Tina Turner Is Singing With Frank Zappa

FZ:

"I wanted to put some back-up singers on the thing, and the road manager who was with us at the time checked into it and said, 'well, why don't you just use the Ikettes?' I said, ''I can get the Ikettes?'' and he said ''Sure''. But you know what the gimmick was? We had to agree, Ike Turner insisted, that we pay these girls no more than $25 per song, because that's what he paid them. And no matter how many hours it took, I could not pay them any more than $25 per song per girl, including Tina. It was so difficult, that one part in the middle of the song ''Montana'', that the three girls rehearsed it for a couple of days. Just that one section. You know the part that goes ''I'm pluckin' the ol' dennil floss''? Right in the middle there. And - I can't remember her name, but one of the harmony singers - she got it first. She came out and sang her part and the other girls had to follow her track. Tina was so pleased that she was able to sing this thing that she went into the next studio where Ike was working and dragged him into the studio to hear the result of her labor. He listened to the tape and he goes, ''What is this EDITED ''? and walked out.
I don't know how she managed to stick with that guy for so long. He treated her terribly and she's a really nice lady. We were recording down there on a Sunday. She wasn't involved with the session, but she came in on Sunday with a whole pot of stew that she brought for everyone working in the studio. Like out of nowhere, here's Tina Turner coming in with a rag on her head bringing a pot of stew. It was really nice "

Frank Zappa needed to use backup vocalists on the tunes

"I'm the Slime",