DAILY DIRT: If there ever there has been such a thing as the perfect female singer, her name was likely Tina Turner 

The first time I heard her voice, I was hooked for life. Today’s Daily Dirt is dedicated to the memory of Tina Turner … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 620 of The Daily Dirt.

1. A friend sent me a text a few days ago, informing me that Tina Turner had just died.

I felt like someone had kicked me in the midsection.

I had been a fan of Tina Turner, 83 at the time of her passing, for almost as long as I have been a follower of Sir Rod Stewart. There were times when I felt her often-gravelly voice and energetic stage presence were identical to the offerings of Stewart. I often wondered if they could they have been — in some crazy, mystical way — related via some unexplained cosmic union that was far beyond any recognizable powers that I possessed?

Tina Turner was referred to as the queen of rock and roll and boasted one of the longest careers in rock history, much like Stewart. She won Grammys, even a Kennedy Center Honor and was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She was even the subject of a recent HBO documentary.

Tina Turner’s raw energy, so evident in not only her voice but a unique ability to strut around and across a stage like no other before her or since, will forever punctuate her place in music/rock history.

“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career,” she said about five years ago.

That you were, Tina, and many of us will be forever grateful.

2. My favorite Tina Turner releases, which I’ll call The Great Eight:

1. “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (1984)

2. “(Simply) The Best” (1989)

3. “Better Be Good To Me” (1984)

4. “Private Dancer” (1984)

5. “River Deep, Mountain High” (1966)

6. “We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1985)

7. “Typical Male” (1986)

8. “Proud Mary” (1971)

3. Finally, three medal-worthy quotes from the lady who was born Anna Mae Bullock:

Gold medal: “Happiness is the greatest beauty secret.”

Silver medal: “People think my life has been tough, but I think it has been a wonderful journey. The older you get, the more you realize it’s not what happens, but how you deal with it.”

Bronze medal: “After you’ve bought all your houses and your clothes, you want something bigger.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Tina Turner is gone, but thankfully, we’ll always have her music.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Tina graduated from Sumner High in St. Louis and launched her singing career in the clubs on both sides of the river in the late 1950’s.