Tina Turner (1930-2023) was known for her successful recording career, with hits such as “Proud Mary,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It?,” and “The Best.” And her electrifying stage performances earned her the moniker of “Queen of Rock and Roll.” Beyond her career, she was perhaps one of the most famous Black Buddhist celebrities. Few, though, realize that Turner’s practice of Buddhism drew on influences from her Afro-Protestant upbringing, the cross-Atlantic flow of metaphysical religious ideas, and SGI Buddhism. This talk will examine Turner’s religious journey to show how Turner exemplifies modern and contemporary trends in American religious history, African American Religion, and the history of Buddhism in the West.
Ralph H. Craig III is a scholar of religion whose research focuses on South Asian Buddhism and American Buddhism. He received his B.A. in Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Stanford University. His research interests include religious authority, religious experience, religion and race, popular culture, memoir, metaphysics, meditation/yoga studies, ritual and performance studies, intellectual history, and philosophy. His first book is, Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner (Eerdmans Publishing, 2023), which explores the place of religion in the life and career of Tina Turner and examines her development as a Black Buddhist teacher. His next book project is a monograph on preachers in Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras.
Enjoy listening to this riveting discussion!