Teena Marie In-depth Biography
No white artist has sang R&B} more convincingly than Teena Marie}, whose big, robust vocals are so black-sounding that when she was starting out, some listeners wondered if she was a light-skinned African-American. Not to be confused with Brazilian jazz} singer Tânia Maria}, Marie} grew up in west Los Angeles in a neighborhood that was nicknamed "Venice Harlem" because of its heavy black population. The singer/songwriter/producer was in her early twenties when, around 1977, she landed a job at Motown Records}. It was at Motown} that she met her mentor and paramour-to-be, Rick James}, who ended up doing all of the writing and producing for her debut album of 1979, Wild and Peaceful}. That LP, which boasted her hit duet with James}, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love,"} didn't show Marie}'s picture -- so many programmers at black radio just assumed she was black. When her second album, Lady T}, came out, much of the R&B} world was shocked to see how fair-skinned she was. But to many of the black R&B} fans who were eating her music up, it really didn't matter -- the bottom line was she was a first-rate soul} singer whose love of black culture ran deep.
By her third album, 1980's gold Irons in the Fire}, Marie} was doing most of her own writing and producing. That album boasted the major hit "I Need Your Lovin',"} and Marie} went gold again with her next album, It Must Be Magic} (which included the major hit "Square Biz"}). It Must Be Magic} turned out to be her last album for Motown}, which she had a nasty legal battle with. Marie} got out of her contract with Motown}, and the case ended up with the courts passing what is known as "The Teena Marie Law" -- which states that a label cannot keep an artist under contract without putting out an album by him or her.
Switching to Epic} in 1983, Marie} recorded her fifth album, Robbery}, and had a hit with "Fix It."} In 1984, Marie} recorded her sixth album, Starchild}, and had her biggest pop} hit ever with "Lovergirl."} Though Marie} had often soared to the top of the R&B} charts, "Lovergirl"} marked the first time she'd done so well in the pop} market. Ironically, Marie} was a white singer who had enjoyed little exposure outside the R&B} market prior to "Lovegirl."}
Three more Epic} albums followed: 1986's Emerald City}, 1988's Naked to the World} (which contained her smash hit "Ooh La La La"}), and 1990's Ivory}. Unfortunately, Marie}'s popularity had faded considerably by the late '80s, and Epic} dropped her. In 1994, the singer released Passion Play} on her own Sarat} label. Ten years later, she signed to Cash Money} and released La Doña}, featuring assistance from Gerald LeVert}, Rick James}, and MC Lyte}. Sapphire} followed two years later. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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