The Ikettes were a trio (sometimes quartet) of backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right. In the 1960s they had hits such as "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" and "Peaches 'N' Cream." The group started as The Artettes, the backing group of Art Lassiter. The first official incarnation of The Ikettes was composed of Robbie Montgomery, Venetta Fields, and Jessie Smith.The original trio of Ikettes later morphed into The Mirettes.
When Art Lassiter didn't show up for a recording session in early 1960, Ike Turner took Lassiter's backup singers, the Artettes (Robbie Montgomery, Frances Hodges, and Sandra Harding) and had them accompany Tina Turner on the recording "A Fool in Love." Following the success of the single, Ike formed the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, but with a new group of backup singers: Delores Johnson, Eloise Hester, and Jo Armstead. Montgomery was unable to tour at that time. They recorded "I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)" the following year, which was produced by Ike and leased to Atco Records. Released in November 1961, the single reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 19 on the Hot 100.
Montgomery rejoined the revue shortly after and was teamed with Jessie Smith (recruited from a group called Benny Sharp and the Zorros of Rhythm) and Venetta Fields (a gospel singer from Buffalo) to form the first official incarnation of The Ikettes. The revue toured constantly through the country on the Chitlin' Circuit in the segregated South. Occasionally they'd play at major venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York, Howard Theater in Washington, D.C., and Uptown Theater in Philadelphia. In 1962, Ike switched them to his Teena record label for two singles: "Crazy in Love" (credited as Robbie Montgomery & the Ikettes) and "Prisoner in Love." Soon after its release, the title of "Prisoner in Love" was changed to "No Bail in This Jail" in order to avoid confusion with "Prisoner of Love" by James Brown.
The single "Here's Your Heart" came out on Innis Records in 1964 but failed to go national; nor did "What'cha Gonna Do (When I Leave You)" released on Phi-Dan Records in 1966. From 1964 through 1966, they released six singles on Modern Records, including "The Camel Walk" (1964), and two hits, "Peaches 'N' Cream" (1965) and "I'm So Thankful" (1965). Ultra-funky remakes of "Sally Go Round the Roses" and "Da Doo Ron Ron" did not go as well; neither did "He's Gonna Be Fine, Fine, Fine," though it sounded like a precursor to the music Betty Davis did later. When "Peaches and Cream" became rapidly popular, Ike sent a different set of Ikettes — Janice Singleton (Hughes), Diane Rutherford and Marquentta Tinsley — on the road with "The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars" and kept Montgomery, Smith, and Fields on tour with his revue. In the meantime, Turner hired new Ikettes after Montgomery, Fields and Smith left to form the Mirettes. The first set included Pat Arnold (a.k.a. P. P. Arnold), Gloria Scott, and Maxine Smith.
The first album by the Ikettes, Soul The Hits, was released on Modern Records in 1966. Instead of the Ikettes, the Blossoms provided backing vocals for Tina Turner on the Phil Spector-produced 1966 record "River Deep – Mountain High." Following the success of the single in Europe, Ike & Tina Turner were asked to tour with The Rolling Stones during their British tour in the fall of 1966. The Ikettes on that tour were Rose Smith, Pat Arnold, and Ann Thomas. Shelly Clark (later of Honey Cone) was also an Ikette in 1966 until she was injured in a bus accident in Wichita, Kansas. Other Ikettes during this period include Pat Powdrill, Paulette Parker (later of Maxayn), Rose Smith, Jean Brown, and Juanita Hixson. In 1968, Pompeii Records issued "So Fine" credited to Ike & Tina Turner & the Ikettes, it charted at No. 50 on the R&B chart.
Minit Records and its parent label Liberty Records issued singles credited to The Ikettes (with Ike & Tina Turner) in 1969 and 1970 respectively, resulting in the hits "Come Together" by the Beatles and Sly & the Family Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher." In November 1969, The Rolling Stones once again asked Ike & Tina Turner to open for them, but this time on their American tour. The Ikettes on that tour were Claudia Lennear, Esther Jones and Pat Powdrill. This lineup also performed on Playboy After Dark in December 1969. The Ikettes changed once again in 1969 when Edna Richardson became ill and was temporarily replaced by Stonye Figueroa. Figueroa along with Esther Jones and Claudia Lennear went on to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show with Ike & Tina Turner on January 11, 1970. That month, the Ikettes performed In Las Vegas at the Hilton Hotel opposite Redd Foxx. Vera Hamilton and Jean Brown joined Jones in 1970, and this trio performed on The Andy Williams Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In 1971, Liberty Records was absorbed into United Artists Records. The Ikettes released their first single,"Got What It Takes (To Get What I Want)," on United Artists later that year. In 1972, "Two Timin', Double Dealin'" was released, the last known single by the Ikettes.
There were quite a few lineup changes in 1973 with the absence of Esther Jones and Enda Richardson. Jones temporarily left after she was fined for being late onstage. She was the "longest-lasting Ikette" and was referred to as "Motha" Ikette. She was the group's trainer and came up with most of the choreography. Linda Sims was joined by Edna Richardson and Charlotte Lewis. The next month Linda Sims, Charlotte Lewis and Debbie Wilson performed on the music program Hits à Gogo in Switzerland.
The last album by the Ikettes, (G)Old & New, was released on United Artists in January 1974. In March, Edna Richardson, Stonye Figueroa and Linda Sims appeared on Don Krishner's Rock Concert. Esther Jones, Yolanda Goodwin and Marcy Thomas soon replaced them for most of 1974. Richardson, Goodwin and Jones became the final lineup for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue by late 1975. They performed on Don Krishner's Rock Concert in March 1976. Late that year, the revue was disbanded after the Turners had an altercation.
