Marie, Teena (1956–)
Marie, Teena (1956–)
American musician. Born Mary Christine Brockert, Mar 5, 1956, in Santa Monica, CA; attended Santa Monica College for 1 year; children: daughter, Alia.
Began singing professionally at 8; signed with Motown (1977) and made debut album, Wild and Peaceful (1979), which included hit R&B single, "I'm a Sucker for Your Love"; released successful singles "I Need Your Lovin"' (1980) and "Square Biz" (1981); nominated for Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1981); successfully sued Motown Records for nonpayment of royalties, setting precedent of "Teena Marie Law," which bans record companies from holding performers to contracts if their recordings are not released (1981); signed with Epic Records; released Starchild (1984), which included her only Top-20 pop single, "Lovergirl"; other albums include Emerald City (1986), Naked to the World (1988) and Ivory (1990); scored hits "Ooo La La La" and "Work It" (1988); started own label, Sara, and released Passion Play (1994) and Black Rain (2000).