Teena Marie was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, on March 5, 1956. According to her mother, she was born to be in the entertainment industry. Her first acting role was on the hit television show, The Beverly Hillbillies. When she was 10 years old,

Teena Marie

“I just wanted to make music that would reflect my personality and my life experiences.” A record producer, musical arranger, and singer/songwriter. Known for her powerful voice and super sex appeal, Teen Marie has become one of the most successful white female R&B artists.

A rose by another name

Teena Marie was born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, on March 5, 1956. According to her mother, she was born to be in the entertainment industry. Her first acting role was on the hit television show, The Beverly Hillbillies. When she was 10 years old, she sang for Jerry Lewis at his sons wedding. While in high school she continued to sing and compete in talent shows and audition for roles in local films.

Music Career

In 1976, Teena Marie signed a recording contract with Motown Records. She later was discovered by Rick James and Paul C. Saenz, who took her under their wings noticing that she had great potential. She released her debut album, Wild and Peaceful, produced by Rick James.  Her first single reached #8 on the Black Single Charts, with the #1 hit, “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love,” one of the many duets with Rick James. It was not until Teena Marie released her second album, Lady T, that her fans knew that she was actually a white woman. Her single, “Behind The Groove," peaked at #21 on the Black Singles charts. In 1980, she released her third album, Irons in The Fire, in which she arranged, wrote, and produced this album on her own. Her first single off the album, “I Need Your Lovin,” reached #37 on the Pop charts and she also performed a duet with Rick James on the #1 hit, “Fire and Desire.” Teena Marie released her first gold album, It Must Be Magic, which yielded some of her most famous songs, “Portuguese Love,” “Square Biz,” “Yes Indeed,” and “It Must Be Magic.”

In 1982, she left Motown and signed a recording contract with Epic Records. She released her fourth album, Robbery, in 1983, and a year later she released her most successful album, Starchild. This album contained her #4 Pop charts hit, “Lovergirl” and “Out on a Limb.”  She later released Emerald City in 1986, but it was not received well by her fan base. She later released, Naked to the World in 1988, and her first single, “Ooo La La La,” is her only #1 single in her entire career. In 1990, Teena Marie released, Ivory, which was the last album she released with Motown. She then released her seventh album, Passion Play, on her independent label, but it did not have the success of her previous works.

After the life

In 2004, after not releasing an album for almost 14 years, she signed a deal to Cash Money Records and released La Doña (2004), which has become her most successful album reaching #6 on the Billboard 200. In 2006, Teena Marie released Sapphire (2006). Her partnership with Cash, Money Records was short lived, and she left the label after Sapphire was released. After the break up, Teena Marie signed with Stax Records/Concord Music label and released Congo Square on June 9, 2009. Despite the various changes in record labels, Teena Marie found her place with Congo Square and was back on the top charts. Since 2010, she has been a headlining act at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Did You Know…

… Motown did not put any images of Teena Maria on her first album because they thought people would not accept a white woman singing R&B music.

… The Brockert Initiative is a law that prevents record labels from keeping artists under contract without continually promoting new work and projects.

… Rose Le Beau, a budding singer/songwriter, is the only child of Teena Marie

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