Turner bears no grudge against St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, July 28 (UPI) -- R&B pioneer Ike Turner says he bears no ill will toward the mayor of St. Louis, who turned down a request to make Sept. 2 "Ike Turner Day" in the city.

"I already have a star on your walk of fame there, and I never asked for that star," Turner told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch by phone from his home in California. "I don't care about those things. I don't care about the Hall of Fame. I just care about making people happy in the audience."

Mayor Francis Slay turned down a request for a City Hall proclamation this month amid complaints that honoring Turner could send the wrong message, the newspaper said.

Turner has publicly admitted hitting his former wife -- singer Tina Tuner -- whom he met during a performance in East St. Louis.

The 75-year-old Rock 'n' Roll Hall-of-Famer said he was surprised by the national attention the rejection received.

"It's gotten bigger than I expected something like this to get," Turner said. "It's all over the world, about what happened to me in St. Louis."

Turner is scheduled to play at Laclede's Landing in the city Sept. 2.