Happy New Year

Top 45-Grace Jones - Do or Die

"Do or Die" was the first and in most parts of the world the only single release from Grace Jones' album Fame, her second disco album. On Fame it made up the first part of the A-side non-stop medley "Do or Die"/"Pride"/"Fame". The 7" single featured a heavily edited version ( - 3:22) with the French-language non-album track "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole" as the B-side, included as a bonus track on the Canadian edition of the Fame album. The 12" single featured a slightly shorter mix of the album version with a cold end, and the B-side an extended mix of "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole". The "Do or Die"/"Pride"/"Fame" side reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard dance club play chart.

In 1985 the 7" edit of "Do or Die" was included as one of three disco tracks on the career retrospective Island Life, the other being the album versions of "I Need a Man" (1975) and "La vie en rose" (1977).
Eartha Kitt recorded a cover of the song for her 1989 album I'm Still Here.

B-side "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole"
Released 1978
Format 7" single and 12" single
Genre Disco
Length 3:22
Label Island Records
Writer(s) Jack Robinson, James Bolden
Producer Tom Moulton

Top 46-Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (Live 1979)

"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris. A top-selling song after its initial release, it has remained a popular disco anthem, certified as double platinum by the RIAA. The song's lyrics describe the narrator's discovery of personal strength following an initially devastating breakup, delivered with increasing confidence and backed by a stirring instrumental accompaniment. It is one of the most famous disco songs of all time and remains Gaynor's biggest hit. It received heavy airplay in 1979, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK on consecutive days.

Originally released as the B-side to a cover version of the Righteous Brothers song "Substitute", "I Will Survive" became a worldwide hit for Gaynor when disc jockeys played that side of the record instead. New copies of the record were eventually pressed with "I Will Survive" as the A-side. ("Substitute" itself peaked at number 107 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.)

The song received the Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980, the only year the award was given. It is ranked #492 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and ranked at #97 on Billboard magazine's "All-Time Hot 100". In 2000 the song was ranked #1 in VH1's list of the 100 greatest dance songs. Comedian George Carlin, however, listed it without comment as item 9 on his list of "10 Most Embarrassing Songs of All Time".

A promotional video was filmed in 1979 the New York discothèque called Xenon. Sheila Reid-Pender of Harlem, NY is the featured skater in the video from the skating group, The Village Wizards. Although three videos were filmed that day, the "I Will Survive" video was the only one to survive. The video can be seen on VH-1 and You Tube.

Following the success of fellow 1970s disco stars Sister Sledge with remixed singles in the UK in 1993, "I Will Survive" was also remixed and released that summer. This remix reached number five on the UK Singles Chart.

Featured in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), and stage musical, Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical

Top 47-Foxy - Get off

Foxy is a Latin Dance/disco group formed in 1976 in Miami, Florida.

The group consisted of vocalist-guitarist Ish "Angel" Ledesma (born on October 2, 1952 in Cuba), percussionist Richard "Richie" Puente, keyboardist Charlie Murciano, bass guitarist Arnold Paseiro (born on Oct 30, 1950) and drummer Joe Galdo. Carl Driggs contributed vocals/percussion and shared songwriting credits on their second album, Get Off[1]. Puente (who died on July 18, 2004 at age 51) was the son of the late, famous bandleader Tito Puente.

Their biggest hit was "Get Off" in 1978 (written by Ledesma and Driggs), which peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Soul chart for two weeks. It was their only release from the album Get Off, which was released in 1978.

Their third album Hot Number was released the following year. The first single "Hot Number" peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #4 on the Soul chart in 1979.

Brian Avnet managed Foxy at the peak of their success and now manages the career of Josh Groban.

Ish Ledesma later formed the groups Oxo in 1983 and Company B in 1986, the latter with his wife Lori L., her sister Lezlee Livrano, and Susan Johnson.

Carl (Carlo) Driggs, in addition to his involvement and writing credits with Foxy[1], was the lead singer of Kracker, a group touted by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who released three albums. Driggs was also the lead singer of Paul Revere and The Raiders for over 20 years.
Album discography

* Foxy (1976)
* Get Off (1978)
* Hot Numbers (1979)
* Party Boys (1979)
* Live (1980)

Top 48-Donna Summer - Last Dance (1978) HQ

"Last Dance" is a song written by Paul Jabara. It was sung by Donna Summer for the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack in 1978. She also had a mini role in the same film (see Thank God It's Friday), singing the song. "Last Dance" was mixed by the Grammy Award winning record producer Stephen Short, whose back-up vocals are featured in the song.

"Last Dance" won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song the same year. It is one of Summer's favorite songs and remains one of her most popular hits in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play charts, then Hot Disco Action Charts, for 6 weeks in 1978. The song has sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone.

"Last Dance" was one of the first disco songs to also feature slow tempo parts. It starts off slow; the full-length version in the film soundtrack also has a slow part in the middle. This part was edited out for the 12" format, while more of the song was edited for the 7". The versions found on most greatest hits packages is either the original 7" edit ( - 3:21) or the slightly longer and remixed version from the 1979 compilation On The Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 ( - 4:56). "Last Dance" started a trend for Summer as many of her disco hits following Last Dance also had a slow tempo intro/vocal beginning. Her other hits of this tempo format include "On the Radio"; "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)", a duet with Barbra Streisand; "Dim All the Lights"; and another song written by and duetted with Paul Jabara, "Foggy Day/Never Lose Your Sense Of Humor" from his album, "The Third Album".

Top 49-GRACE JONES ~♫~ LA VIE EN ROSE

"La Vie En Rose" (French pronunciation: [la vi ɑ̃ ʁoz], Life through rose-coloured glasses, literally Life in pink) was the signature song of French singer Édith Piaf.

Piaf first popularized the song in 1946. The lyrics were written by Piaf and the melody of the song by "Louiguy" (Louis Gugliemi). Initially, Piaf's peers and her songwriting team did not think the song would be successful, but it became a favorite with audiences. An English version of the lyrics was written later by Mack David. Owing to its popularity, the song appeared on most of Piaf's subsequent albums. A 1998 documentary about Édith Piaf was called La Vie En Rose, as was the 2007 biographical feature film La Vie En Rose, which won Marion Cotillard an Academy Award for Best Actress for portraying Piaf in the film from the age of 19 until her death at 47.

The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1998.

"La Vie En Rose" was the third single by Jamaican singer and actress Grace Jones, her first single release on Island Records after having signed with the label and released her début album Portfolio in 1977. The single version was heavily edited, the original album version being more than seven minutes long. Jones' fairly radical bossanova/disco interpretation of Édith Piaf's signature tune became her first international hit single and a staple of her repertoire and later performed as part of her 1981 A One Man Show, then the only track from her disco era to be included in the show. Jones' recording of "La vie en rose" was released as a single in 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1985. The single finally reached #12 in the UK charts when re-released as a double A-side with "Pull Up To The Bumper" in 1985.

Top 50-Hot Chocolate - Every 1's a winner 1978

Hot Chocolate are a British pop band popular during the 1970s and 1980s, formed by Errol Brown. The act had at least one hit every year between 1970 and 1984 and their song "You Sexy Thing" made the Top 10 in three decades.

Top 51-Jimmy Bo Horne Dance Across the floor

Jimmy "Bo" Horne (born Jimmie Horace Horne, Jr. on September 28, 1949 - in West Palm Beach, Florida) is an American musician, singer, and recording artist.

Horne was an only child and both his parents were school teachers.

He enjoyed some success in the 1970s, recording dance-oriented songs and novelty tracks for such labels as Alston and Sunshine Records. "Dance Across the Floor" was his lone R&B Top 10 hit in 1978, and it was written and produced by Harry Wayne Casey, of KC and the Sunshine Band fame. The song also appeared in the hit Brazilian gangster movie City of God. It has been sampled by controversial Gangsta rap group Da Lench Mob for their 1993 song "Freedom Got an AK", as well as by DJ Cash Money & Marvelous in their 1988 song "The Mighty Hard Rocker".

Horne's other Top 20 R&B single was "You Get Me Hot" in 1979 for Sunshine Records, although the prior release, "Spank," (sampled in 1998 for D'Menace's "Deep Menace",[2] as well as Ultra Naté's "Release The Pressure") also received airplay in many clubs. "Spank" featured in the 1998 film 54.

Horne's last single was the disco flavoured "Is It In" in 1980, which (due to the decline of disco's popularity) flopped, but later featured on the fictional radio station, Paradise FM, on Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. It was also sampled by Jungle Brothers for the 1989 song "Beyond this World" as well as Kasino for their 1998 song "Nasty Girl".

Horne's 1978 song "Let me (Let Me Be Your Lover)" was sampled by the Stereo MCs in their 1992 song "Connected"

Horne's song "Spank" was heavily sampled by DJ Falcon in Falcon's song "first"

For a year between 1997 and 1998, Horne's 1977 song "Get Happy" was played in the background of The Chris Rock Show on HBO. It is also sampled in The Council's "Prepare For The Shining".

Horne has also been a guest on the Marilu Henner Show, along with Harry Wayne Casey (K.C).
Singles

* I Can't Speak - 1967-70
* Sweet Love Power - 1967-70
* Street Corners - 1967-70
* Down The Road Of Love - 1967
* Clean Up Man - 1972
* If You Want My Love - 1972-74
* Two People In Love - 1972-74
* Don't Worry About It - 1975
* Gimme Some (Part One) - 1975 #47
* Hey There Jim - 1976-77
* Get Happy - 1977 #46
* Dance Across The Floor - 1978 #8
* Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover) - 1978 #60
* Spank - 1979 #55
* You Get Me Hot - 1979 #18
* If We Were Still - 1979
* Without You - 1980 #78
* Is It In - 1980 #77
* You're So Good To Me - 1983
* Rocket In The Pocket - 1984
* Let's Do It - 1985
* Show Me How Much - 1987
* Spank '87 - 1987
* Rhythm In My Heart - 1989
* Get This Lovin' - 1994-95

Top 52-Jerry Goldsmith - Coma - Disco Love Theme

Love Theme (Disco Version) from Coma (1978) by Jerry Goldsmith.

Jerrald King "Jerry" Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American composer and conductor.

He is considered as one of the most prominent and prolific film composers of the 20th century. Goldsmith worked in various film and television genres, but is commonly associated with action, science fiction, fantasy, and horror films. He was nominated for five Grammy Awards, nine Golden Globes, four BAFTAs and seventeen Academy Awards, but only received one Oscar for The Omen in 1976.

Top 53-John Paul Young - Standing In The Rain (1978)

The European success prompted local radio stations to play "Standing in the Rain" and it peaked at No. 12 on the national singles charts in March 1978.

Top 54-John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air (1978)

John Paul Young (born 21 June 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland) (known as JPY or Squeak to fans) is an Australian pop singer-songwriter who had a 1978 worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air". Initially performing as John Young, he was associated with songwriters/producers Vanda & Young (ex-The Easybeats), who provided him with "Love Is in the Air", "Yesterday's Hero", "I Hate the Music" and "Standing in the Rain". His career was boosted by regular appearances as a performer and guest host on national broadcaster, ABC's 1974–1987 TV series, Countdown. For touring purposes he fronted The All Stars, who also worked with Vanda & Young's former bandmate Stevie Wright. The All Stars included Warren Morgan (ex-Chain, Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs) on piano and vocals, who co-wrote songs with Young. Besides "Love Is in the Air", Young had top ten chart success in Germany and the Netherlands with "Standing in the Rain" and four other top ten hits in South Africa, including No. 1 hits with "I Hate the Music" in 1976 and "Yesterday's Hero" in 1977.

On 27 August 2009, Young was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame alongside Kev Carmody, The Dingoes, Little Pattie and Mental As Anything

Top 55-La Bionda - One for you, one for me

"La Bionda" brothers (Carmelo and Michelangelo) are more remembered for being the first major successful and internationally renowned dance producers from Italy, their early work is a blend of folk and progressive 70's rock but slowly when they began to take more "disco" directions until 1977 This year they have made a breakthrough with the song "Disco Bass" which became the soundtrack to the most popular sport television transmission of the time "Disco Bass" and other successes such as "1234 Gimme some more" "She is not a Disco Lady" was under a different pseudonym DD Sound (DD stands for Disco Delivery) brothers became widely recognized as producers, and they continued to work on their own track to make a hymn "I'll be your lover" a song that kOmmeren be rediscovered as Annie opened her DJ Kicks with this track is also a rare video of this song that shows something that Daft Punk's Interstella 5555 but from 1980 as producers of their most successful work is jingles for well-known television shows and commercials and italo disco Pop act Righeira

Top 56-I was made for dancing - Leif Garrett

Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik November 8, 1961) is an American singer and actor. He became famous in the late 1970s as a teen idol, but received much publicity in later life for his drug abuse and legal troubles.

In autumn of 1976, Garrett signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records and recorded his first album, Leif Garrett. The album was released in 1977, and his first four singles charted modestly on the US Hot 100. His cover version of "Runaround Sue" reached the highest at #13. In mid-1978 he signed with Scotti Brothers Records and recorded his second album, Feel the Need. Its first single, "I Was Made For Dancin'", reached #10 on the US Hot 100 and #4 on the British chart in early-1979. However, subsequent singles failed to crack the Top 20 in either country. Nevertheless, Garrett continued to record, releasing the albums Same Goes For You (1979), Can't Explain (1980) and My Movie of You (1981) in quick succession.

Top 57-Lou Rawls I'll See You When I Get There

Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls (December 1, 1933[1] – January 6, 2006) was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game". Rawls released more than 70 albums sold more than 40 million records appeared as an actor in motion pictures and on television, and voiced-over many cartoons.

Rawls is the subject of an upcoming biopic, tentatively titled Love Is a Hurtin' Thing: The Lou Rawls Story. Rawls' son, Lou Rawls Jr., is the author of the script. Rawls will reportedly be portrayed by the actor Isaiah Washington. Rawls' favorite expression was "Yeah buddy!"

Top 58-Love and Kisses Thank God It's Friday

Thank God It's Friday was the soundtrack to the 1978 disco film of the same name. The triple album was, unlike the movie, a commercial success. It contained contributions from some of the biggest names in disco at the time, including Donna Summer, Diana Ross, Thelma Houston, The Commodores, and many others.
Besides Love & Kisses' title track, the biggest hit single on the album was Donna Summer's "Last Dance", which won an Academy Award as well as a Golden Globe for Best Original Song and also made it to #3 on the US singles chart. The song was written by Paul Jabara, who the following year would go on to compose Summer's duet with Barbra Streisand, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". Jabara himself performed two of the songs on the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack, and also appeared in the film as well.

Love & Kisses was a 1970s disco group assembled by European producer Alec Costandinos, with a variety of male/female singers.

After collaborating on Cerrone's debut album Love In C Minor (1976), Costandinos assembled Love and Kisses in early 1977, and shortly after the group released their first album, which contained just two songs - and so was also classed as a double A-side single. These were "Accidental Lover" and I Found Love (Now That I Have Found You), which combined orchestral sounds, classical influences and a disco arrangement. The single charted at #1 for three weeks on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.

The following year saw the release of their second album entitled How Much, How Much I Love You, (title track covered side one, "Beauty and the Beast" completed side two) utilising the same basic formula. Both songs became top five disco smashes. This was followed closely by the group's biggest hit, "Thank God It's Friday", the title song from the movie. It peaked at #23 R&B, #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 for six weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The soundtrack, which featured Donna Summer's "Last Dance" and the Commodores "Too Hot Ta Trot", was nominated for several Grammy Awards.

Their third and final album, You Must Be Love was released in 1979, but met with less success. Shortly thereafter the group disassembled.

Discography
Albums

1977 Love and Kisses
1978 How Much, How Much I Love You
1979 You Must Be Love

Top 59-Luisa Fernandez - Lay love on you 1978

Patrick Hernandez from Born to be Alive is married to Spanish-born singer Luisa Fernandez who plays classic hits album Lay Love On You, Disco Boy and Spanish Dancer, among others.

Top 60-Macho - I'm A Man

"I'm a Man" is a song written by Spencer Davis Group singer-songwriter Steve Winwood and record producer Jimmy Miller.

The original recording was a fast, Hammond organ-driven blues rock track released as a single by the Spencer Davis Group in early 1967, reaching number nine in the UK Singles Chart and number 10 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was the last hit single by the band before the brothers Steve and Muff Winwood left to pursue their own separate careers.



Marzio Vincenzi, lead and background vocalist originally from Bologna, Italy, and Mauro Malavasi produced in 1978 a version of "I'm a Man" under the name Macho which is a classic of disco music, or as some have classified it, "rosco music", a hybrid between rock and disco genres.

A further disco-flavored version is the one released by keyboardist Keith Emerson in his soundtrack album of the 1981 film Nighthawks, featuring him providing unlikely lead vocals. The song underpins a key scene in the movie in a slightly different version which features a longer instrumental coda not included in the original record.

Teena Marie ( behind the groove )

Lady T is the second album by Teena Marie, released in 1980. The album was produced by Richard Rudolph, and the track "Too Many Colors" features the then 7 year-old Maya Rudolph, daughter of Rudolph and his late wife Minnie Riperton. The packaging of Marie's debut album Wild and Peaceful had not included a picture of the singer, and the image on the sleeve of this album surprised many people who had assumed Marie was African American.

Lady T peaked at #18 on the Black Albums chart and #45 on the Pop Albums chart. Lead single "Behind the Groove" peaked at #21 on the US Black Singles chart and became Marie's only top 20 hit in the United Kingdom, reaching #6 in that country.

Track listing
1."Behind The Groove" (Marie, Richard Rudolph) 6:07
2."Now That I Have You" (A. Philips, Richard Rudolph, Claudia Talbot) 5:32
3."Lonely Desire" (Marie, Richard Rudolph, Dwayne Wedlaw) 4:39
4."Aladdin's Lamp" (Marie) 4:55
5."You're All the Boogie I Need" (Mickey Hearn, Marie) 5:44
6."Can It Be Love" (Marie, Dwayne Wedlaw) 4:24
7."Young Girl in Love" (J. Jones, Marie) 3:55
8."Why Did I Have To Fall in Love With You" (Marie, Sopuch) 4:45
9."Too Many Colors (Tee's Interlude)" (Marie) 3:10
10."Why Can't I Get Next to You" (Marie) 3:58
11."Co-Pilot to Pilot" (Marie) 4:23

Singer-songwriter Teena Marie dies at 54

(CNN) -- Teena Marie, a celebrated R&B singer-songwriter, was found dead Sunday at her California home, her manager said.
Born Mary Christine Brockert in Santa Monica, California, the 54-year-old artist famously paired with late funk legend Rick James and was nominated four times for a Grammy Award, according to her official website.
Marie was found dead by her daughter after apparently dying in her sleep, manager Mike Gardner said.
"Teena was a black voice trapped in a white body," said Cathy Hughes, founder of Radio One, a broadcasting company that targets African-American and urban listeners. "I would always tell her that she was one of the greatest vocalists of our time."
Among her songs were "Lovergirl," "Portuguese Love," "Ooo La La La," and "I'm a Sucker for Your Love."
While no cause of death has been released, the singer's publicist Lynn Jeter said that Marie suffered a grand mal seizure -- a neurological event, marked by loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions, according to the Mayo Clinic -- a month ago.
"Luckily, someone was there," Jeter said of that seizure. "The ambulance took her to the hospital, and on the way she had another seizure."
The publicist said that she had a "great" conversation on Saturday with Marie, who told her that she was excited about heading to Atlanta to perform this week -- in what would have been her first performance since the seizure.
Marie sang under various record labels, including Motown, Epic, Stax Records and Cash Money Classics, since bursting on the scene as a 19-year-old, according to her website. Her last studio album, Congo Square, featured several collaborations.
"The enduring influence of Teena's inspirational, trailblazing career, could only have been made possible through her brilliant song-writing, showmanship and high energy passion which laid the ground work for the future generations of R&B, hip-hop, and soul," said Gene Rumsey, chief label officer with Concord Music Group. "We feel extremely fortunate to have worked with a visionary who changed music in indelible ways."
Eddie Levert, founder of the vocal group The O'Jays, praised Marie as both a singer and mother.

"There are a lot of black people who swore by her and believed in her, as far as her music was concerned," he said. "She was a good mom, and to me, that is saying a lot.''

Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010) was an American singer–songwriter–producer. Marie, nicknamed Lady Tee, (sometimes spelled Lady T), was a protégée of funk legend Rick James, and was notable as one of the few successful white performers of R&B. She played rhythm guitar, keyboards and congas. She also wrote, produced, sang and arranged virtually all of her songs since her 1980 release, Irons in the Fire, which she said was her favorite album. She had a daughter, Alia Rose, who, as of 2009, sang under the name Rose Le Beau Marie died on Sunday, December 26, 2010, at home, as announced by her manager, Mike Gardner. She was 54.

Biography

A four-time Grammy nominee, Mary Christine Brockert had a strong African-American influence from her godmother. Blessed with the gift of music at a young age, the Santa Monica, California, native grew up in the historically African-American enclave of Oakwood, California in westside Los Angeles. Raised on Motown music and singing Harry Belafonte music by age 2, Marie’s self-professed “Gift from God” would become fine-tuned as the years progressed. 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' son when she was 10 years old.
Marie worked briefly at Mar Vista's 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 production of The Music Man In a recent television interview, she noted she drove a Chevy Vega during this period.

1979–1982: Motown era

Marie signed with Motown Records in 1976, having gained an introduction to staff producer Hal Davis (best known for his work with Brenda Holloway and the Jackson 5) and then auditioned, with her then band, for label boss Berry Gordy. She recorded unreleased material with a number of different producers, including Kerner and Wise, but was then spotted by Rick James, and guitarist Paul C Saenz, who effectively became her mentors. (Some of the earlier unreleased material has since been made available on compilation .) Her debut album release, Wild and Peaceful, was originally conceived as a project to be produced by James for Diana Ross, but James preferred to work with Marie. The album was, at one point, due to be credited to "Tina Tryson", but ultimately was put out under Marie's now-established stage name. It scored Marie her first top-ten R&B hit, "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love" (#8 Black Singles Chart)^,which was a duet with James. Neither the album sleeve nor other packaging showed a picture of Marie, apparently on the theory that black audiences might be reluctant to buy an album by a white artist. In fact, many radio programmers wrongly assumed Marie was African American during the earliest months of her career. This myth was disproved when Marie performed her debut hit with James on Soul Train in 1979. In 1980, her second album, Lady T, sported a picture of her on the cover.
Marie's second album, Lady T, is noted for having production from Richard Rudolph (husband of R&B singer Minnie Riperton, who died a year earlier). Marie had asked Berry Gordy to contact Rudolph and secure his input as Rick James was unavailable and she felt unprepared to be sole producer of her own material. Rudolph intended for the song he penned, "Now That I Have You", to be sung by his wife, but it was later given to Marie. Rudolph also co-composed the single "Behind The Groove", which reached number 21 on the black singles chart and the top ten on the U.K. singles chart. The song was also included on the soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the Fever 105 station. Another notable track, "Too Many Colors," featured Rudolph and Riperton's then 7-year-old daughter, Maya Rudolph, who became Teena Marie's god-daughter.
Also in 1980, Marie released her third LP, Irons in The Fire, in which she handled all writing and production herself, including the horn and rhythm arrangements of her band and all backing vocals.The single "I Need Your Lovin'" (#37 Pop, #9 Black Singles) brought Teena her first top 40 hit. That same year, Teena Marie appeared on James' hugely successful album, Street Songs, with the steamy duet "Fire and Desire". The two would perform the single at the 2004 BET Awards, which would be their last TV appearance with one another as Rick James died later that year.Marie continued her success with Motown in 1981, with the release of It Must Be Magic (#2 Black Albums Chart), her first gold record, which included her then biggest hit on R&B, "Square Biz" (#3 Black Singles). Other notable tracks include "Portuguese Love" (featuring a brief, uncredited cameo by James, #54 Black Singles), the title track "It Must be Magic" (#30 Black Singles), and album only track "Yes Indeed", which Marie cites as a personal favorite.
In 1982, Marie got into a heated legal battle with Motown records over her contract and disagreements about releasing her new material. The scuffle resulted in "The Brockert Initiative", which makes it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for that artist. In such instances, artists are able to sign and release with another label instead of being held back by an unsupportive one. Teena Marie commented on the law in an LA Times article, saying, "It wasn't something I set out to do. I just wanted to get away from Motown and have a good life. But it helped a lot of people, like Luther Vandross and the Mary Jane Girls, and a lot of different artists, to be able to get out of their contracts."1983–1990: Epic era
After leaving Motown in 1982, Marie signed with Epic Records in 1983 and released the concept album Robbery, which featured the hit "Fix It" (#21 R&B), as well as "Shadow Boxing" and "Casanova Brown." The latter was one of a number of tracks Marie would write over the years about her real-life romance with one-time mentor Rick James. The relationship had ended by that point, but the two would continue a sometimes tempestuous friendship, until James's death in August 2004. In 1984, Marie released her biggest-selling album, Starchild. It yielded the hit single "Lovergirl", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March, 1985 and at #9 on the R&B chart. She also released "Out on a Limb", which peaked at #56 on the R&B charts but didn't make it onto the pop charts. "14k" (R&B #87) was featured on the soundtrack of the film Goonies (1985) but did not chart.
In 1986, Marie released a rock music-influenced concept album titled Emerald City. It was controversial with her established fan base and not as successful as its predecessors. She also recorded another rock-influenced track, "Lead Me On", co-produced by Giorgio Moroder, for the soundtrack of the box office hit film, Top Gun (1986). In 1988, however, she returned to her R&B and funk roots, releasing the critically-acclaimed album Naked to the World. That album contained the hit "Ooo La La La", which reached the top of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and remains her only #1 single on that chart to date. During her 1988 Naked to the World concert tour, she suffered a fall and was hospitalized for six months.


Marie released Ivory in the fall of 1990. Despite the success of the first two singles, "Here's Looking at You" (#11 R&B) and "If I Were a Bell" (#8 R&B), Epic Records was not totally pleased with sales of the album, so Marie and her label mutually agreed to go their separate ways.

1991–2003: Hiatus, Passion Play and Black Rain
During the 1990s, Marie's classic R&B, soul, and funk records were either sampled by hip-hop artists or covered by R&B divas. Marie herself is regarded as something of a pioneer in helping to bring hip-hop to the mainstream by becoming one of the first and only artists of her time to rap one of her singles—the aforementioned "Square Biz". In the hip-hop portion of that song, she mentions some of her inspirations: Sarah Vaughn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni, "just to name a few". In 1996, the Fugees paid tribute to her by interpolating the chorus of her 1988 hit, "Ooo, La, La, La", into its own "Fu-Gee-La", which was a huge hit.


In the fall of 1994, Marie released Passion Play on her independent label, Sarai Records. Lacking the backing of a major label, this album sold less well than her earlier work, but was well received by fans.
Subsequently, Marie devoted most of her time to raising her daughter Alia Rose (who has since adopted the stage name "Rose Le Beau" and is pursuing her own singing career). During the late 1990s, Marie made appearances (as herself) on the TV sitcoms, The Steve Harvey Show and The Parkers. She also began work on a new album, titled Black Rain. She was unable to secure a major label deal for this, and did not want to put it out on her own Sarai label in light of the modest sales of Passion Play. However, a version pressed for promotional purposes was widely bootlegged among fans. This contained the tracks, "The Mackin' Game", "I'll Take the Pressure", "Baby, I'm Your Fiend", "My Body's Hungry", "Ecstasy", "I'm on Fire", "Watcha Got 4 Me", "Black Rain", "1999", "Butterflies", "Spanish Harlem", "Blackberry Playa", "The Perfect Feeling", and "Rainbow Outro". Some of these tracks resurfaced on the later albums: La Doña, Sapphire, and Congo Square; in some cases (e.g. "The Mackin Game") in significantly reworked versions. Although there have been rumors of other tracks recorded during the Black Rain sessions, including one called "Underneath the Covers" and another (allegedly a duet with Rick James) titled "Pretty Tony", these would appear to be apocryphal.

2004–2007: La Doña and Sapphire

After a 14-year sabbatical from the national spotlight, Marie returned to her musical career by signing with the Classics sub-label of the successful hip-hop label, Cash Money Records. She released her comeback album, La Doña, in 2004, and follow up Sapphire, in 2006. La Doña became a gold-certified success (and the highest-charting album of her career, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200 chart) on the basis of the Al Green-sampled "I'm Still In Love" (#23 R&B, #70 Pop) and a duet with the late Gerald Levert, "A Rose by Any Other Name". Marie was nominated for a Grammy Awards 2005 for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Still in Love". Marie quickly followed this success with the release of Sapphire in 2006. While sales were not as great this time around (the album peaked at #24 on the Pop Chart), the release did give Marie yet another R&B Top-40 hit, "Ooh Wee" (#32); it also reunited her (on "God Has Created" and "Cruise Control") with Smokey Robinson, the early Motown mentor whose style she had emulated on early hits such as "Young Love". Marie parted ways with Ca$h Money records after the release of Sapphire.

2008–2010: Congo Square

On September 19, 2008, Teena performed in concert at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City. Marie took this time to play a couple of finished tracks from her upcoming album, Congo Square, and she received a positive response from the crowd. Congo Square was released on June 9, 2009 on Stax/Concord Records. She has described the album as "personal and spiritual" and indicated that it was more jazz-influenced than most of her previous work. "Can't Last a Day", a duet with Faith Evans, leaked to the Internet in March 2009. Teena Marie says of Evans, "It was after I had recorded the song ("Can't Last a Day") I got the idea to put Faith on it. I’ve always loved Faith and her vocal style. She reminds me of me. Her correlation with Biggie — having a career with him and without him — reminds me of me and Rick. I feel like she’s a younger me. Of the younger ladies, she’s the one I love most.” Meanwhile, with regard to her early-life inspirations for Congo Square, in January 2010 Teena told Lee Tyler, editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul magazine: "I wanted to do songs that reflected the things that I loved when I was growing up. Every single song on the record is dedicated to someone, or some musical giant that I loved. 'The Pressure' is dedicated to Rick James; 'Can't Last a Day' is dedicated to the Gamble & Huff sound - the Philly International sound'. Then 'Baby I Love You' and 'Ear Candy' are dedicated to Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield - with memories of riding down Crenshaw in LA in jeeps and bumping to music on the 808. While 'Miss Coretta' is, of course, dedicated to Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the late wife of Dr. Martin Luther King."Sales-wise, the album proved another success, reaching the Top 20 on Billboard's Top 200, and giving Teena Marie yet another Top 10 R&B chart entry. In 2010, Marie continued to be a headliner on the Las Vegas Strip, appearing regularly at the Las Vegas Hilton and other venues up untill just before her death the day after Chirstmas of that year at age 54.

Discography

Studio albums

• Wild and Peaceful (1979)
• Lady T (1980)
• Irons in the Fire (1980)
• It Must Be Magic (1981)
• Robbery (1983)
• Starchild (1984)
• Emerald City (1986)
• Naked to the World (1988)
• Ivory (1990)
• Passion Play (1994)
• La Doña (2004)
• Sapphire (2006)
• Congo Square (2009)