“….I’ve been here before….”
You and me both, Teena. Damn shame you’re not still with us. Teena Marie meant the world to me as a kid; one of few women in the music business that was writing, producing and performing her own music—and kicking ass. She was her whole self in her music, always. (“I don’t want the fire without the flame…”) Lyrics to live by.
A young white woman signed to Motown back in the seventies who took the R&B charts by storm, but never “crossed over”. Plenty of appearances on Soul Train, but not on other television music outlets: Midnight Special, Saturday Night Live, Austin City Limits, Night Flight, Tom Snyder’s Late, Late Show….she made it to American Bandstand once (in 1984), and MTV played “Square Biz” or “Lovergirl” on really rare moments, but that was about it. She came on the scene ’round about the time apartheid-oriented radio was revved up and in gear; a toxic combination of “Disco Sucks” (and anti-punk/New Wave) backlash, radio deregulation and its niche formatting, and music industry fears of video and cassettes undercutting profits (translation: new artists weren’t exactly promoted aggressively, especially if they crossed genres). But she paid that no mind, and was a frequent flyer up the R&B charts with every new release.
Speaking of new releases, when Motown was reticent about releasing her newer material in 1982—but wouldn’t release her from contract—she sued and won. The “Brockert Initiative” (from Teena’s given name, Mary Christine Brockert; “Teena Marie” is the reversal of her first and middle names) made it illegal for record companies to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material from the artist. She continued making and producing music in the 80s, but through the 90′s, she dedicated most of her time to raising her daughter, Alia Rose; she paid the bills through touring. In 2004, she was back on the block with La Doña, whose intro played with a “godfather” theme (and her italian ancestry). That was quickly followed with Sapphire” in 2006, and 2009′s Congo Square.
Check out Ta Nehisi Coates’ “The Indomitable Blackness of Teena Marie” and Afrobella’s tribute. TV One has an informative documentary; towards the end there’s a duet with her daughter, Alia Rose (who sings just like her!).
I don’t know where to begin. I first heard her on Soul Train doing “I’m A Sucker For Your Love.” Soul Train was one of the few outlets to hear funk and soul music commercially where I lived; Saturday afternoon on WGN for Soul Train was a must! Beyond that, there were a couple of radio stations within listening distance that had R&B shows (a college radio station had a Saturday night show; there was another station with a Sunday evening show). There was the “soul skate” at the roller rink late Sunday afternoons. Eventually, there was a soul station created through cable access—but hell, I only got to listen to that when my parents weren’t home (only one cable outlet, and that was pretty much reserved for sports and news programs my father liked to watch. Music on the tv wasn’t on his agenda). So, I’d sit in my room on Sunday nights taping the R&B songs I liked, because if I didn’t do it then, I’d lose my chance. Teena Marie was part of the soundtrack of my growing up….the more sophisticated part, LOL! She put out “grown folks music” before they were calling it that! Before La Doña came out, I was working in the MetroEast area; a long drive for me but it beat the alternative of being unemployed….plus, the advantage of better radio stations made the drive not-so-bad. Anyway, I heard her do a live performance of “Deja Vu” on the Tom Joyner Morning Show that was just incredible. Made my day to start off the workday with that.
Crucial jams: “I’m A Sucker For Your Love,” “Deja Vu”, “Behind the Groove,” “Fire and Desire,” “I Need Your Lovin’,” “Young Love,” “It Must Be Magic,” “Portuguese Love,” “Shadow Boxing,” “Casanova Brown,” “Aladdin’s Lamp,” “Cupid Is a Real Straight Shooter,” “Lovergirl,” “Out On A Limb,” “Yes Indeed,” “Shangri La,” “Ooh La La La,” “If I Were A Bell.” You can hear some of these on Questlove’s Swift FM station. I think the whole album La Doña is great, but especially “A Rose By Any Other Name” (Gerald LeVert channels his inner Rick James for this), “Makavelli Never Lied,” “Hit Me Where I Live,” and “Black Rain”. “Ooh Wee,” “Make It Hot,” “APB,” and “Love is a Gangsta” from Sapphire, and “Milk ‘N Honey,” “Harlem Blues” and the title track to Congo Square are all good—while so many artists keep rehashing old material, she just kept getting better with age.
Lady Tee, you will be missed.
It’s just this kinda day….
I first heard Jean Grae on KDHX in St. Louis; I was working in Belleville at the time. God damn is she in my head, speaking my mind at times….that complexity of pain, rage and being undefeated. Anyway….I needed to hear these (again) today.
More cassette fun….
Had to use a fleet vehicle again today, and that meant diggin’ through the crate of tapes before going to work. Damn, am I glad I never got rid of these tapes! What was playing today?
“Buddy X” by Neneh Cherry. Written in….don’t think honor is quite the right word….well, it was written about Lenny Kravitz, whose extramarital exploits were famously conducted under the name “Buddy X” when he checked into hotels with groupies. Catch that “Romeo….Romeo?” at the end? His stage name used to be “Romeo Blue”.
“Somedays” by Neneh Cherry, also off the Homebrew album. This live version is longer and better than the album cut I was listening to today.
Ok, this wasn’t on any of the tapes I was listening to today, but it’s too good to pass up. Neneh Cherry’s version of “Trouble Man”, from the Marvin Gaye tribute album, “Inner City Blues”. I like her phrasing in this, and the bassline is killin’. Couldn’t resist.
“Call Me” by MeShell NdegeOcello.
“Until the Good Is Gone” by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul. Gotta love a song that has the words “union hall” in it! I like the album Men Without Women, but damn! who mastered it?! Way too much treble—I think it was an attempt to sound more retro, like AM radio coming through tinny speakers in an old car. It doesn’t work on a real stereo. This live version has “Miami Steve” sounding natural—not nasal like the record. And damn, but that man has beautiful eyes.
“I Could Give You A Mirror” by Eurythmics. Annie Lennox could sing the want ads and make it sound good.
Ok, this wasn’t on any of my tapes either, but I missed hearing it. We used to warm up to this in JKD/Kali class. I miss that, too.
That’s Why I’m Cryin’: R.I.P. Koko Taylor
We lost a giant the other day. The Queen of the Blues died from complications related to surgery on June 3, 2009 at the age of 80.
Koko Taylor was born on September 28,1928 on a sharecropper’s farm outside of Memphis, TN. Her mother died when she was four, and along with her brothers and sisters she grew up helping her father on the farm—until he died also, when she was eleven. She had an early love for music and sang gospel in the local Baptist church; at home, her brothers and sisters made rudimentary instruments and “played” along with the radio. In 1952, she moved to Chicago with her fiance, Robert “Pops” Taylor; they married in 1953. They both had day jobs—Koko cleaning houses on the North Shore while Pops worked in a slaughterhouse—but at night, they’d go to the Chicago juke joints and sit in with the musicians. Koko became a favorite of the audience for her rough, low growl that invoked Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Big Mama Thornton.
In 1962, she met Willie Dixon and started recording with him; he helped her get a contract with Chess Records, where she had her first hit with Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle”. Dixon encouraged her to write her own music, so she penned her first song, “What Kind of a Man is This?” about her husband, friend, promoter and producer, Pops Taylor. After Chess Records folded, she signed with Alligator Records, and was there ever since. In 1989, a serious car accident injured Koko and several members of her band, including her husband Pops, who later died from injuries sustained in that accident. During the 1990′s she made appearances in the films “Wild at Heart” by David Lynch, “Mercury Rising” and “Blues Brothers 2000″.
Always one of the busiest performers on the blues circuit, she performed an average of 200 shows per year up until 2003, when she had a heart attack and slipped into what became a 28-day coma. She had to relearn how to walk, and returned to the stage in the spring of 2004 for a more moderate average of 100 shows a year. She has been nominated for eight Grammys and has won numerous awards from the blues community, including 25 W. C. Handy Awards (more than any other performer). In 1997, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and in 1999 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Blues Foundation. In 2004, she made a cameo appearance on the PBS children’s television show, “Arthur” along with Taj Mahal. (“Mama!! C’mere!!!! It’s the lady who sings ‘Don’t Mess with Mother Nature’!!!!”)
She co-hosted the radio program “Blues You Can Use” that aired Thursday nights from 7-10PM on Gary, Indiana’s WGVE 88.7. Still a touring musician, her last performance was at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, May 7, 2009. Koko Taylor was an inspiration to other musicians in the blues world; Susan Tedeschi, Shemekia Copeland, Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin all counted her as a strong influence. From a 1994 interview, Koko says about her music, “In other words, my career, my singin’, a lot of people ask me, “What is the blues? What does your music mean to you?” To me, my music is like a therapy. My music is healin’, you know? It’s healin’, it’s therapy, it’s encouragement. I try to sing the type of songs that make people happy. I try to sing a song that’s gonna touch somebody, to make them look up, pep up, feel good about themselves, encourage them–have a lyric that will encourage them in some way…”
And that’s one of the best explanations I’ve heard on what the blues is and why it’s still around—the frank admission of pain and cartharsis; speaking recovery into being.
“Don’t mess with Mother Nature……you’ll be sorry if you do….’cuz I’ll rain on your parade, and I’ll storm all over you!”
R.I.P. and God bless, Koko, for sharing your gift with us.
For more on Koko Taylor:
Pacing & Howling
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Changing Moods
