Teena Marie

About

Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 - December 26th, 2010) was an American Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter–producer. (Born Mary Christine Brockert) Marie, nicknamed Lady T, was a protegée of the late funk legend Rick James, and is notable as one of the few successful multi-ethnic performers of R&B. She sang R&B with big, robust vocals, and played rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She also had written, produced, sung and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release Irons in the Fire. She has quoted this as being her favorite album. She is survived by a daughter named Alia Rose who, as of 2009, sings under the name Rose Le Beau. Early Life Marie was born in Santa Monica, California. She is of Belgian, Portuguese, Irish, Italian, and Native American ancestry. Marie grew up in Oakwood, a neighborhood in West Los Angeles. As a child, she had an acting role on The Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert. She also sang at the wedding of actor Jerry Lewis’s son when she was 10 years old. Marie worked briefly at Pup ‘n’ Taco in the mid 1970s while attending Venice High School, where she joined the Summer Dance Production, and also had a role in the school’s p…