Audrey Madison Turner is an American singer and songwriter known for her collaborations with musician
Ike Turner
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and 1 ...
. Madison was one of Turner's backup singers before she became his lead singer, they married in 2006.
She was a contestant on the American version of
''The'' ''X-Factor'' in 2011.
Life and career
Audrey Madison was born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
to Art and Georgia Madison.
Due to her mother's
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
/
psychosis
Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...
and the loss of her father who was a functioning
alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomin ...
, she and her siblings were forced to rear themselves. Madison participated in beauty contests and talent shows at an early age, eventually debuting an original song at her high school graduation. She abandoned her plans to become a psychologist in order to pursue her musical ambitions, founding the musical group Madison Avenue with her family.
Madison appeared in various talent search competitions and talk shows, including ''The Carol Vitale Show'' and on Natalie Cole's ''
Big Break
''Big Break'' is a British television game show, created by Roger Medcalf, Mike Kemp and Terry Mardell, presented by comedian Jim Davidson and snooker commentator John Virgo, and broadcast on BBC One between 1991 and 2002. Inspired by ITV's '' ...
''. She became the assistant choreographer to Lon Fontaine of Motown, creating routines for artists such as
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
,
the Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
, and
the Pointer Sisters
The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, b ...
.
Madison met Ike Turner through a mutual friend in 1993. She started out as an Ikette before becoming his lead singer.
Madison provided vocals on Turner's 1996 album, ''My Bluescountry''. She was compared to Turner's ex-wife and former singing partner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...
.
In 1999, Madison joined the band Black Angel which included
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...
's son Ronnie Turner.
Madison and Ike Turner's "professional relationship eventually segued into a romantic one."
They received positive reviews for their performances at various music festivals:
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
(2001),
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...
(2002),
North Sea Jazz Festival (2002), and
Jazz à Vienne (2004). Madison became Turner's 14th wife when they married at A Special Memory Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on October 8, 2006. Turner filed for divorce two months later on December 22, 2006, but after the divorce was granted they reconciled before his death.
Turner died on December 12, 2007 without a valid
will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
. Less than a week after his death, Madison filed a petition stating that he had penned a handwritten will naming her as a beneficiary. In 2009, a judge ruled that it was invalid and by law his children were the direct heirs of his estate. That year, Madison provided vocals on a tribute album for Turner titled ''Rocket 88: Tribute to Ike Turner'', released on
Zoho Roots.
Madison appeared as a contestant on
''The X Factor'' in 2011.
In 2016, she released a memoir titled ''Love Had Everything to Do with It''. The book details her volatile relationship with Ike Turner which she attributed to his
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
and
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
. She told
''The Afro'': "I decided to write it because it was like a cleansing and it released all of the trauma. Also, I wanted the general public to have a better outlook and perspective on where Ike was mentally and emotionally, because so often, as a nation, we turn on people who have mental health issues and define them by their behaviors rather than their condition."
Madison has a son, Maurion Henderson, from a previous relationship.
Discography
Albums
* 2019: ''I'm Here''
Vocal credits
* 1990: ''Let It Flow'' – Art Madison
* 1991: ''Spillin' The Beans'' –
Jellybean
Jelly beans are small bean shaped sugar candies with soft candy shells and thick gel interiors (see gelatin and jelly). The confection is primarily made of sugar and sold in a wide variety of colors and flavors.
History
It has been cla ...
* 1993: ''Into The A.M.'' – Art Madison
* 1996: ''My Bluescountry'' – Ike Turner
* 2002: ''The Resurrection: Live Montreux Jazz Festival'' – Ike Turner's
Kings Of Rhythm
The Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has underg ...
* 2007:
''Risin' With The Blues'' – Ike Turner
*2009: ''Rocket 88: Tribute To Ike Turner'' – Mr. Groove Band
Books
* ''Love Had Everything to Do With It: My Life with Ike Turner, A True Story'' (2016)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison Turner, Audrey
American rhythm and blues singers
Blues singer-songwriters
American blues singers
Singers from San Francisco
Songwriters from San Francisco
Kings of Rhythm members
The X Factor (American TV series) contestants
Living people
American soul singers
American women singer-songwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)
Singer-songwriters from California
21st-century American women