She was known by her childhood nickname Tina [ 2 ] before taking the stage name Teena Marie and later acquired the nickname Lady T , [ 3 ] given to her by her collaborator and friend Rick James. She was known for her distinctive and soulful soprano vocals, [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] which caused many listeners to believe she was black.
She played rhythm guitar, keyboards, and congas. Teena Marie was a 4 time Grammy Award nominee. 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. In the early s, after the family moved to Venice , California, Brockert spent her adolescent years in the historically black Venice enclave of Oakwood , nicknamed "Venice Harlem".
There, she acquired a strong spiritual influence from neighborhood matriarch Berthalynn Jackson, a black woman who became her godmother. Following graduation, Brockert juggled auditioning for various record companies with studying English literature at Santa Monica College. In , Brockert as the lead singer of a band she had assembled, which included long-time friend Mickey Boyce gained an introduction to Motown Records staff producer Hal Davis best known for his work with Brenda Holloway and the Jackson 5.
It led to an audition for a film about orphans that was being developed by Motown. The project was shelved, but label boss Berry Gordy , impressed with her singing but having no need for a musical group, decided to sign her as a solo act. Tina recorded unreleased material with a number of different producers over the next few years, before being spotted by labelmate Rick James , who was immediately impressed with her sound. Some of Tina's earlier, unreleased material has been made available on the compilation album First Class Love: Rare Tee.
At the time, James, already established as a successful recording artist, was on tap to produce for Diana Ross but changed his mind and decided to work with Brockert, instead. The result was her debut album release, Wild and Peaceful. The album was, at one point, due to be credited to "Teena Tryson", but ultimately was put out under "Teena Marie", the name by which she was known throughout her remaining career.
