Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 25, 2023.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — She was simply the best: Legendary R&B, rock and soul singer Tina Turner passed away Wednesday at the age of 83. A staple whose multi-decade career led to more than 100 million records sold, 12 Grammy Awards and a two-time membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Turner also graced Austin several times throughout her illustrative career.
Turner performed with then-husband Ike Turner at Waco’s Walker Auditorium in the 1960s. They also traveled down I-35 to the Austin Coliseum on July 1, 1968, according to archived tour documents. Ike & Tina Turner performed as a duo between 1960 to 1976 before the pair divorced, in part due to alleged abusive behavior inflicted on Tina by Ike.
Throughout the two’s joint career, they performed at least a dozen times throughout Texas, with additional concerts held in El Paso, University Park, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth and San Antonio. The two also played a set at the 1st annual Central Texas Music Festival in September 1970, held near Elgin and Bastrop in Central Texas.
Once a solo artist, Tina headlined at the Frank Erwin Center on Nov. 2, 1985 as part of her “Private Dancer” tour, which featured 104 tour dates in North America alone. She returned to the Frank Erwin Center two years later for a performance on Nov. 28, 1987 as a stop on her “Break Every Rule” tour.
She returned to the Lone Star State on her 1993 “What’s Love Live” tour, bypassing Austin but making stops in Dallas, The Woodlands and San Antonio that August. In May 1997, she had stops at San Antonio’s Alamodome and Dallas’ Starplex Amphitheater as part of her “Wildest Dreams” tour.
In October 2000, she came back to Austin for a tour stop at the Frank Erwin Center as part of her “Twenty Four Seven” tour, marking her final visit to the Texas capital. She held additional Texas performances at Dallas’ Reunion Arena and the Compaq Center in Houston.
Her final tour, “Tina! 50th Anniversary Tour,” ran from October 2008 through May 2009 and featured 37 performances in North America. She played shows at Dallas’ American Airlines Arena and the Toyota Center in Houston, signifying her last time performing in Texas.
Austinites looking to commemorate Tina’s legacy will have the opportunity to see “TINA – The Tina Turner Musical” next year. The Broadway performance is slated to run at the Bass Concert Hall Jan. 9-14, 2024.