Sings and dances to Yancho Takov
The native militia does not allow her to go on stage in transparent clothes in Burgas
On the eve of the 1300th anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria, Tina Turner arrives on tour in our country.
The queen of rock and roll, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83, gave concerts in Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. The visit to our country in 1981 is connected with several curious moments that are present in the folk folklore to this day.
Iconic is the interview that Tina gives for the program “Every Sunday”, the presenter at that time being Yancho Takov.
“It was not particularly difficult to bring world stars to the chair for interviews in “Every Sunday”. A concert management invited them to concerts, I invited them to the studio and they came. I remember how in front of me Tina Turner sang Nutbush City Limits, dancing in the studio in front of my three-year-old son Yancho,” said Takov years ago.
At that time, an unconfirmed rumor spread that Turner had become dangerously close to Ivan Slavkov-Bateto, who at the time was the general director of BNT and the #1 playboy in the country. There is nothing official, but even these days there are interpretations of what happened between the two.
Another much-discussed moment of Tina’s visit to communist Bulgaria is that the native militia forbids her to go out wearing transparent clothes on stage in Burgas. Her team tries to explain that it’s part of the show program, but State Security is unmoved and at the last minute the Queen of Rock and Roll is forced to change her outfit. At all concerts there were exceptional security measures, and those who managed to buy tickets were constantly monitored. Until now, Tina Turner is one of the biggest world music stars visiting our country.
She was born Anna May Bullock on November 26, 1939 in Nutbush, Tennessee, USA. Her career spanned more than half a century and she received widespread acclaim and numerous awards.
Her great discoverer for the scene was Ike Turner, who later became her husband. During the 16 years of their life together, Tina sang and danced without a day off, gave 270 concerts a year, raised four boys (two of them are Ike’s sons from his previous relationships), performed even when she was sick and after a major operation, onto the stage with bruises on his face and split lips. Ike controlled her life with all the cruelty of his despotic nature. His addiction to cocaine made the situation unbearable. Tormented by the constant harassment, Tina took her own life, but her unsuccessful suicide attempt encouraged her husband’s aggression even more – he repeatedly kicked her in the ribs, poured hot coffee over her, burned her with a cigarette, repeatedly broke her nose, everywhere on her body she knew the force of his blows, and the reasons for fighting became more and more unpredictable. He brazenly cheated on her, forcing her to share a room and bed with him and another of his lovers.
In 1976, Tina gathered her strength and managed to escape from her abuser, who continued to pursue her. Although many do not believe that she will do without him, the Queen of Rock and Roll has a brilliant solo career. The rift occurs on the way to the airport – Ike offers her chocolate, she refuses and he starts beating her. The glass of their 16-year marriage is overflowing and Tina is reciprocating for the first time. At the hotel, she waits for her husband to fall asleep, washes her bruised face and runs out into the street with 36 cents in her pocket.
In 2014, the singer renounced her American passport and became a Swiss citizen. And it is no coincidence that he died in his home in the city of Zurich in the heart of Europe.
Tina Turner is one of the most imitated characters in the show “Like Two Drops of Water”. Over the years, Fiki, Preslava, Maggi Janavarova, Anelia, Tita and others have stepped into her iconic short dresses and high heels, and in the last season Kerana and Toma did it.
