Fresh Air, George Crile and Ike Turner, December 14, 2007

Hear 60 Minutes producer George Crile and musician Ike Turner on this edition of Fresh Air.

George Crile was a producer for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II. He died in 2006. We'll listen to an interview with Crile about his book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. A film based on the book will be released this month. During the 1980s, billions of rounds of ammunition and hundreds of thousands of weapons were smuggled into Afghanistan for the Afghan Mujahideen in their fight against the invading Soviet Union. Charlie Wilson was the congressman from east Texas who took up the cause of the Afghan fighters, funneling money their way thru his position on the House Appropriations Committee and with the help of a CIA operative. In the second half of the show, we'll hear from Charlie Wilson himself. He has since retired from Congress and is now a lobbyist. (Original Airdate: 5/13/2003)

Then, Ike Turner, who died this week. He was 76. Turner was responsible for shaping early rock n' roll, co-writing and playing piano on the 1951 song "Rocket 88" with his band Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats. Turner's legacy as a songwriter and bandleader was tarnished when his ex-wife Tina Turner revealed that their thirteen year marriage was marred with drug abuse and domestic violence. Ike Turner discovered singer Anna Mae Bullock in 1958 and renamed her Tina Turner. Soon after, she joined his renamed band, the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. (Original Airdate: 8/22/1996) [Broadcast Date: December 14, 2007]