December 26, 2016

Rest In Peace: Teena Marie (1956-2010)

The Internet and Twitter informed us that legendary soul singer Teena Marie was dead on this date in 2010 at the age of 54.

Teena Marie was a remarkable singer who amazed me when I was in college. I listened and loved her songs like 'Deja Vu' ... however, I didn't realize until much later that she was white. Her voice was such a soulful one ... and her remarkable duets like 'Fire and Desire' with Rick James were a staple at how of the house parties in basements and in the clubs.

I don't recall the song ... it was probably 'Square Biz' ... but, I remember seeing her on a video singing a song that I liked ... and she had on these HORRIBLE bell-bottoms. It took me awhile to digest her look versus what I had imagined from listening to her on the radio or from her albums (which never had her picture on them back in the day).

However, at the end of the day -- her soulful talent could not be denied.   She remains one of my favorite singers.   One of the songs that displayed her full-range of talents was a ditty called 'Casanova Brown'.



Born Marie Christine Brockert, Teena Marie released 13 studio albums, six of which went platinum on the Rhythm & Blues chart. Two of her albums went platinum, and six altogether were gold.


Teena Marie could straight-out sing...



What are your thoughts or remembrances of Teena Marie?

5 comments:

Carolyn Moon said...

I remember the essence of a Facebook comment entered upon hearing the news of her death. The writer stated..Oh Lawd..send the ushers over..Lady T has left us! She had that kind of impact on quite a few of us.

A true talent..loyal to her fan base. I have a compilation of her songs on a Rhapsody List.

There are times when you really need to listen to "some" Lady T and now I can whenever the mood strikes. A lot of artists who've transitioned remain with us in memory via their musical and artistic talents. We call them legacies!

Unknown said...

Carolyn - One of the sad parts of getting on in years is that many of those talents that we knew in our youth pass away. Teena, Luther and the list goes on. I don't know about Rhapsody List ... but, anything that lets you listen to your favorite Lady T songs is a good thing!

Carolyn Moon said...

Villager: Rhapsody is an online music streaming service. It's wonderful and when I'm busy writing on blogs or work related issues..I can listen to my favorites that I've chosen and stored in the library you create once you subscribe to the service. The selections are endless and I've accumulated a lot of oldies, classics and current musical styles. You might like it. http://www.rhapsody.com/

Unknown said...

Carolyn - I ended up using a service called 'Pandora' to do as you have been doing with 'Rhapsody'. And Teena's channel is on my playlist!

Carolyn Moon said...

Pandora..hmmm. I'll have to check that out. It sounds like you didn't have to create a list--it was in place.