Legendary record producer Richard Perry had already had dozens of hits in the 1970s with acts like Carly Simon, Ringo Starr, Leo Sayer, and the Pointer Sisters.

He writes in his memoir, “Cloud Nine,” that Tina Turner came onto his radar again in 1977 years after meeting her with Ike Turner.

“In 1981, Tina got her solo act together including
assembling a great band, plus her own version of The Ikettes, the name that Ike
had given the backup singers who danced and sang behind Tina. The most exciting
event of all was the announcement of Tina Turner’s official opening at a new club in
New York, The Roxy, owned by an old friend of mine, Jerry Brandt. I happened to
be in New York with Rod Stewart on the weekend of her opening, and we were both
eager to see Tina’s debut. Her show was off the charts! She had assembled some
inspired choices in material: Prince’s “Let’s Pretend We’re Married,” a completely
unique interpretation of the Beatles’s “Help” (done as a soulful ballad), and her
outstanding cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” which became a big hit in
the U.K.

After the show, I immediately went to her dressing room where I complimented her
performance, for it truly was something special. I then told her, “Maybe the time is
right for us to finally get together and make some music,” which is exactly what we
did! I was beyond excited at the thought of signing Tina to Planet Records. We
even started recording before we had a contract.

Two songs that we initially cutwere: “Johnny and Mary” by Robert Palmer, featured in the movie “Summer Lovers,” and The Beatles’ “Help,” which brought the house down in the aforementioned solo
debut. A crew from ABC’s “20/20” came down to the studio to film us recording. If
there was any validation needed to confirm that it was really happening, this was
it!

There was, however, one bump in the road. Since Tina had a Top 10 Record in the
UK with a cover of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” her previous label, EMI, was
reluctant to release her in that territory. Therefore, I needed executive approval to
close the deal if it was anything less than worldwide. And since the UK would not
be part of the deal, RCA was shuffling their feet in getting back to me promptly.
Two weeks went by and I finally decided that come hell or high water, I was going
to make sure that RCA didn’t blow this deal. When I got back to Tina’s manager,
Roger Davies, I discovered that, much to my chagrin, he had signed her to EMI
Worldwide.”

Perry went back to producing hits with the aforementioned groups as well as “To All the Girls I Loved Before ” for Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias, and Diane Warren’s “Rhythm of the Night” by DeBarge. But he and Tina had a happy ending, When her album, “Private Dancer” won four Grammy Awards in 1985, it was Perry she asked to accompany her to the ceremony. Perry concludes: “I was the first person on my feet to lead the standing ovation.” They remained friends to the end.

Anita Pallenberg died in 2017 at age 75, but her life as an actress and a muse to the Rolling Stones lives on in a sensational new documentary called “Anita.” It’s directed by Alexis Bloom and Svetana Zill. “Anita” premiered in Cannes on Monday night.

Bloom is not a newcomer to touching biographies. She and husband Fisher Stevens made a wonderful film about Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, called “Bright Lights” in 2016 which also screened in Cannes. Pallenberg’s name may ring with meaning for fans of the Rolling Stones. She’s thought of primarily as the mother of three of Keith Richards’ children, although the third, Tara, died a crib death. Their son, Marlon, and daughter, Angela, take part in the film, as does Richards. Marianne Faithfull is featured as well.

The big foundation for this film is a recently discovered partial manuscript of a memoir found among Anita’s things. This was a revelation since Pallenberg had always sworn she’d never write a book. So Zill and Bloom enlisted Scarlett Johansson to read parts of the book so the film is told in the first person, interspersed with interviews and never before seen home movies. Johansson’s voice reflects Pallenberg’s rock and roll attitude but also her warmth.

As a rock and roll souvenir, “Anita” stands on its own and must be seen. Pallenberg’s story is a missing piece of the Rolling Stones puzzle. Originally she was Brian Jones’ girlfriend for two years, from 1965 to 1967. Then she partnered up with Keith and their relationship lasted until 1980.

German and Italian, she was a hot young actress in the early 70s. But she loved the rock and roll life. Her influence on the Stones was huge. She even sang back up on “Sympathy for the Devil.” Zill and Bloom are very adept weaving Anita’s story through the Stones’ to get a full appreciation how she was almost a counterbalance to Faithfull in the development of the Stones’ career. (It’s 2023 and they’re putting the finishing touches on a new album, so this is important.)

Among the movies she appeared in: “Barbarella,” (although her voice was dubbed) and a Stones documentary in 1968 from Jean Luc Godard. Pallenberg made her way through the 60s not only as an adjunct to Richards but as a favorite of Andy Warhol. She was a real “It girl.”

Unfortunately, a lot of what people remember is a tragic death of a 17 year old teenager named Scott Cantrell. He killed himself with a handgun in Richards and Pallenberg’s bed at their home in South Salem, New York. Keith wasn’t home, and there may have been a sexual relationship. Ultimately, the death was ruled a suicide. But it brought an end to their common law marriage, and created more mythology around the Stones’ rock and roll life.

What Zill and Bloom do is set Anita’s story straight, and through her own words and interviews with others humanize Pallenberg forever. It’s a job well done. Here’s hoping a good distributor feels the same way.

https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/medialibrary/anita-by-svetlana-zill-alexis-bloom-clip-2/

Tina Turner has died in Switzerland at age 83.

The news is not a total shock. She’d been ill for some time. But it’s still heartbreaking. She was one of the most gifted performers of all time. She became a role model for women after leaving her abusive husband, Ike Turner, in the late 1970s, and starting over.

After a huge success with Ike that culminated in their cover version of “Proud Mary,” Tina built a new life and soared the charts with songs like “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” From then on, she was a superstar, selling out arenas, winning dozens of awards, and creating millions of new fans.

The result was a book, “I Tina” and then the movie using the song’s title starring Angela Bassett. They were each huge hits. A signature song, “Simply the Best,” came to characterize her. She was simply the best. She broke every mold. She was inspiration to everyone. Eventually her story became a hit Broadway musical called “Tina: The Musical.” Adrienne Warren won the Tony Award for playing Tina. I was there on opening night when the great Tina — was who was very fragile — was led down the aisle by Oprah Winfrey. Later she appeared on stage to the roar of the adoring crowd.

Like Aretha Franklin before her, Tina Turner will never ever be forgotten.