Teena Marie

American musician Teena Marie was born in Santa Monica, California. She showed an affinity for music from early childhood and her parents supported her artistic endeavors, which earned her an acting role in "The Beverly Hillbillies" (CBS, 1962-1971). She went on to teach herself the guitar, bass, and congas, joining an R&B band with her brother and cousin.

She was heavily influenced by the black neighborhood she grew up in Venice, Los Angeles, and her singing abilities earned her a contract with Motown Records as a solo act. Her debut album, "Wild and Peaceful" (1979) scored Teena her first hit. She went on to dabble in production and by her third album, "Irons in the Fire" (1980), she already handled most of the writing and production herself, a feat considered rare at the time for a female artist, earning her first top 40 hit.

After a legal battle with Motown, she left the label as their most successful white solo act. Two years later, she released "Starchild" (1984) her best-selling album, with many songs ending up on the soundtrack for famous movies, such as "Maid in Manhattan" (2002) and "The Goonies" (1985). "Top Gun" (1986) also featured one of her songs from the rock-inspired album "Emerald City" (1986).

Her subsequent return to R&B and funk in the 1990s was critically acclaimed, and her tracks were sampled by many other artists, cementing her influence in the industry despite a ten year hiatus in her career. Her comeback albums were also successful, with "La Doña" (2004) and "Congo Square" (2009) peaking on the charts. The so-called Ivory Queen of Soul remained a headliner in live performances until her passing, from natural causes, in 2010.