More albums from Teena Marie
Teena Marie's Popular Music Videos
About Teena Marie
Hometown
Santa Monica, CA, United States
Born
March 5, 1956
Genre
R&B/Soul
Often described as a white woman with a Black voice, singer and songwriter Teena Marie landed more than two dozen songs on Billboard’s R&B charts during her remarkable career. She recorded for Motown, Cash Money, and Stax and scored a Top 5 pop hit with 1984’s “Lovergirl.”
• Growing up in Venice, California, Marie made many Black friends and developed an appreciation for Black music and culture.
• She signed with Motown in 1976 and released debut album, Wild and Peaceful—largely written and produced by her mentor, Rick James—in 1979. Featuring vocals from James, the single “I’m a Sucker for Your Love” became her first of seven Top 10 hits on the R&B charts.
• She released three more albums on Motown before contract disputes led to a legal battle. The dispute resulted in what’s known colloquially as “The Teena Marie Law,” which says a label can’t keep artists under contract without releasing their work.
• Marie scored her first and only Top 5 hit with 1984’s “Lovergirl,” off her album Starchild.
• In 1988, she topped the R&B charts with “Ooo La La La,” later sampled by Fugees for their 1995 classic “Fu-Gee-La.”
• After scaling back in her career in the ’90s to raise a daughter, she signed with Cash Money Records in 2004 and released the album La Doña. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 albums chart—the highest placement of her career.
• She released one more album, Congo Square—issued on the legendary Stax label—before her death in 2010 at the age of 54.
Musical InfluencesTeena Marie's musical influences include Minnie Riperton, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan and more.
Influenced by Teena MarieTeena Marie has influenced the music of Eve, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige and more.
Similar to: Teena Marie
Discover more music and artists similar to Teena Marie, like Rick James, The Whispers, The Isley Brothers
