P.P. Arnold's story is that of a rich and varied life. From her early musical origins in powerhouse church gospel, the talented singer's career began when she joined the Ike & Tina Turner Revue at the age of just seventeen. But little did the young Ikette know how much her world was about to be turned upside-down... Now, for the first time, she is telling her remarkable story. Upon arriving in London in 1966 to support the Rolling Stones, the shy but vivacious nineteen-year-old caught the eye of frontman Mick Jagger. He would persuade her to stay in the city and record as a solo artist, ultimately leading to a five-decade career working with everyone from Rod Stewart, the Small Faces, Eric Clapton, Nick Drake, and Barry Gibb to Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters, the KLF, Paul Weller, and Primal Scream. However, it has been far from a gilded life for the musical star, who, after being forced into marriage at the age of fifteen upon becoming pregnant, went on to endure a string of personal traumas. Yet the legendary musician survived it all and has continued to reinvent herself throughout the years, be that as a West End actress, a much-sought-after backing singer or a renowned pop and soul star in her own right. This very timely memoir tells the still-pertinent story of bigotry and abuse experienced by a young Black woman growing up in the music industry on both sides of the Atlantic. It also covers the temptations and trappings of fame and success—themes that continue to resonate with readers. 'Searingly honest account of an extraordinary life...powerful stuff' — Radio Times 'Very powerful' —Radio 4 Woman's Hour 'Brutally honest...this memoir is a sizzler' — Daily Telegraph 'Explosive' — Daily Mail P.P. Arnold (born Patricia Ann Cole) is an American soul singer who has enjoyed continued success in the music industry since coming to fame in the mid-'60s. I first met Mick Jagger on the opening night of the tour, back- stage at the Royal Albert Hall. It was the most beautiful concert hall I had ever seen. It seated 1,000 people and had very sensi- tive acoustics, so when we hit the stage we blew the roof off the mother. Victoria must have been turning in her grave at the likes of Queen Tina and the Ikettes, plus all those screaming teenagers. The place went wild the moment our set began. We were on fire. Then Tina took the stage and just blew it up! She outdid her- self that night. By the time we did ‘River Deep Mountain High’, it was just crazy. For the finale, we Shagged off that stage to thunderous applause. It was one of our most memorable shows. Afterwards, we ran to change out of our wet dresses so we could check out the Stones. When we first met Bill and Charlie at the Galaxy, we’d cracked up at their accents. I had missed them on The Ed Sullivan Show and had no idea how big they were. They came on stage and played ‘Paint It Black’ and the pan- demonium was unbelievable. Girls were fainting or rushing the stage to be thrown off like beach balls by the bouncers. If Ike and Tina gave me my first psychedelic experience, this was my second. Keith Richards’ low-down dirty blues-rock, Brian Jones’ ethnic sound – mystical blues with a touch of Elizabethan magic. Charlie and Bill were incredible. This was some serious hard- core electrifying rock ’n’ roll. As for Mick’s strutting version of James Brown’s Mashed Potato, he was hilarious, with his gangly white-boy sex appeal, trying real hard to look black – but sticking out his chest and flapping his arms like a rooster in the barnyard. I couldn’t stop laughing. He looked like he had been plugged into an electric socket. But he was a magnetic force and his energy was thrilling. The band were loud and I wasn’t too sure about his voice at the time, but you could tell he’d listened to a lot of black music. He had a deep feeling for the music he was trying to emulate. I was seriously impressed. I knew that Elvis had created this kind of excitement in the US, but I had never witnessed it personally. Everyone in the band looked distinctly British and they were all fine, fine, fine. We were shocked! This band were red hot! The Stones to me were and still are the best rock ’n’ roll band in the world. It was the beginning of an adventure that would change my life all over again. The tour was a gruelling two shows a night for three weeks across England, Scotland and Wales. The Stones travelled in huge black Daimler limousines and Ike and Tina in a big Ford Zephyr, while the rest of us did our normal bus thing. Apparently the Stones always had a black support act that they admired on their tours. This way they could mix with the creators of the music they loved, while the black artists found a different, mainly white audience. All of which meant more sales, more royalties and a fairer slice of the pie. The Stones stood backstage every night and watched us shake our asses, strut our stuff and boogie down. They