In my youth, I listened to Teena Marie. Teena was a white girl who sang R&B at a time when white girls did not touch that genre...even if they had the passion and ability for it. I can remember listening to her albums filled with music and lyrics written by her, this too was an oddity in an era overrun with artists who were content to record only material written by others. Teena, also known as Lady Tee and Ivory Queen of Soul, was a protege, lover and friend of master of funk Rick James. The only similarity I saw between the two in terms of their musical expression was in their energy. Rick was cool (after all, he was the "superfreak") but I don't believe he ever had Teena's depth.
After hearing of her death at age 54, I brought up Teena's name in conversation and found that some folks I know had never heard of her. I attributed this either to their youth or that they had never explored the genre that Teena seemed to love and to which she remained devoted throughout her career. I am including some videos for those who are interested in being introduced to some of her songs. Videos might take a few seconds to appear.
1 comment:
I totally remember the lover girl song! That's a good song. It's sad that yeti fur coat had to eat her in the bottom video.
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