Soul-D-Out; d'nyce in conversation with Soul Legend Teena Marie 022010 (pt2)

Teena Marie nicknamed Lady T, was a protégé of late funk legend Rick James, and is notable as one of the few successful white performers of R&B. She sings R&B with strong, robust vocals, plays rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She is of Portuguese, Irish, Italian, and Native American ancestry born in Santa Monica in 1950 Teena was always destined for the stage.Teena signed with Motown Records in 1976, having gained an introduction to staff producer Hal Davis (best known for his work with the Jackson 5) and then auditioned, with her then band, for label boss Berry Gordy, but was then spotted by Rick James, who effectively Teena her first top-ten R&B hit, “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love” (#8 Black Singles Chart), which was a duet with James. Neither the album sleeve nor other packaging showed a picture of Teena, apparently on the theory that black audiences might be reluctant to buy an album by a white artist. In fact, many radio programmers wrongly assumed Teena was African American during the earliest months of her career. This myth was dispelled when, in 1980, her sophomore album, Lady T, sported a picture of her on the cover.From Motown to Epic to her indie label Sarai , a 14 year hiatus, hip hop label Cash Money Records and her current home Stax Records/Concord Music label, Teena has described her current 13th album ‘Congo Square’ as “personal and spiritual” and indicated that it is more jazz-influenced than most of her previous work, Congo Square was released on June 9, 2009 on the Stax Records/Concord Music label.. Join Tina Marie & D’nyce in conversation on Thursday 11th Feb 2010 where she talks about her life, Rick James and current offering ‘ Congo Square’