Teena Marie Dead At 54: Black Music's White Darling

Teena Marie: Black Music’s White Darling

Oakland — Teena Marie is by far the queen of blue-eyed soul.

A protégé of the late Rick James, with whom she recorded the classic R&B duet ‘Fire and Desire,’ Marie never imagined she would have a career that would span more than three decades.

“We were experimenting. We were kids having fun, and we were doing music well beyond our years. Really, it was just wonderful. I was 19 and everyone around me was 18, 19 and 20. I had no idea it would last this long and it was absolutely a blessing,” she told Black Voices.

Funny enough, now the Santa Monica, Calif.-bred vocalist’s daughter Alia Rose is 18-years-old and pursuing musical aspirations of her own.