# Teena Marie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717 "2020-02-29T21:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/1 "2020-02-29T21:42:50Z")
I find myself wanting to understand about Teena Marie. To ponder the implications of her life and oeuvre for race relations in America. But first, a question: Without looking her up, how many of you know who Teena Marie was? Of those, how many are white? She was a white R&B/funk singer, and her audience was black. She was the first white woman on _Soul Train_. She was invited back to appear on _Soul Train_ way more times than any other white artist. She was the only white person in the house those times. Check this out: [TEENA MARIE ft RICK JAMES clips - YouTube](https://youtu.be/Xl9mTmCcfgo) You’ve heard the term “blue-eyed soul”—often a somewhat dismissive label. Even if you’re not black, you’re probably aware of many black folks’ sentiments about white artists throughout history taking black-invented musical styles and cashing in on them. Well, nobody ever said that about Teena. They _loved_ her! She had ferocious natural talent, a truly great set of pipes. Her genuine appreciation for the music shone through. Her first record was released without her picture on it, on the supposition that the black audiences it was aimed at would not be interested in another white artist copying their music. Her voice and her spirit blew away all such suppositions. As soon as she appeared on _Soul Train_, she was an instant star. The love her audience gave her was wholehearted with no reservations. She was deemed “the blackest white artist that’s ever been.” Smokey Robinson said: “It’s in her blood, it’s in her heart. It’s in her soul, it’s what she does.” She said her destiny “was to bring people together.” Whatever it was she had, I wish we could bottle it and prescribe it as medicine for America’s intractable race problems. We desperately need more people like her. Today is the cusp of Black History Month and Women’s History Month. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/2 "2020-02-29T22:50:59Z")
The one thing I remember about Teena Marie is that a book that came out a few years later stated that at the height of her fame, her record company was paying her $100 A WEEK. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/3 "2020-02-29T22:51:26Z")
I liked many of Teena Marie songs. “Square Biz” is up there in my list of favorite songs. I even created a [thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=392130) to talk about her fabulous rap. I was sad when she died. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/4 "2020-03-01T01:53:59Z")
I know who Teena Marie is. I am white. I saw her in concert twice, both times in the '80s. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/5 "2020-03-01T02:11:01Z")
I’m white and I know who she is in general terms. I remember the song Lovergirl. I remember what she looked like. That’s about it. It wasn’t then and isn’t now my style of music. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/6 "2020-03-01T02:30:04Z")
I’m a big ol’ loaf of Wonder bread, and I know who Teena Marie was. But upon looking up her discography, I had no idea that her career started several years before I was aware of who she was. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/7 "2020-03-01T03:07:01Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m white and I know who she is in general terms. I remember the song Lovergirl. I remember what she looked like. That’s about it. It wasn’t then and isn’t now my style of music. This answer reflects my situation perfectly. ETA: She was about 5-7 years older than I thought she was and I see she died back in 2010. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/8 "2020-03-01T03:32:10Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I’m a big ol’ loaf of Wonder bread, and I know who Teena Marie was. But upon looking up her discography, I had no idea that her career started several years before I was aware of who she was. I’m a _stale_ loaf of Wonder Bread (twice the age of a passel o’ ya rapscallions). And I remember when Teena Marie burst on the soul scene. Watched her on Soul Train (a lot of white kids watched it; how do you think we learned to dance?). For a year or so, she seemed to be on at least half the shows. I’m ashamed to say that it took me a long time to realize that she wasn’t black. Can we chalk that up to my egalitarian color-blindness when it comes to race? Or my general obliviousness as a kid? :o ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/9 "2020-03-01T03:34:19Z")
Not black and i know who she is and her backup singer Jill Jones (the blonde here) [in 1999](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblt2EtFfC4) ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/10 "2020-03-01T03:41:57Z")
Never heard of her. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/11 "2020-03-01T05:03:03Z")
Another white guy here… in the late '90s there was a CD that was sold on TV called [_The Party Zone_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIjj7X6j15A) which as you can see had Teena Marie featured in the ad. Her song was the only one in that ad that I didn’t recognize from back in the day. Years later when I was getting into older funk artists like Prince, I bought a copy of Rick James’ _Street Songs_ album which she appears on and I was like, “oh yeah, her.” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/12 "2020-03-01T07:22:35Z")
I couldn’t include her in the “favorite soothing female voices” thread because hers was a _rousing_ voice. Electrifying. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/13 "2020-03-01T11:29:10Z")
I’m a 40 year-old white guy. I knew who she was and that she was white mostly because I read Billboard and other music industry publications and primarily listened to rap in the '90s. Someone mentioned “Square Biz.” Well the rap supergroup The Firm (which was considered a huge flop) released “Firm Biz” as their first/primary single and that obviously sampled and was based around “Square Biz.” Also, the Fugees “Fugee La” was a pretty big hit, sampling her “Ooh la la La.” I remember her comeback was covered by a lot of music industry publications and sites/blogs, especially since it was released on the Cash Money (pretty much only known for Cash Money affiliated/New Orleans rap artists at the time) label. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/14 "2020-03-01T23:25:27Z")
Heard of her. Couldn’t name a song she sang if I tried. When I first saw this thread, the first thought that came to mind was that she was bubblegum. Guess not. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/15 "2020-03-01T23:58:54Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Heard of her. Couldn’t name a song she sang if I tried. > > When I first saw this thread, the first thought that came to mind was that she was bubblegum. Guess not. This is almost me exactly, except I wasn’t thinking bubblegum _per se_ because I placed her in the late 70’s, past bubblegum’s prime, but I was definitely thinking pop due to the cutesy name. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/16 "2020-03-02T00:05:59Z")
Love her and was sad when she passed away. Yes, I knew she was white and yes, I am black. My favorite of hers has got to be [Behind The Groove.](https://youtu.be/ZxUGmibiGec) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/17 "2020-03-02T02:21:30Z")
Well, I’m a very pale German born in 1968, but I’ve considered myself well versed in soul music of the 60s and 70s, because I’m a great fan, but I had never heard of her before this thread. I’m even familiar with Soul Train, but I thought that Elton John had been the first white act (of all people) to appear on the show. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/18 "2020-03-02T02:40:19Z")
Not a familiar name to me. I may check her out… ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/19 "2020-03-02T03:48:07Z")
Like I said never heard of her, what is her greatest hits, what songs can I listen to, to let me know what she is all about and to appreciate her? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717/20 "2020-03-02T03:53:34Z")
[Teena Marie - Square Biz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9wotiDai5U) [Teena Marie - Lovergirl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fyWgjhe_Zg) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teena-marie/848717.md?page=2)