Tina Turner sang the hits in Knoxville long before she became a global pop star

Legendary performer Tina Turner - who died May 23 at the age of 83 - was born in West Tennessee, but she had early ties to Knoxville as well.

In her 2018 autobiography, “Tina Turner: My Love Story," Turner shared fond childhood memories of Knoxville.

"Some of my earliest memories are my mother taking me shopping when she and my father lived in Knoxville,” she wrote. “Unlike Nutbush, Knoxville was a big city with all kinds of stores. When the salesgirls found out that I could sing, they put me on a stool – I was maybe 4 or 5 at the time – and listened while I performed my version of the latest hits.”

Robert Booker, former director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, previously researched reports that Turner had attended Maynard Elementary School in Knoxville when she was known by her birth name, Anna Mae Bullock. Her parents, Floyd and Zelma Bullock, lived and worked in Knoxville during World War II. Teacher Alfredda Delaney, a Beck Center board member in the 1970s, said she had taught a student named Anna Mae Bullock at Maynard Elementary.

Booker checked with the Knox County Archives and looked through city directories but did not find any records of Anna Mae Bullock or her parents. He shared his findings in a 2020 column for Knox News.

Turner returned to Knoxville years later to perform, including concerts at Thompson-Boling Arena in 1997 and 2000.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.