"Nutbush City Limits" is a semi-autobiographical song written by Tina Turner which commemorates her rural hometown of Nutbush in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Originally released as a single on United Artists Records in August 1973, it is one of the last hits that husband-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released together.
In the years since, "Nutbush City Limits" has been performed by popular artists such as Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, and Turner herself re-recorded several different versions of the song.
As an unincorporated rural community, Nutbush does not have geographical city limits; rather, its general boundaries are indicated by signs reading "Nutbush, Unincorporated" which are posted on the local highway (Tennessee State Route 19).
A line dance to the song, called the "Nutbush", created in the 1970s disco era, took off in Australia during the 1980s, and it has seen sustained success, gaining viral popularity internationally through TikTok.
Recording and release
Produced by Ike Turner, "Nutbush City Limits" was recorded at the Turners' Bolic Sound recording studio in Inglewood, California in May 1973. The song is characterized by inventive guitar sounds, a clavinet, a substantial Moog synthesizer solo by Ike, and a funky brass section.
Typical of the period, none of the session musicians who contributed to "Nutbush City Limits" were given specific mention in the song credits. Alan Krigger, the future drummer of Giuffria, claimed being the drummer in an interview. It has been rumored for years that Marc Bolan, frontman for the glam rock band T. Rex, played guitar on the track. Gloria Jones, his girlfriend at the time—who herself provided backing vocals for Ike & Tina Turner during the 1960s—asserted that this was the case in the 2007 BBC4 documentary Marc Bolan: The Final Word. This claim is bolstered by the fact that Bolan toured the U.S. extensively and resided in the Los Angeles area during the mid-1970s, and is also acknowledged to have played on the Ike & Tina Turner singles "Sexy Ida (Part 2)" and "Baby—Get It On". However, a 2008 Ebony magazine article about Ike Turner's death identified James "Bino" Lewis, then a member of Ike & Tina's backing band Kings of Rhythm, as the guitarist. It has also been suggested that James Lewis is the guitarist on "Baby—Get It On". But there are two guitars on that track: fuzz rhythm centre pan (which could be Bolan), with wah-wah guitar in the right channel, very typical of Afro-American playing like Lewis's.
Originally released as a single on United Artists Records in August 1973, it's one of the last hits that husband-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released together.
In 1984, a live version of "Nutbush City Limits" was released as the b-side of Tina Turner's single "Private Dancer" (the fourth U.S. single released from her "Private Dancer" album). This is a different version from the 1988 live version of the song, released as single in Europe, from her Break Every Rule world tour.
Reception and awards
The single received positive reviews. A reviewer for Cash Box (August 11, 1973) wrote: "Proud Mary" was the single that brought this dynamic group to national attention. Well, here's one that leaves all of their prior efforts in the dust. Absolutely sensational is the only way this future smash can be described. Has to go top 20.The single was a hit in various countries, peaking at No. 11 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached No. 1 in Austria, and No. 2 in Switzerland and West Germany. In Australia, the single peaked at No. 14, spent 52 weeks in the top 100, and is still a party staple among Generation X and Y where it is accompanied by a dance of the same name.
The song was the lead single from album Nutbush City Limits, released in November 1973, which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard R&B albums chart.
In 1973, the single was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling a quarter of a million units. In 1974, the Turners received the first ever Golden European Award for selling more than one million records of "Nutbush City Limits" in Europe.