David Campbell opens up about his “big life moment” with Tina Turner
Today Extra host David Campbell has opened up about a special bond between himself, rocker Jimmy Barnes, and Tina Turner’s Private Dancer album.
He made the reveal as he was discussing the legendary singer’s passing, noting that his father - Jimmy Barnes - loved seeing Tina performing at the NRL, while viewing footage of the day with his fellow hosts. She had been singing the hit song ‘Simply the Best’, a track that Barnes had dueted with her.
“Doing that moment with Tina for the NRL, the follow-up to that one, was just one of his great life moments,” Campbell explained. He went on to share that his father had paid tribute to her earlier in the day - shortly after news had broken that Turner had passed away at home in Switzerland at 83 - and that he didn’t want to speak too much on that.
“I’m so sad to hear that Tina Turner has left us,” Barnes had written on social media, sharing a picture of himself recording with the late Turner, and several others. “It was such an honour to work with someone so talented, strong and giving. It was certainly a highlight of my career to have sung and shared the stage with such a wonderful human being.”
From there, Campbell went on to share that his father often told a story on his Working Class Man tour, in which Barnes was just 16 years old and trying to make his way with little money to his name in Adelaide - until Tina and Ike came to town.
“He and some friends broke into the show,” Campbell said, “and got down front to watch her. And he said it was the most magic moment.
“He was obsessed with her.”
Campbell’s story wasn’t done there, however, with the TV personality then recalling how he’d come to Sydney at the age of 10 to meet his father.
“The first thing he played me was Private Dancer,” he revealed. “He really adored her. It was a big life moment for him.”
Next up came a conversation about the impact ‘Simply the Best’ had had on sport, particularly the NRL, and how he couldn’t imagine a song “more closely aligned to a song”.
But for many Australians, of course, the true cultural impact of Turner’s work stems from the ‘Nutbush’, and its captivating power at events in venues all across the country.
Images: Today Extra / Nine