Teena Marie -

Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 — Dec. 26, 2010) was an American vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and arranger. She emerged from the Motown system with her 1979 debut Wild and Peaceful, produced by Rick James, with whom she later duetted on “Fire and Desire.” Her self-produced albums It Must Be Magic (1981), Starchild (1984), and Naked to the World (1988) yielded her signature songs “Square Biz,” “Lovergirl,” and the No. 1 R&B hit “Ooo La La La.”

Known for blending soul, funk, quiet storm, and freestyle, she frequently collaborated with players such as Allen McGrier, Patrice Rushen, Paulinho da Costa, and saxophonist Ernie Watts. A fierce creative force behind the boards, she wrote, arranged, and produced the majority of her output across multiple labels.

Background

She was born Mary Christine Brockert on March 5, 1956, in Santa Monica, Calif., and raised in nearby Mission Hills and Venice. Her family’s heritage comprised of Irish, Italian, Native American, Portuguese, and Puerto Rican ancestry. At age eight, she guest-starred on an episode of the CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert.

Tina taught herself guitar, bass, and congas and formed her first band with her younger brother, Anthony, and their cousin. While attending Venice High School, she played the female lead in the school’s production of The Music Man. During 1974–75, she fronted the local rock band Truvair, comprised of classmates. She briefly majored in English literature at Santa Monica College while auditioning for record companies.

Early Career

In 1976, Tina met Motown staff-writer Hal Davis (Brenda Holloway, Jackson 5), who tapped her for a proposed film about orphans. The project came to nothing, but label head Berry Gordy signed her as a solo act. That year, Tata Vega recorded Tina’s “Just as Long as There Is You,” included on the singer’s debut Tamla release Full Speed Ahead.

Over the next two years, Tina recorded more than an album’s worth of material with multiple producers (later released on the 2011 double-disc First Class Love: Rare Tee by archivists Hip-O Select).

In the summer of 1978, labelmate Rick James was slated to produce The Boss, the upcoming album by Diana Ross. Upon hearing Tina’s material, he decided instead to produce her first album, recorded between August and the following January. Though she initially planned to record as Teena Tryson, her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, presented her as Teena Marie, her public name from that point forward.

Wild and Peaceful

Teena Marie released her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, on March 20, 1979, on Gordy.

Issued under the Motown umbrella, the album presents her in a string-rich, horn-accented soul-funk setting dominated by the imprint of Rick James, who wrote and arranged four tracks. He plays guitar, piano, congas, timbales, and syndrums across the album, interlocked with saxophonist Ernie Watts and flutist Daniel LeMelle, whose solos alternate and converge with Marie’s own lines on piano.

James duets with Marie on the opener, “I’m a Sucker for Your Love.” They also cover The Temptations classic “Don’t Look Back.” She co-wrote the emotive “I’m Gonna Have My Cake (And Eat It Too)” with one Michelle Holland.

A1. “I’m a Sucker for Your Love” (5:52)
A2. “Turnin’ Me On” (6:06)
A3. “Don’t Look Back” (Smokey Robinson, Ronald White) (7:32) – originated as a September 1965 Temptations b-side, written by Miracles Smokey Robinson and Ronald White. Peter Tosh repopularized the song as a 1978 reggae duet with Mick Jagger.

B1. “Déjà Vu (I’ve Been Here Before)” (7:38)
B2. “I’m Gonna Have My Cake (And Eat It Too)” (5:30) – Marie, Holland
B3. “I Can’t Love Anymore” (7:11)

Sessions spanned August 1978 through January 1979 with Rick James and co-producer Art Stewart. The pair worked in sequence on James’ first two solo albums, Come Get It! and Bustin’ Out of L Seven.

Clarence Sims plays additional piano and keyboards on “I’m Gonna Have My Cake,” backed by drummer Earl Palmer. The album includes backing vocals by Jean King, Julia and Maxine Waters, Jackie Ruffin, Adrienne Williams, and The Colored Girls.

Motown released “I’m a Sucker for Your Love” as the lead single. It reached No. 8 on the US R&B chart and peaked at No. 43 in the UK. The follow-up, a cover of the Temptations’ “Don’t Look Back,” charted on the US Dance survey and appeared briefly on the R&B chart.

Wild and Peaceful peaked at No. 18 on Billboard’s Top Soul Albums and No. 94 on the Billboard 200.

Lady T

Teena Marie released her second album, Lady T, on February 14, 1980, on Gordy.

Issued less than a year after her debut, the album pairs her multi-instrumental studio role with refined horn and synth arrangements shaped by producer Richard Rudolph. Marie shares space with flugelhorn player Jerry Hey and synthesist Michael Boddicker, whose textures thread between the electric pianos of Jeremy Lubbock and Randy Waldman, while guitarists Tim May and Art Phillips trade rhythm accents and melodic fills across the longer arrangements.

She co-wrote the opener “Behind the Groove” with Rudolph, who also co-authors “Lonely Desire” and “Now That I Have You.” The brief penultimate track, “Too Many Colors (Tee’s Interlude),” features voice work from Maya Rudolph, age 7, and serves as a tribute to the child’s late mother Minnie Riperton, to whom the album is dedicated.

A1. “Behind the Groove” (6:06) – Marie, Rudolph
A2. “Now That I Have You” (5:32) – Phillips, Rudolph, Talbott
A3. “Lonely Desire” (4:39) – Marie, Rudolph, Wedlaw
A4. “Aladdin’s Lamp” (4:55) – Marie

B1. “You’re All the Boogie I Need” (5:44) – Hearn, Marie
B2. “Can It Be Love” (4:24) – Marie, Wedlaw
B3. “Young Girl in Love” (3:55) – Jones, Marie
B4. “Why Did I Have to Fall in Love with You” (4:45) – Marie, Sopuch
B5. “Too Many Colors (Tee’s Interlude)” (3:10) – Marie

Marie recorded Lady T throughout 1979 at Conway Studios in Hollywood with Rudolph as sole producer. She plays acoustic guitar and adds multiple vocal layers throughout, supported by a revolving cast that includes bassist Eddie Watkins Jr., trumpeter Thomas “T” Bumpass, and saxophonists William Carroll White Jr. and Larry Williams. Backup vocals come from Jill Jones, Diahnne Abbott, Brenda Lee Eager, and Linda Little.

Motown lifted “Can It Be Love” as the lead single. It charted modestly on the US R&B list, followed by “Behind the Groove,” which reached No. 21 R&B and climbed to No. 6 in the UK. Lady T peaked at No. 18 on Billboard’s Top Soul Albums and No. 45 on the Billboard 200.

Irons in the Fire

Teena Marie released her third album, Irons in the Fire, on August 14, 1980, on Gordy.

Her first self-produced effort, the album blends string-accented dancefloor cuts with ballads shaped around electric piano and synthesizer textures. Michael Boddicker handles the synth tones, interwoven with piano lines by Bobby Lyle and James S. Stewart Jr., while guitarist Wali Ali trades phrasing with David Taylor and Greg Hargrove on rhythm and melodic figures.

She dedicates the album to her late father, Thomas Leslie Brockert, and shares co-writing credit with Mickey Hearn on the extended track “Tune in Tomorrow.” “You Make Love Like Springtime” appears twice, first in its full version and again in a shorter reprise that closes the original album.

A1. “I Need Your Lovin’” (7:31)
A2. “Young Love” (5:29)
A3. “First Class Love” (5:06)
A4. “Irons in the Fire” (3:33)

B1. “Chains” (7:11)
B2. “You Make Love Like Springtime” (4:59)
B3. “Tune in Tomorrow” (6:26) – Hearn, Marie
B4. “You Make Love Like Springtime (Reprise)” (3:26)

Marie recorded the album in 1979–80 at Motown/Hitsville Studios in Hollywood, where she produced and arranged the material herself. Bassists Allen McGrier and James Jamerson split rhythm duties across tracks, while Paulinho da Costa adds percussion and congas. Ray C. Woodard and William Carroll White Jr. appear on saxophone, and Thomas “T” Bumpass contributes trumpet and flugelhorn. Paul Riser handled the string arrangements.

Motown issued “I Need Your Lovin’” as the lead single. It reached No. 9 on the US R&B chart, No. 37 on the Hot 100, and No. 28 in the UK. It also climbed to No. 2 on the US dance chart alongside the album track “Chains.” “Young Love” followed as the second single and narrowly missed the US R&B top 40. Irons in the Fire peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 38 on the Billboard 200.

It Must Be Magic

Teena Marie released her fourth album, It Must Be Magic, on May 14, 1981, on Gordy.

She wrote and produced the album herself, shaping an expansive post-disco R&B sound with layered keyboards and bold horn sections. Synthesizer player Bill Wolfer interlocks with keyboardists Patrice Rushen and James S. Stewart Jr., while saxophonists Gerald Albright and Daniel LeMelle alternate leads across multiple tracks, set against the rhythm guitar figures of Josef Andre Parson and Tom McDermott.

Marie co-wrote “Square Biz” with bassist Allen McGrier and features members of The Temptations on the title track. Jill Jones shares a writing credit on “The Ballad of Cradle Rob and Me,” while “Portuguese Love” became one of her best-known Quiet Storm ballads.

A1. “It Must Be Magic” (6:03)
A2. “Revolution” (4:27)
A3. “Where’s California” (5:24)
A4. “365” (4:10)
A5. “Opus III (Does Anybody Care)” (1:27)

B1. “Square Biz” (6:40) – Marie, McGrier
B2. “The Ballad of Cradle Rob and Me” (3:24) – Marie, Jones
B3. “Portuguese Love” (7:17)
B4. “Yes Indeed” (4:57)

Marie recorded the album across 1980 and early 1981, continuing her self-production approach from Irons in the Fire. Allen McGrier and Oscar Alston split bass duties, with Paul Hines on drums. Albright contributes both saxophone and tenor flute, while John Ervin and Cliff Ervin supply trombone and piccolo trumpet. Backing vocals include contributions from Otis Williams, Melvin Franklin, Rick James, Jill Jones, and Julia and Maxine Waters.

“Square Biz” appeared as the lead single on June 16, 1981. It reached No. 3 on the US R&B chart, No. 12 on the Club Play survey, and No. 50 on the Hot 100. The title track followed in October, reaching No. 30 R&B. “Portuguese Love” charted in early 1982 and became a lasting favorite in Marie’s repertoire. It Must Be Magic peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Soul Albums and No. 23 on the Billboard 200, marking her highest-charting Motown release.

Robbery

Teena Marie released her fifth album, Robbery, on September 18, 1983, on Epic.

Her first release following her departure from Motown, the album blends polished soul-funk arrangements with layered synths, full horn charts, and orchestral balladry. Synthesizer player Todd Cochran shares arrangement duties with Eric O’Neal, while saxophonists Ernie Watts and Daniel LeMelle alternate foreground leads, offset by the rhythm guitar textures of Keith Alexander, Paul Jackson Jr., and Marlo Henderson.

Marie wrote all nine tracks and handled production, horn and string arrangements, and multiple synth layers. She delivers a pointed personal statement on “Cassanova Brown,” a reflection on her fractured relationship with Rick James. The instrumental textures on “Fix It” and “Midnight Magnet” feature additional arrangement input from John Bokowski Jr. and Dwayne Wedlaw.

A1. “Robbery” (5:23)
A2. “Playboy” (5:23)
A3. “Shadow Boxing” (6:49)
A4. “Midnight Magnet” (6:02)

B1. “Fix It” (4:44)
B2. “Ask Your Momma” (5:25)
B3. “Dear Lover” (5:18)
B4. “Stop the World” (4:16)
B5. “Cassanova Brown” (5:58)

Marie tracked the album across multiple Los Angeles-area studios, including Ocean Way, Record One, and Larrabee Sound. Bass lines were divided among Nathan East, Abraham Laboriel, Anthony Jackson, and Stanley Clarke, while Paulinho da Costa added percussion across five tracks. Horns were arranged by Marie and Paul Riser, with solos from Daniel LeMelle and Chuck Findley, and string sections conducted by Harry Bluestone.

Epic issued three singles from Robbery. “Fix It” peaked at No. 21 on the US R&B chart, followed by “Midnight Magnet” at No. 31 and “Dear Lover” at No. 77. The album reached No. 13 on the Black Albums chart and No. 119 on the Billboard 200.

Starchild

Teena Marie released her sixth album, Starchild, on November 11, 1984, on Epic.

She produced and arranged the album herself, blending synthesizer-driven dance-funk with orchestral ballads and layered vocal arrangements. Guitarists Preston Glass, Corrado Rustici, and David T. Walker alternate across tracks with rhythm accents and melodic flourishes, while synthesist Randy Kerber trades textures with Fred Mirza and Walter Afanasieff, shaping the harmonic flow around Marie’s own keyboard work.

Marie co-wrote “My Dear Mr. Gaye” with Penny Johnson and Leon Ware as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who died in April 1984. “We’ve Got to Stop (Meeting Like This)” features a duet with Ronnie McNeir, while bassist Allen McGrier shares male lead vocals on “Help Youngblood Get to the Freaky Party.”

A1. “Lovergirl” (4:54)
A2. “Help Youngblood Get to the Freaky Party” (5:44) – Bendrix, Marie
A3. “Out on a Limb” (6:37)
A4. “Alibi” (5:23) – Marie, Mirza
A5. “Jammin’” (5:52)

B1. “Starchild” (5:35)
B2. “We’ve Got to Stop (Meeting Like This)” (5:07) – duet with Ronnie McNeir
B3. “My Dear Mr. Gaye” (5:28) – Marie, Johnson, Ware
B4. “Light” (1:17)

Marie recorded the album across six California studios, including Ocean Way, A&M, and The Automatt, with Bobby Brooks and David Frazier engineering. John Robinson, James Gadson, and Narada Michael Walden trade drum duties, while Paulinho da Costa appears on percussion. Ernie Watts plays the saxophone solo on “My Dear Mr. Gaye,” with Gene Page and Harry Bluestone conducting the string sections on that track and “Starchild.” Backing vocalists include Julia and Maxine Waters, Billy Griffin, Leon Ware, and Penny Johnson.

Epic released “Lovergirl” in October 1984 along with a soundstage video clip that received high MTV rotation. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 9 R&B, and No. 6 on the dance chart, becoming her biggest US hit. “Jammin’” followed, reaching No. 81 pop and No. 45 R&B, while “Out on a Limb” made No. 56 on the R&B chart.

Starchild peaked at No. 9 on the Top Black Albums chart and No. 31 on the Billboard 200. It was certified Gold by the RIAA.

In 1985, Marie contributed the track “14K” to the soundtrack of the adventure comedy Goonies, which also features songs by Luther Vandross, Philip Bailey, The Bangles, and the film’s thematic hit by Cyndi Lauper.

Emerald City

Teena Marie released her seventh album, Emerald City, on July 22, 1986, on Epic.

Departing from her established soul-funk foundation, the album blends rock, blues, and jazz-inspired textures, shaped around expansive solos and concept-driven sequencing. Guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan contributes the solo on “You So Heavy,” interplayed with Marie’s own synth textures, while bassist Stanley Clarke and guitarist Bootsy Collins appear on “Sunny Skies” and the title track, respectively, layering their parts into the album’s stylistic palette.

She co-wrote “Lips to Find You” with bassist Bendrix Williams and developed “You So Heavy” and “Shangri-La” in collaboration with Rick James’ younger sister, lyricist Penny “P.J.” Johnson. “Batucada Suite” marks a stylistic interlude that further broadens the album’s scope.

A1. “Emerald City” (4:10)
A2. “Once Is Not Enough” (5:47)
A3. “Lips to Find You” (5:11) – Bendrix, Marie
A4. “You So Heavy” (5:07) – Marie, Johnson

B1. “Shangri-La” (5:04) – Marie, Johnson
B2. “Batucada Suite” (5:06)
B3. “Love Me Down Easy” (5:24)
B4. “Sunny Skies” (7:14)

Marie recorded the album between 1985 and 1986, handling production, songwriting, and instrumentation across multiple sessions. She invited key collaborators from the jazz and funk spheres, including Stanley Clarke on upright bass and Bootsy Collins on supporting vocals. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s contribution on “You So Heavy” marks a rare intersection of blues-rock and R&B on a Marie studio album. “Shangri-La” became a quiet storm staple despite not being released as a single.

Epic lifted two singles: “Lips to Find You,” which reached No. 28 on the US Black Singles chart, and “Love Me Down Easy,” which peaked at No. 76. Emerald City reached No. 20 on the Top Black Albums chart and No. 81 on the Billboard 200.

Also in 1986, Marie recorded “Lead Me On,” co-written by Tom Whitlock and producer Giorgio Moroder for the Top Gun soundtrack, which sold nine million copies, largely on the airplay of two Moroder/Whitlock hits: the rock lead-in “Danger Zone” (sung by Kenny Loggins) and the love ballad “Take My Breath Away” (sung by Terri Nunn and credited to her band, Berlin).

Naked to the World

Teena Marie released her eighth album, Naked to the World, on March 21, 1988, on Epic.

Returning to the soulful funk style that defined her early output, she expands the production with layered vocal arrangements, mid-tempo keyboard backdrops, and guitar textures that intertwine with rhythm and lead phrasing. Guitarist David T. Walker alternates lines with Marie’s own rhythm work, while Allen McGrier—her frequent collaborator—shares songwriting duties and contributes bass and co-lead arrangement input on several tracks.

Marie reunites with Rick James on “Call Me (I Got Yo Number)” and “The Once and Future Dream,” marking their first studio collaboration since the early Motown years. She co-wrote the lead single “Ooo La La La” with McGrier, and teams with Klymaxx’s Bernadette Cooper on “Crocodile Tears.”

A1. “Trick Bag” (5:31)
A2. “Call Me (I Got Yo Number)” (5:38) – Marie, McGrier
A3. “Ooo La La La” (5:19) – Marie, McGrier
A4. “Crocodile Tears” (6:20)
A5. “Opus III: The Second Movement” (1:12)

B1. “Surrealistic Pillow” (5:43)
B2. “The Once and Future Dream” (7:43)
B3. “Work It” (5:50) – Marie, Penny “P.J.” Johnson
B4. “The Ball” (4:40)
B5. “Naked to the World” (6:20)

Marie recorded the album in 1987 at Smoketree Ranch, Ocean Way, and Bedrock Studios. She handled production, arrangements, and instrumentation across the album, supported by McGrier and vocal collaborators including Rick James.

“Ooo La La La” became her first and only No. 1 hit on the US R&B chart, and reached No. 85 on the Hot 100. Follow-up single “Work It” peaked at No. 10 R&B. Naked to the World reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart and No. 65 on the Billboard 200.

First Class Love: Rare Tee

In 2011, Hip-O-Select issued First Class Love: Rare Tee, an archival double-disc of early recordings by Teena Marie.

Spanning unreleased studio material from 1976–77, the compilation captures her formative sessions with arranger–keyboardist Ronnie McNeir and a small circle of seasoned musicians. Raydio guitarist Ray Parker Jr. and bassist “Billy Bass” Nelson trade riffs and pocket phrases across the McNeir-produced material, locked in with drummer Ollie Brown while McNeir layers Fender Rhodes and synth bass underneath Teena’s vocal phrasing. On select 1977 sessions, guitarist David T. Walker interacts with Marie’s own rhythm lines on “Why Can’t I Get Next to You” and “Co-Pilot to Pilot.”

Teena wrote most of the material herself, including “White Soul,” an autobiographical mission statement that prefigures the rhythmic breaks and cultural homage of “Square Biz.” “Wasn’t I Good to You,” co-written with Mikey Boyce, blends jazz phrasing with R&B structure and appears in both original and 1983 remix form. She also duets with McNeir on the Hunter–Moy–Stevenson cover “My Baby Loves Me,” and collaborates with him on multiple McNeir originals, including “Oh Love” and “Love Just Wouldn’t Be Right.”

1.1 “First Class Love” (6:07)
1.2 “More Love” (4:42) – William Robinson
1.3 “Wasn’t I Good to You” (3:45) – Boyce, Marie
1.4 “Love Just Wouldn’t Be Right” (3:56) – McNeir
1.5 “You Got Away” (3:42) – McNeir
1.6 “Oh Love” (5:03) – McNeir
1.7 “Betcha I’ll Prove” (4:11) – McNeir
1.8 “My Baby Loves Me” (3:42) – Hunter, Moy, Stevenson
1.9 “White Soul” (4:23)
1.10 “Can You Do It” (4:02)
1.11 “Why Can’t I Get Next to You” (3:59)
1.12 “Co-Pilot to Pilot” (4:26)
1.13 “Hey Boy” (3:30)
1.14 “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me” (4:43)
1.15 “Wasn’t I Good to You” [1983 Mix] (4:17)
1.16 “Love Just Wouldn’t Be Right” [1983 Mix] (3:36)
1.17 “You Got Away” [1983 Mix] (5:43)
1.18 “Oh Love” [1983 Mix] (4:34)

Disc Two – Acoustic Demos (June 1976)
2.1 “First Class Love” (4:10)
2.2 “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me” (5:29)
2.3 “God Has Created” (4:03) – Hall, Marie
2.4 “Wasn’t I Good to You” (3:50)
2.5 “Why Can’t I Get Next to You” (2:13)
2.6 “Happiness Is In Your Soul” (4:44)
2.7 “Make You Surrey” (3:03)
2.8 “The Greatest Love of All Time” (3:20)

Berry Gordy produced the solo acoustic session on Disc Two, capturing Marie alone with guitar in raw demo form. These intimate performances reveal her lyrical and melodic instincts at age 20, including early versions of songs that also appear in studio form. The disc opens with eight McNeir-led studio tracks from summer 1976, followed by the Winston Monseque-produced “White Soul” and “Can You Do It,” which reflect her developing funk vocabulary. In 1977, she tracked “Co-Pilot to Pilot,” “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me,” and others under producers Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise. McNeir remixed four of his earlier tracks in 1983 for a shelved Motown release, included here as bonus tracks.

All but four tracks—“Why Can’t I Get Next to You,” “Co‑Pilot to Pilot,” “Don’t Turn Your Back on Me,” and “Love Just Wouldn’t Be Right” (1983 Mix)—were previously unreleased. The compilation was mastered by Kevin Reeves and issued in a limited-edition double-CD with extensive liner notes, studio credits, and archival photos.

Discography: