|
Teena
Marie,
known as
'Ivory
Queen of
Soul,'
dies
LOS
ANGELES,
(AP) -
Teena
Marie,
the
"Ivory
Queen of
Soul"
who
developed
a
lasting
legacy
with her
silky
soul
pipes
and with
hits
like "Lovergirl,""Square
Biz,"
and
"Fire
and
Desire"
with
mentor
Rick
James,
has
died.
She was
54.
The
confirmation
came
from a
publicist,
Jasmine
Vega,
who
worked
with
Teena
Marie on
her last
album,
2009's
"Congo
Square."
Her
manager,
Mike
Gardner,
also
confirmed
her
death to
CNN.
The
singer
continued
performing
in
recent
years
after
overcoming
an
addiction
to
prescription
drugs.
It was
unclear
late
Sunday
where
and how
she
died.
Marie
certainly
wasn't
the
first
white
act to
sing
soul
music,
but she
was
arguably
among
the most
gifted
and
respected,
and was
thoroughly
embraced
by the
black
audience.
Even
before
she
started
her
musical
career,
she had
a strong
bond
with the
black
community,
which
she
credited
to her
godmother.
She
gravitated
to soul
music
and in
her
youth
decided
to make
it her
career.
Marie
made her
debut on
the
legendary
Motown
label
back in
1979,
becoming
one of
the very
few
white
acts to
break
the race
barrier
of the
groundbreaking
black-owned
record
label
that had
been a
haven
for
black
artists
like
Stevie
Wonder,
the
Jackson
Five,
the
Supremes
and
Marvin
Gaye.
Marie
was the
protege
of the
masterful
funk
wizard
James,
with
whom she
would
have
long,
turbulent
but
musically
magical
relationship.
The
cover of
her
debut
album,
"Wild
and
Peaceful,"
did not
feature
her
image,
with
Motown
apparently
fearing
black
audiences
might
not buy
it if
they
found
out the
songstress
with the
dynamic,
gospel-inflected
voice
was
white.
But
Marie
notched
her
first
hit,
"I'm A
Sucker
for Your
Love,"
and was
on her
way to
becoming
one of
R&B's
most
revered
queens.
During
her
tenure
with
Motown,
the
singer-songwriter
and
musician
produced
passionate
love
songs
and funk
jam
songs
like
"Need
Your
Lovin',""Behind
the
Groove"
and "Ooh
La La
La."
Marie's
voice
was the
main
draw of
her
music:
Pitch-perfect,
piercing
in its
clarity
and
wrought
with
emotion,
whether
it was
drawing
from the
highs of
romance
or the
mournful
moments
of a
love
lost.
But her
songs,
most of
which
she had
a hand
in
writing,
were the
other
major
component
of her
success.
Tunes
like "Cassanova
Brown""Portuguese
Love"
and "Deja
Vu (I've
Been
Here
Before)"
featured
more
than
typical
platitudes
on love
and
life,
but
complex
thoughts
with
rich
lyricism.
And
"Fire
and
Desire,"
a duet
with
Rick
James
that
featured
the
former
couple
musing
about
their
past
love,
was
considered
a
musical
masterpiece
and a
staple
of the
romance
block on
radio
stations
across
the
country.
Marie
left
Motown
in 1982
and her
split
became
historic:
She sued
the
label
and the
legal
battle
led to a
law
preventing
record
labels
from
holding
an
artist
without
releasing
any of
their
music.
She went
to Epic
in the
1980s
and had
hits
like "Lovergirl"
but her
lasting
musical
legacy
would be
her
Motown
years.
Still,
she
continued
to
record
music
and
perform.
In 2004
and 2006
she put
out two
well-received
albums
on the
traditional
rap
label
Cash
Money
Records,
"La
Dona"
and
"Sapphire."
In 2008,
she
talked
about
her
excitement
of being
honored
by the
R&B
Foundation.
"All in
all,
it's
been a
wonderful,
wonderful
ride,"
she told
The
Associated
Press at
the
time. "I
don't
plan on
stopping
anytime
soon."
|