul, rock, and funk...
formed the Ikettes to replace the Artettes as the backing group for the Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
Revue. The Ikettes began recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
in 1960, when lead Delores Johnson, Eloise Hester, and Joshie Armstead
Jo Armstead
Josephine "Jo" Armstead , often known as "Joshie" Jo Armstead, is an American soul singer and songwriter. She co-wrote Ray Charles' hits "Let's Go Get Stoned" and "I Don't Need No Doctor", among other songs written with Ashford & Simpson...
accompanied Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
on her first recording, "A Fool in Love
A Fool in Love
" A Fool in Love" is a soul single released as the debuting single for Ike & Tina Turner, released in 1960 on the Sue Records label.-Production history:...
". They cut "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" the following year. Ike produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
the record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and leased it to Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, who issued three less successful Ikettes singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1962. The following year, Ike switched them to his Teena record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
for two singles: "Crazy in Love" (credited as Robbie Montgomery & the Ikettes) and "Prisoner in Love". "Here's Your Heart" came out on Innis in 1964 but failed to go national; nor did a Phi-Dan single in 1965.
Despite their beginnings, the Ikettes became successful artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
in their own right. They had hits in the early and mid 1960s, charting with "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" in 1961, "Camel Walk" in 1964, and "Peaches and Cream" and "I'm So Thankful" in 1965. Unheralded, they were arguably one of the ten top R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
female groups of all time. Ike never paid them much, which caused their lineup to change frequently, and they never received royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
. Former Ikettes Clydie King and Venetta Fields had a spectacular career after leaving Ike & Tina-Joining Ray Charles as the Raylettes, the UK rockers Humble Pie (post Frampton) as two thirds of the Blackberries, a brief stint with Delaney and Bonnie, and, most famously, sang backup on the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter".
A six-record stint from 1964 through 1966 on Modern Records
Modern Records
Modern Records was an American record label formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by the Bihari brothers. In the 1960s, Modern Records went bankrupt and ceased operations, but the catalogue went with the management into what became Kent Records. This back catalogue was eventually licensed to the UK label...
saw a new lineup of Robbie Montgomery (ex-Artette), Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
, and Jessie Smith. Armstead, the first of the originals to leave, went solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
and sang with groups before hooking up with a pre-Motown Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson to form the formidable songwriting
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
/production team of Ashford/Simpson/Armstead. The Ikettes scored three hits on Modern: "The Camel Walk", "Peaches and Cream", and "I'm So Thankful". Ultra funky remakes of "Sally Go Round the Roses" and "Da Doo Ron Ron
Da Doo Ron Ron
"Da Doo Ron Ron" is a 1963 hit single by The Crystals, produced by Phil Spector in his Wall of Sound style. The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Spector. The drummer was Hal Blaine....
" did not go as well; neither did "He's Gonna Be Fine, Fine, Fine," though it sounded like a precursor to the stuff Betty Davis
Betty Davis
Betty Davis is an American funk, rock and soul singer. She was also Miles Davis's second wife.- Background :She worked as a model, appearing in photo spreads in Seventeen, Ebony and Glamour...
did later. When "Peaches and Cream" exploded, Ike sent a different set of Ikettes, Janice Singleton (Hughes), Diane Rutherford and Marquentta Tinsley, on the road with "The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars", and kept the ones who recorded the song on tour with his revue. Janice Singleton and Diane Rutherford provided backing vocals for Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
on the Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
-produced classic "River Deep - Mountain High
River Deep - Mountain High
"River Deep – Mountain High" is a 1966 single by Ike & Tina Turner. Considered by producer Phil Spector to be his best work, the single was successful in Europe, peaking at #3 in the United Kingdom, though it flopped on its original release in the United States...
". Janice Singleton (Hughes) left the Ikettes to lead groups on A&M (The Secrets: lead vocals on A&M recording by Diane Rutherford-Swann) and Verve (The Unit Plus), then teamed with Ikette Maxine Smith (Green) on world tours with Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer
Leo Sayer is a British singer-songwriter, musician, and entertainer whose singing career has spanned four decades. Sayer became a naturalised Australian citizen in 2009. Sayer was a top singles and album act on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1970s...
, Martha Reeves
Martha Reeves
Martha Rose Reeves is an American R&B and Pop singer and former politician, and was the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. During her tenure with The Vandellas, they scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Jimmy Mack", "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run"...
, Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, and Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, among others. In 2007, they joined the Mohegan Sun (Casino) All Stars.
This caused much annoyance to the Ikettes, and they left the Ike and Tina Turner Revue in late 1965. After trying unsuccessfully to continue using the name The Ikettes under management of Tina Turner's sister, Alline Bullock, they changed their name to "The Mirettes", after the Mirwood label they had signed to. Their single release did not chart and they signed with Revue. The stint with Revue proved luckier: their first two singles, a sexy "In the Midnight Hour
In the Midnight Hour
"In the Midnight Hour" is a song originally performed by Wilson Pickett in 1965 and released on the 1966 album The Exciting Wilson Pickett. It was composed by Pickett and Steve Cropper at the historic Lorraine Motel in Memphis where Martin Luther King, Jr. would later be murdered in April 1968...
" and "Take For a Little a While", made impressions. A third single, "First Love", stiffed, as did a single on Minit Records in 1968 entitled "Help Wanted". A shift to Uni Records was more fruitful for The Mirettes, but the songs were not big hits. Zea Records dropped the raunchy "Ain't My Stuff Good Enough" in 1970. The Mirettes broke up in 1971, after Venetta Fields left the group and was replaced by one-time Ikette Pat Powdrill.
In the meantime, Turner hired new women as Ikettes. The first set included Pat Arnold (aka P. P. Arnold
P. P. Arnold
P. P. Arnold is an American-born soul singer who enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and beyond.-Early life:...
), Juanita Hixson, Gloria Scott and Maxine Smith. Later members included Pat Powdrill, Ann Thomas, Shelly Clark (later of Honey Cone
Honey Cone
Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul all girl vocal group, who are best remembered for their Billboard #1 hit single, "Want Ads". They were the premier female group for Hot Wax Records, operated by Holland–Dozier–Holland after they had departed from Motown Records.-Career:Honey Cone comprised...
), Rose Smith and Paulette Parker. Innis, attempting to earn some money from its unreleased material, issued "So Blue Over You"/"So Fine" credited to 'Ike & Tina Turner & the Ikettes' in 1968.
Pompeii and Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
issued singles credited to the Ikettes in 1969 and 1970 respectively, but only a remake of Sly & the Family Stone
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
's "I Want to Take You Higher
I Want to Take You Higher
"I Want to Take You Higher" is a 1969 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, the B-side to their Top 30 hit Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the Stand! album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; instead, it is simply dedicated to music and the feeling one...
" (with Ike & Tina Turner) got much notice. It was followed by two more singles credited to the Ikettes on United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, including a remake of "Camel Walk" in 1971 and "Two Timin', Double Dealin'" in 1973, the last known single by either the Ikettes or the Mirettes.
Lejeune Richardson was a long-time member of the Ikettes. She was married to Ike Turner's drummer Soko Richardson, but later was divorced. She later became a backup dancer for Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
during her solo years.
As Ike Turner revived his career in the 1990s, he formed a new set of Ikettes including Jeanette Bazzell and Audrey Madison-Turner.
Tina Turner no longer uses Ikettes in her shows; instead, she affectionately refers to her back-up dancers as her "flowers."
Members
- Jo Armstead (1960–c.1964)
- P. P. ArnoldP. P. ArnoldP. P. Arnold is an American-born soul singer who enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom in the 1960s and beyond.-Early life:...
- Bonnie BramlettBonnie BramlettBonnie Bramlett is an American singer and sometime actress known for her distinctive vocals in rock and pop music. This began in the mid 1960s as a backing singer, forming the husband-and-wife team of Delaney & Bonnie, and continuing to the present day as a solo artist.-Life and career:Bramlett...
- Alesia Butler
- Jean Brown
- Denise Ferri
- Mary Brown
- Jean Burks
- Shelly Clark)
- Venetta FieldsVenetta FieldsVenetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
(1961–1966) - Yolanda Goodwin
- Martha Graham
- Vera Hamilton
- Eloise Hester
- Brenda HollowayBrenda HollowayBrenda Holloway is an American singer and songwriter, a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s...
- Patrice Holloway
- Janice Singleton
- Delores Johnson
- Esther Jones
- Claudia Lennear
- Charlotte Lewis
- Robbie Montgomery
- Paulette Parker
- Pat Powdrill
- Edna Lejeune Richardson
- Vermettya Royster
- Diane Rutherford-Swann
- Stonye Figueroa
- Gloria Scott
- Linda Sims
- Jessie Smith
- Rose Smith
- Jackie Stanton
- Marquentta Tinsley
- Ann Thomas
- Marcy Thomas
- Adrienne Williams
- Carlena "Flora" Williams
- Debbie Wilson
- The Stovall SistersThe Stovall SistersIn the 1970s, the Stovall Sisters were a gospel trio of recording artists consisting of Lillian, Netta, and Joyce Stovall. Definitive works include the album “The Stovall Sisters” which included the now funk/soul classic “Hang on in There.” They are also the featured background vocalists on the...
(1967) - Jeanette Bazzell (mid 1990s to early 2000s)
- Audrey Madison-Turner (mid 1990s to early 2000s)
- Mary Bennett (April–July 1978, during the breakup of Ike and Tina)
Songs
- "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)"
- "Troubles On My Mind"
- "Prisoner Of Love"
- "Peaches 'n' Cream"
- "The Biggest Players"
- "(He's Gonna Be) Fine, Fine, Fine"
- "I'm So Thankful"
- "Sally Go Round The Roses"
- "Da Doo Ron Ron"
