It’s been 16 years since Teena Marie sadly died aged just 54, but now as a concert is set to celebrate her amazing music, fresh tributes have been paid to the eighties hitmaker
Singer Teena Marie shot to stardom in the 1970s, thanks to her unique voice. Known as the Ivory queen of soul, she quickly became a leading figure on the R&B and soul scene in America, having been spotted by Motown Records label boss Berry Gordy, who chose to sign Teena as a solo artist.
But many years later, Teena experienced a devastating accident whilst sleeping in a hotel room. A heavy picture frame dropped and hit her head, causing severe concussion which led to occasional seizures for the rest of her life. The star sadly died on Boxing Day in 2010.
Now, fresh tributes have been played to Teena, ahead of a concert to celebrate her life on what would have been her 70th birthday. Remembering Teena Marie is taking place on Thursday, 5 March at London’s 229 venue on Great Portland Street, with Sulene Fleming & The Square Biz Band playing Teena’s hits and fan favourites.
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On a Facebook page advertising the concert, fans flocked to pay their respects, with one person commenting: “The phenomenal ivory queen of soul.” Another added: “She had an amazing voice,” while a third said: “One of the top female singers of all time… no question. ‘Maybe’ the best ever?” A fourth continued: “A great talent gone way too soon.”
Teena’s first album, Wild and Peaceful, was released in March 1979. The album featured the track I’m a Sucker for Your Love, a duet between Teena and producer and singer Rick James, who had been immediately taken with her vocals. The song reached the Top 10 of the R&B chart in the US and became one of Teena’s signature hits. Another duet between Teena and Rick, Fire and Desire, appeared on his album Street Songs in 1981.
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Teena’s second album, Lady T – named after the nickname she’d picked up at Motown Records – was produced by Richard Rudolph. The album included Behind the Groove, which reached No 6 in the UK in 1980, proving to be her biggest UK hit.
Following this, the singer assumed complete control of her next two albums; Irons in the Fire and It Must Be Magic. She produced every track on both records. However, in 1982, label boss Berry rejected Teena’s new recording and refused to release them. She won a court battle, with a judge ruling that the record label couldn’t keep an artist under contract without issuing new recordings by her.
Teena departed Motown and signed with Epic, going on to create five albums for the label during the 80s. Throughout the 90s, Teena stepped away from the music industry to concentrate on raising her daughter, Alia Rose, who arrived on Christmas Day in 1991.
Alia has since pursued her mother’s musical path and regularly worked alongside her, even appearing on several tracks. She initially performed under the stage name Rose LeBeau but switched to using her real name for releases from 2015 onwards.
The Motown legend was discovered dead by her daughter Alia on 26 December 2010, at her Pasadena residence. She had gone for a lie down in the afternoon, but when Alia went to check on her, she was dead aged just 54. An autopsy, carried out four days afterwards by the Los Angeles County coroner, determined the star had passed away from natural causes. Teena had experienced a generalised tonic-clonic seizure one month before her death.
A memorial service took place at Forest Lawn Cemetery in January 2011. Guests included Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy, Shanice, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah and Deniece Williams.
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