The Ikettes

The Ikettes were a trio (sometimes quartet) of female backing vocalists for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Despite their origins, the Ikettes became successful artists in their own right, with hits in the early- and mid-1960s. Mostly unheralded, they were arguably one of the ten top R&B female groups of all time.

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; Ike never paid them much, which caused their lineup to change frequently, and they never received royalties. The original trio of Ikettes later morphed into the Mirettes.

History

In 1960, when Art Lassiter didn't show up for a recording session, Ike Turner took Lassiter's backup singers, the Artettes — Robbie Montgomery, Frances Hodges, and Sandra Harding — and had them accompany Tina Turner on her first recording, "A Fool in Love". The hit single propelled Ike to form the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, but with a new group of backup singers: Delores Johnson, Eloise Hester, and Jo Armstead. (Montgomery was pregnant and unable to tour.)