Throwback: Happy Black History Month: Tina Turner

It’s the fourth day of Black History Month. And there are some important things everyone should remember — not just during February but all the time:

• You can’t love Black artists and their work, and not see them as people 
• Black lives — and Black art matters 
• Black culture is American culture 

So as we go through the month, I’m going to talk about a collection of Black artists. It’ll be fairly comprehensive and eclectic list — although it won’t be a complete list.

So far I’ve talked about:

• Rick James
• OutKast‘s Big Boi
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe
• John Lee Hooker
• Patti LaBelle
• The Temptations‘ second and longest tenured lead vocalist Dennis Edwards, who was born 81 years ago yesterday.

Because it’s Black History Month, I have to pay proper tribute to one of the most dynamic performers to ever hit a stage — Ms. Tina Turner. Almost every female performer since owes her a debt of gratitude.

We may have lost her a few months ago, but her influence on pop culture and on pop music is towering.