Eddie SantiagoThe Revelation of Teena MarieJuly 2009
Tee. “But outside the city it’s still really going to take years to rebuild. I think certain people willnever be able to go back, you know, because, they just don’t have the money to go back. And Ithink that was what was intended, really.”Clearly, it riles Marie that the city that serves as
Congo Square
’s inspiration continues to be insuch a sad state. She gives voice to the city’s suffering along with her own on cuts like the bluesy“the Rose N’ Thorn” where she acknowledges the risk of pain one takes in order to experiencethe beauty of life. Growing up in and around Oakwood, Marie took lots of risks, perhaps morethan the typical young white girl coming of age in the Sixties. She hung out with black kids andthe white kids called her racial epithets and chased her home for it. As painful as that was, it didnot stop her from rolling with Blacks, Latinos, and Asians at Venice High School. That does notmean she shied away from having white friends. Yet, even in those early days, Black culture andmusic moved Teena Marie in a way that would lead her to become known as “Off White,”“Casper,” “Vanilla Child,” “Brown Sugar Covered in Snow,” and eventually “the Ivory Queen of Soul.” Perhaps it started when she heard her brother playing Sly and the Family Stone records or her sister playing Smokey Robinson records or her parents playing Sarah Vaughn records or when she heard Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone” for the first time. Whenever or whatever itwas, Teena Marie’s brain was wired for soul music. True, she was cosmopolitan enough to enjoyCrosby, Stills and Nash, and the Beatles, and her parents exposed her to classical music but R&Bmusic seemed to set off a chemical reaction in her brain. She showed an interest in performing ata young age. By eight, she was singing in church, in front of orchestras, in televisioncommercials and had a bit part in an episode of
the Beverly Hillbillies
. By 10, she was singing atweddings (most notably Jerry Lewis’ son’s wedding). By 13, she had her first band. During highschool, she worked the local R&B club scene and then set her sights on Motown Records.
Motown and the King of Punk-Funk
By that time, Motown had moved from Detroit to Los Angeles and had added movies andtelevision to its portfolio. In 1975, Teena auditioned for a role in a television pilot called
Orphanage Children
. The networks did not pick up the show but the gig did get Teena in front of Motown executive Hal Davis and then founder Berry Gordy. Gordy plucked her from the show’stalent pool and set her to work on songs with various producers. Surprisingly, they could not finda groove and several years would pass without the release of Teena Marie’s debut album.Meanwhile, Teena lived with Berry Gordy’s brother, Fuller, and his wife, Winnie Martin Jones,Fuller’s daughter, Iris, and Winnie’s daughter, Jill. That made Iris Gordy, Jill Jones, and TeenaMarie something akin to sisters. Iris would become an executive at Motown, and Jill would later establish her own career working with Prince. It took another “brilliant genius,” Rick James, tofind that perfect combination of producer and artist to launch Teena’s recording career. Jameshad been all set to produce Diana Ross’ next record and had gone as far as to write a track, “I’mJust a Sucker for Your Love” for the project. James intended the song to be duet, but when hefound out Ross only wanted to record a few songs with him he passed on the whole project.Around the same time, Winnie Martin Jones and Iris Gordy were pushing James to work withTeena Marie. Teena and Rick had already met in the Motown offices when Teena was singingand playing on Stevie Wonder’s piano. James was impressed and Teena was smitten. After listening to some of Teena’s demos, James agreed to work with Teena and he wrote and producedher debut album,
Wild and Peaceful
, in 1979.
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