Teena Marie
| Teena Marie | |
|---|---|
Teena Marie in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mary Christine Brockert |
| Also known as | Lady Tee, Ivory Queen Of Soul |
| Born |
March 5, 1956 Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 2010 (aged 54) Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1964–2010 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Rick James, Ozone, Q.T. Marvin Gaye, Hush, Bernadette Cooper, Eve, Faith Evans, Vesta Williams |
Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer–songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the stage name Teena Marie and later acquired the nickname Lady Tee (sometimes spelled Lady T), given to her by her collaborator and friend, Rick James.
She was known for her distinctive soulful vocals, which caused many listeners to believe she was African American. Her success in R&B and soul music, and loyalty to these genres would earn her the title Ivory Queen of Soul. She played rhythm guitar, keyboards, and congas, and wrote, produced, sang, and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release, Irons in the Fire, which she later said was her favorite album.
Mary Christine, or Tina as she was called, was the daughter of construction worker Thomas Leslie Brockert and his wife, home renovator Mary Anne. She spent her early childhood in Mission Hills, Calif. Her ethnic heritage was Portuguese, Italian, Irish, and Native American. In 2005, while visiting Louisiana, she had discovered that her paternal ancestors once lived in New Orleans. She took to singing naturally, performing Harry Belafonte's Banana Boat Song by age two. She also developed a fondness for singing Motown songs, and her self-professed "gift from God" would become fine-tuned as the years progressed.
When she was eight years old, her parents began sending Tina on auditions which, among other things, netted her an acting role on The Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert. She also sang at the wedding of Jerry Lewis' son when she was 10 years old. Reared in a Roman Catholic household, she learned to play the piano under the tutelage of two nuns, and later taught herself the guitar, bass, and congas. She would go on to form a semi-professional R&B band with her younger brother Anthony and their cousin.
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