Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner

by Ralph H. Craig III, Jan Willis (Foreword by)

Overview

If you don’t know Tina Turner’s spirituality, you don’t know Tina.

When Tina Turner reclaimed her throne as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1980s, she attributed her comeback to one thing: the wisdom and power she found in Buddhism. Her spiritual transformation is often overshadowed by the rags-to-riches arc of her life story. But in this groundbreaking biography, Ralph H. Craig III traces Tina’s journey from the Black Baptist church to Buddhism and situates her at the vanguard of large-scale movements in religion and pop culture.

Paying special attention to the diverse metaphysical beliefs that shaped her spiritual life, Craig untangles Tina’s Soka Gakkai Buddhist foundation; her incorporation of New Age ideas popularized in ’60s counterculture; and her upbringing in a Black Baptist congregation, alongside the influences of her grandmothers’ disciplinary and mystical sensibilities. Through critical engagement with Tina’s personal life and public brand, Craig sheds light on how popular culture has been used as a vehicle for authentic religious teaching. Scholars and fans alike will find Dancing in My Dreams as enlightening as the iconic singer herself.

Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award in Biography Finalist (2023)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802878632
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	11/07/2023
Series:	Library of Religious Biography (LRB)
Pages:	291
Sales rank:	257,337
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ralph H. Craig III is a scholar of religion, holding a PhD in religious studies from Stanford University. He received his BA in theological studies from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. He specializes in Buddhism, with a focus on South Asian Buddhism and American Buddhism. His research interests include comparative religion, religion and popular culture, literature, and African American studies.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword by Jan Willis
Acknowledgments
Introduction
     1.  Motherless Child
     2.  Becoming “Tina Turner”
     3.  Tina’s Prayer
     4.  Becoming Tina
     5.  Wildest Dreams
     6.  Beyond and Beyond
Epilogue
A Note on Sources
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

09/04/2023

Craig, a PhD candidate in religious studies at Stanford, debuts with a finely drawn portrait of the “queen of rock ’n’ roll” and the spiritual beliefs that animated her life, from the gospel tradition of her childhood to her turn toward “metaphysical religion” (think psychics and spiritual seeking) during the 1960s and early ’70s to her embrace of Buddhism. While Turner’s abusive relationship with her bandmate and husband Ike Turner is well-known, less so is how the Buddhist tradition of chanting helped her summon the strength to leave him in 1976; according to Craig, Turner considered her introduction to the practice to be an “indication that her place in the universe was indeed being rearranged.” As Turner’s career skyrocketed, her religious devotion deepened and she eventually became “one of the highest-profile African American Buddhists.” After she retired from live performances in May 2009 at age 69, she spent her latter years working as a Buddhist teacher and recording interfaith albums. Craig skillfully balances rigorous research with insight into Turner’s psyche to unearth new dimensions of her life and career, and in the process gives welcome due to the oft-neglected role of Black Americans in the history of Buddhism in the West. Even the most ardent of Turner’s fans will be enlightened. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal
“With Turner’s recent death, this tome is a thoughtful tribute.”

Booklist
“By narrating Turner’s spiritual journey in relation to larger movements in recent religious and music history, Craig considers the way religion and pop culture intersect. Those interested in either field will appreciate how Craig’s research honors Turner’s legacy as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all those seeking to find their path in life.”

“The greatest performer in the history of rock and roll finally gets her proper due as a religious icon. Ralph Craig offers an indispensable primer on how Turner’s capacity for survival and stardom derived in no small part from her spirituality.”  
—Kathryn Lofton, Yale University 

“Ralph Craig’s biography brings forth interconnections between southern church traditions, nature-based mysticism, the blues, rock ’n’ roll, and Buddhism through the extraordinary life of Tina Turner. His breadth of knowledge of each of these domains is striking, as is his ability to weave together academic research with the distinct cadences of Turner’s voice. Craig’s respect for Tina Turner’s life, including her practice and teaching of Buddhism, renders this book a moving narrative that illuminates how Buddhism is relevant—indeed, transformative—for Black people in the US context.” 
—Rima Vesely-Flad, author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation 

“In this engaging and compelling biography, Craig makes a persuasive case for the significance of religion in Tina Turner’s life . . . . Craig’s work makes Turner, an unforgettable figure in American music history, an equally unforgettable figure in American religious history.” 
—Judith Weisenfeld, author of New World A-Coming: Black Religion and Racial Identity during the Great Migration 

“Ralph H. Craig III has gifted the field of religious studies and the world with this critical, ambitious, and beautifully written religious biography of Tina Turner, Black Buddhist woman and pop culture icon. . . . This indispensable volume blends together the myriad worlds and religious ways of knowing at the helm of Turner’s artistic and aesthetic productions, and it offers a daring challenge to earnestly sit with and learn from Tina. Dancing in My Dreams is, without question, a must-read.” 
—Ahmad Greene-Hayes, Harvard Divinity School

“A deep, exciting journey through Tina Turner’s Black Christian roots, adult explorations of American metaphysical religion, and embrace of Soka Gakkai International Nichiren Buddhism. This insightful biography casts new light on Turner’s ‘combinatory religious repertoire’ and artistic spirituality beyond lay status. For religious studies and Africana studies, Ralph Craig’s comprehensive scholarship introduces a fresh understanding of spiritual leadership with Tina—a Black woman, survivor, global music superstar, and Buddhist teacher.” 
—Vaughn A. Booker, author of Lift Every Voice and Swing: Black Musicians and Religious Culture in the Jazz Century 

Publishers Weekly
“Craig skillfully balances rigorous research with insight into Turner’s psyche to unearth new dimensions of her life and career, and in the process gives welcome due to the oft-neglected role of Black Americans in the history of Buddhism in the West. Even the most ardent of Turner’s fans will be enlightened.

From the Publisher

10/27/2023

Buddhism specialist Craig utilizes his knowledge of comparative theology and Buddhism in this study of Tina Turner's lifelong religious journey. He maintains Turner's spirituality is the center of her story, one that began with her motherless childhood. Raised under the influence of two grandmothers—one believed in mysticism and supernaturalism, and one was a devout Baptist—Turner eventually came to consider herself a Buddhist Baptist, and she developed a love for cultural universalism. She began chanting to survive and escape from her abusive first husband, Ike Turner. This book, which has a scholarly tone, shows that Turner responded to social issues through her understanding of karma. After her retirement from performing live, Turner began her conscious transformation into a religious authority and teacher, using her life experiences to illustrate Buddhist concepts. Craig draws from her three autobiographies, including Happiness Becomes You, her guide to changing one's life for the better, to illustrate her profound faith and determination to change society's failings. VERDICT With Turner's recent death, this tome is a thoughtful tribute. Its scholarly approach may appeal more to students of religion and pop culture than the average Turner fan.—Lisa Henry

Library Journal