Ikettes

L-R: Venetta Fields, Robbie Montgomery, and Jessie Smith
Ike Turner formed the Ikettes to replace the Artettes as the backing group for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. However, the Ikettes' were successful artists in their own right; in fact, they actually had more significant hits in the early and mid-'60s than Ike & Tina.

One of the premier backing groups in rock and roll history, the Ikettes had some Top 40 success in their own right. Originally formed to replace the Artettes as back-up for the Ike and Tina Revue, the early Ikettes featured Robbie Montgomery, Venetta Fields and Jessie Smith.

Professionally the career of the Ikettes began as studio singers backing up the sessions of Ike and Tina Turner. Since there was no offical group at first, the personnel was fluid. Only Robbie Montgomery was a semi-permenant member.

The Artettes

L-R: Robbie Montgomery, Sandra Harding, Frances Hodges

Ike and Tina Turner's debut release "Fool In Love" in late summer, 1960, was fast becoming a big hit. Art Lassiter had loaned the duo a few of his Artettes for the session, Robbie Montgomery, Sandra Harding, and Frances Hodges. When some of the group was unwilling to tour to help promote the single, the Ikettes were born.

Art Lassister

It is still unclear who exactly christened the new group, both Lassiter and Ike Turner have claimed it was himself, but obvious influence stemmed from the success Ray Charles was having with his Raelettes.

The group toured with the early Revue and cut a few more backing sides, none of which really matched the success of Ike and Tina's original effort. Ike, who was under contract with Sue Records, decided that he could earn more if his promoted the girls seperating and leasing them to another label. The result was the brilliant blues stomper "I'm Blue (The Gong Gong Song)"on Atco Records.  Featuring Dolores Johnson on lead, and even Tina in the back, the single cruised up to a lofty position in early 1962. At number 19 Pop, the single was the Revue's biggest success since "Fool In Love."

Nothing more came from the group, which had become a revolving door employment agency for session singers, until 1965. By this time, the British invasion had largely pushed black musicians out of their traditional turf, and the charts. The Ike and Tina Turner Revue was no different. They're chart existence was quickly restored, however, as the Ikettes, with Jessie on lead, stormed into the Top 40. "Peaches 'n' Cream" on Modern Records was a wild sounding dance tune which proved the group was no one-hit wonder. "I'm So Thankful b/w He's Gonna Be Fine, Fine, Fine" was issued as a follow-up later that year, and also began charting.

1965 at The Big TNT Show

With the Ikettes much in demand, Ike and the Revue planned to hold onto the group to start filling up the house again. The Ikettes, however, had other ideas. By 1968, frustrated that they had not seen any of the royalties for their hits, and that they were only paid as members of the Revue Montgomery, Fields and Harding left  the Turners. Recording as the Mirettes they had a Top 10 R&B hit with "In the Midnight Hour" on Revue Records.

The gals were also replaced by groups of session singers to fulfill engagements not with the rest of the company. As if that were not enough, the new Ikettes were often paid more than the original ones.

With Tina's sister Alline as their manager, the Ikettes left Ike and set up their own sixty date tour. But Ike put restraining orders out, and had people physically prevent them from going on stage. The tried billing themselves as "the Mariettes, formerly the Ikettes," but Ike would have nothing to do with it. The group disbanded in frustration.

Meanwhile, new Ikettes to latch on to the Revue included P.P. Arnold, later to have a successful solo career. The new group continued to back Tina on vinyl and stage, but they would never have another hit under their own name.

Later line-ups of the Ikettes included P.P. Arnold, Claudia Lennear, and Bonnie Bramlett (later of Delaney and Bonnie).

The Ikettes got their due when their story was told on the Oscar award winning film "What's Love Got To Do With It," based on Tina's autobiography, I, Tina.