--------------------- [excerpt from I, Tina - by Tina Turner and Kurt Loder] ---------------------------- By this point, the Kings of Rhythm were the talk of the town. Word about the band began to reach across the river, spread by fearless white fans who would brave the rowdy East St. Louis clubs to catch the hottest black acts.
George Edick, owner of the white, teen-oriented Club Imperial on West Florisson Street in St. Louis, decided to start booking the Kings for his popular Tuesday jitterbug nights.
George Edick: By that time the big bands had all become small bands and they went to jazz. Jazz wasn't good for me; I had to have good swinging music for the dancers. Black groups were the best, so I started booking them.
Well, the Imperial held about a thousand people, and we packed 'em in. People would come from all over on Tuesday nights. Then one of our jitterbug champions told me about Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm.
He'd seen them at this colored place in East St. Louis. He said, "You oughta hear this band they got over there." So I brought them in one night, and the kids just loved them. I said to Ike, "You want to work here every Tuesday night?"
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