By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times
Four-time Grammy nominee, Teena Marie, has died, CNN.Com announced. The vivacious singer and one-time protégé of the late R&B/Funk singer Rick James died in her sleep and was found by her daughter, manager Mike Gardner said.
Teena Marie, born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, grew up in Oakwood on the west side of Los Angeles. Brockert, known for her powerful, ethnic voice, exploded onto the music scene during the late 1970s shocking music lovers when she performed her debut hit with singer Rick James on Soul Train in 1979.
For months prior to her television debut, many assumed Brockert was African-American. Her first top-ten R&B hit from the album, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" reached #8 on the Black Singles Chart.
In 1980, Brockert's third LP, "Irons in The Fire", highlighted her ability to write, and produce.
Her single "I Need Your Lovin'," which reached #37 on the pop charts and #9 on the Black Singles music chart, brought Brockert her first Top 40 Hit and put her on the map.
That same year, she recorded the smash hit duet, "Fire and Desire" with James. Brockert and James performed the passionate hit single at the 2004 BET Music Awards launching the audience into a frenzy. That performance was their last as James died in August 2004.
Lady T's success continued to blossom and in 1981 she released her album, "It Must Be Magic," which featured one of her biggest hits, "Square Biz." This album scored Brockert her first Gold Record.
That hip hop flavored tune earned Brockert title of a lady pioneer within the music industry as she became one of the first and only artists of her time to rap in an R&B song. In the rapping portion of "Square Biz," Brockert paid homage to fellow artists and poet Maya Angelou for inspiring her.
Teena Marie, born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, grew up in Oakwood on the west side of Los Angeles. Brockert, known for her powerful, ethnic voice, exploded onto the music scene during the late 1970s shocking music lovers when she performed her debut hit with singer Rick James on Soul Train in 1979.
For months prior to her television debut, many assumed Brockert was African-American. Her first top-ten R&B hit from the album, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" reached #8 on the Black Singles Chart.
In 1980, Brockert's third LP, "Irons in The Fire", highlighted her ability to write, and produce.
Her single "I Need Your Lovin'," which reached #37 on the pop charts and #9 on the Black Singles music chart, brought Brockert her first Top 40 Hit and put her on the map.
That same year, she recorded the smash hit duet, "Fire and Desire" with James. Brockert and James performed the passionate hit single at the 2004 BET Music Awards launching the audience into a frenzy. That performance was their last as James died in August 2004.
Lady T's success continued to blossom and in 1981 she released her album, "It Must Be Magic," which featured one of her biggest hits, "Square Biz." This album scored Brockert her first Gold Record.
That hip hop flavored tune earned Brockert title of a lady pioneer within the music industry as she became one of the first and only artists of her time to rap in an R&B song. In the rapping portion of "Square Biz," Brockert paid homage to fellow artists and poet Maya Angelou for inspiring her.
**Click HERE TO LISTEN**
A heated legal battle set the stage for Brockert's exit from Motown Records in 1982 and resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for that artist. The artist would then be able to sign and release with another label instead of being held back by an unsupportive one.
A heated legal battle set the stage for Brockert's exit from Motown Records in 1982 and resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for that artist. The artist would then be able to sign and release with another label instead of being held back by an unsupportive one.
Lady T later told an LA Times reporter, "It wasn't something I set out to do. I just wanted to get away from Motown and have a good life. But it helped a lot of people, like Luther Vandross and the Mary Jane Girls and a lot of different artists, to be able to get out of their contracts."
**See Teena Marie and Rick James Perform at 2004 BET Awards**
Her 1983 union with Epic Records brought us hits like, "Fix It" (#21 R&B), as well as "Shadow Boxing" and hit single "Lovergirl."
**See Teena Marie and Rick James Perform at 2004 BET Awards**
Her 1983 union with Epic Records brought us hits like, "Fix It" (#21 R&B), as well as "Shadow Boxing" and hit single "Lovergirl."
Media outlets reported Brokcert's song, "Casanova Brown," to be about her real-life, one-time romance with former mentor James. It was reported that although the vocalists were no longer dating, they maintained a tempestuous friendship right up until James' untimely death.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Brockert continued to rock the music charts right up until her own death. During a September 2008 concert at BB King's New York City restaurant, Lady T astonished the crowd with a few finished tracks from her soon-to-be-released album, "Congo Square."
They went wild.
Stax/Concord Records released "Congo Square" on June 9, 2009, an album Brockert described as being "personal and spiritual," adding that the project was more "jazz-influenced" than much of her earlier work.
Brockert's duet with Faith Evans, widow of hip hop phenomenon, Biggie Smalls, was mysteriously leaked to the Internet in March 2009. Brokcert said after she finished recording the single, "Can't Last a Day," by herself she decided to make it a duet with Evans because the former jazz group back-up singer reminded Brockert of herself.
"It was after I had recorded the song I got the idea to put Faith on it. I’ve always loved Faith and her vocal style. She reminds me of me. Her correlation with Biggie — having a career with him and without him — reminds me of me and Rick. I feel like she’s a younger me. Of the younger ladies, she’s the one I love most.”
CLICK HERE TO WATCH FAITH & TEENA MARIE SING
During a January 2010 interview with the Editor of award-winning B&S online, Lee Tyler, Brockert said of her last album: "I wanted to do songs that reflected the things that I loved when I was growing up. Every single song on the record is dedicated to someone, or some musical giant that I loved."
"Congo Square" has reached the Top 20 on Billboard's Top 200, giving Brokcert yet another Top 10 R&B chart entry. In 2010, Brockert continued to mesmerize audiences in Las Vegas as she headlined along the Las Vegas Strip.
There will never be another Teena Marie, but her musical style has inspired many artists who have sampled and sang her hits. Brockert was 54 at the time of her death and leaves daughter, Alia Rose (Rose Le Beau) to mourn her death.
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