P.P. Arnold - the Ikette who sang The First Cut is the Deepest

P. P. Arnold reveals how Tina Turner helped change her life, what she witnessed while touring with Ike and Tina Turner, and how meeting Mick Jagger led her from The Ikettes to a remarkable solo career in Britain.

In this deeply personal interview, P. P. discusses becoming a mother while still a teenager, being groomed and forced into an abusive marriage, and receiving the unexpected telephone call that offered her an audition for The Ikettes.

She remembers seeing Tina Turner perform for the first time, joining the Ike and Tina Turner Revue and finding an escape from the life in which she had become trapped. P. P. also talks candidly about the abuse surrounding the Revue and explains why she considers Tina instrumental in saving her life.

When The Rolling Stones brought the Revue to Britain, another transformation began. P. P. recalls meeting Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts; being encouraged to remain in London; and signing with Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records—home to the Small Faces.

She also tells the story of recording Cat Stevens’ “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” creating her distinctive sound and working with artists including Barry Gibb and Jimi Hendrix. Behind the celebrated names is an extraordinary story of survival, motherhood, lost opportunities and a voice that endured.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:51 Becoming a thriving soul survivor
01:24 Teenage motherhood, grooming and marriage
06:14 Being forced to marry
10:17 The unexpected call from The Ikettes
14:56 Escaping an abusive marriage
16:59 Seeing Tina Turner perform
20:04 Gospel, family and her musical inheritance
23:45 Rehearsing and touring with The Ikettes
27:03 Tina Turner, Ike Turner and surviving abuse
31:47 Growing up in Los Angeles and Watts
38:55 Abuse, bankruptcy and rebuilding her life
43:46 Travelling to Britain with Ike and Tina Turner
45:26 Meeting The Rolling Stones
46:27 How Mick Jagger changed her direction
52:01 Andrew Loog Oldham and Immediate Records
53:32 Recording “The First Cut Is the Deepest”
59:59 Remaining in England and supporting her children
01:02:20 Recording with Barry Gibb
01:03:56 Immediate Records collapses
01:05:07 Memories of Jimi Hendrix
01:07:50 Fame, friendships and personal relationships
01:15:42 Becoming a thriving soul survivor
01:19:51 Rediscovering unreleased recordings
01:22:18 Final thoughts

What is your favourite P. P. Arnold recording—and when did you first discover her voice? Let me know in the comments.

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