Editing Ike Turner (section)

=== 1954–1959: St. Louis ===
In 1954, Turner visited his sister Lee Ethel Knight in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. During his stay, he went clubbing at Ned Love's in [[East St. Louis, Illinois]]. Love invited Turner and his band to play at his club.<ref name=":2" /><ref name="Durchholz-2001">{{Cite web|url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/we-like-ike/Content?oid=2471513|title=We Like Ike|last=Durchholz|first=Daniel|date=May 16, 2001|website=Riverfront Times}}</ref> Eventually, Turner returned with his reformed version of the Kings of Rhythm. The band consisted of Willie Kizart on guitar, Willie "Bad Boy" Sims on drums, vocalist Johnny O'Neal, Turner's nephew Jesse Knight Jr. on bass, and Turner's wife Annie Mae Wilson on piano and vocals.<ref name=Palmer-1992>{{harvnb|DeCurtis|1992|pp=32–36}}</ref>

Turner maintained strict discipline and the band lived at his home on Virginia Place in East St. Louis which doubled as a studio.{{Sfn|Turner|1999|p=66}} A [[Teetotalism|teetotaler]] at the time, he avoided drugs and insisted all band members also adopt this policy, firing anyone he even suspected of breaking the rules.<ref name="Christian-10-2008" /> Turner established his group as one of the most highly rated on the St. Louis club circuit, vying for popularity with their main competition, [[Johnnie Johnson (musician)|Sir John's Trio]] featuring [[Chuck Berry]].<ref name=Palmer-1992 /> The bands would play all-nighters in St. Louis, then cross the river to the clubs of East St. Louis, and continue playing until dawn. Initially, they played for predominately black audiences at clubs in Illinois such as the [[Club Manhattan]] in East St. Louis, which Turner and his band built, the [[Club Riviera]] in St. Louis, the Harlem Club in Brookline and the Kingsbury in [[Madison, Illinois|Madison]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 24, 1957 |title=Club Riviera - In Person Sat., May 25 - Ike Turner (Advertisement) |pages=19 |work=The St. Louis Argus |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-st-louis-argus-ike-turner-at-club-r/131926052/}}</ref>{{Sfn|Turner|1999|p=62}} In St. Louis, Turner was exposed to a white audience who were excited by R&B. He played at the Moonlight Bar, Latin Quarter, and the [[Club Imperial]], which was popular with white teenagers.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Finney |first=Chick |date=October 14, 1955 |title="Chick" Finney's Blue Notes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-st-louis-argus-ike-turner-at-ned-lo/131188749/ |work=[[St. Louis Argus|The St. Louis Argus]] |pages=22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Duncan |first=Steve |date=January 20, 1956 |title='Cry Me A Creek' |pages=9 |work=The St. Louis Argus}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=January 19, 2018 |title=Club Imperial in St. Louis in Its Heyday [PHOTOS] |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/club-imperial-in-st-louis-in-its-heyday-photos/Slideshow/37134777/37091972 |access-date=September 4, 2023 |website=Riverfront Times |language=en}}</ref> He also gained a big following at Club DeLisa and locally he was acknowledged as the "King of Rock and Roll."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lonesome |first=Buddy |date=August 9, 1957 |title=Ike Turner Converts Renovated Tavern Into Rock and Roll Rendezvous |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-st-louis-argus-ike-turner-converts/132488061/ |journal=The St. Louis Argus |pages=13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lonesome |first=Buddy |date=November 30, 1956 |title=Strolling Along The Avenoo |pages=23 |work=The St. Louis Argus}}</ref> As his popularity grew among both whites and blacks, he demanded that the clubs should be integrated.<ref name="Durchholz-2001" /> He performed regularly on [[Dave Dixon (DJ)|Dave Dixon]]'s radio show, which aired live from the Birdcage Lounge, on [[KSTL (AM)|KSTL]].<ref name=":2" /> He also had live music broadcasts on the St. Louis radio station [[KATZ (AM)|KATZ]].<ref name="Durchholz-2001" />

In between live dates, Turner took the band to [[Cincinnati]] to record for [[Federal Records]] in 1956. The single, "I'm Tore Up" / "If I Never Had Known You" featuring [[Billy Gayles]], was released in April 1956.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 28, 1956 |title=Reviews of New R&B Records |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/50s/1956/Billboard%201956-04-28.pdf |magazine=Billboard |pages=60}}</ref> It became a regional hit and Turner's booking fee doubled after its release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Finney |first=Chick |date=December 28, 1956 |title="Chick" Finney's Blue Notes |pages=22 |work=The St. Louis Argus}}</ref> Like Brenston years prior, Gayles left Turner's band to pursue a solo career.{{Sfn|Turner|1986|p=57}} In 1958, Turner took the band to Chicago to record for [[Cobra Records|Cobra/Artistic]], as well as fulfilling his contract as a session musician back at Sun. While in Chicago, Turner backed [[Otis Rush]], playing the signature vibrato guitar parts on "[[Double Trouble (Otis Rush song)|Double Trouble]]".<ref name="Obrecht-2000">{{Cite book|last=Obrecht|first=Jas|url=https://archive.org/details/rollintumblinpos00obre|title=Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists|publisher=Miller Freeman|year=2000|isbn=0-87930-613-0|pages=9, 349|oclc=472553017|url-access=registration}}</ref> He also helped [[Buddy Guy]] record his second record,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-08-27-9308270347-story.html|title=Ike Turner Upbeat On His Future|last=Dahl|first=Bill|date=August 27, 1993|website=Chicago Tribune}}</ref> resulting in the single "You Sure Can't Do" / "This Is The End", on which Turner played guitar and composed the latter.<ref name="45cat-BGuy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/1503us|title=Buddy Guy And His Band – You Sure Can't Do/This Is The End|website=45cat}}</ref>

Turner befriended St. Louis R&B fan Bill Stevens, who set up the short-lived [[Stevens Records]] in 1959.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetelegraph.com/features/article/Lucky-break-Rhythm-runs-through-renowned-Ike-12599377.php|title=Lucky break: Rhythm runs through renowned Ike & Tina guitarist's veins|last=Moon|first=Jill|date=August 24, 2016|newspaper=Alton Telegraph|access-date=November 5, 2019|archive-date=November 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105014906/https://www.thetelegraph.com/features/article/Lucky-break-Rhythm-runs-through-renowned-Ike-12599377.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Turner released two singles on the Stevens label, "Jack Rabbit" / "In Your Eyes Baby" and "Ho–Ho" / "Hey–Hey."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 7, 1959 |title=Reviews of New Pop Records |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/50s/1959/Billboard%201959-09-07.pdf |magazine=Billboard |pages=45}}</ref> He used the [[anagram]] "Icky Renrut" because he was still under contract with Sun for several more months, and he didn't want to cause friction with Phillips.<ref name="Palmer-1992" /> In addition, Turner recorded numerous sessions for Stevens with various vocalists and musician lineups of the Kings of Rhythm.{{Sfn|Collis|2003|p=154}}