Following graduation, Brockert juggled auditioning for various record companies with studying English literature at Santa Monica College.

In 1976, 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).

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.

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.

[17] This myth was disproved when she performed her debut hit with James on Soul Train in 1979, becoming the show's first white female guest.

Her album Lady T (1980), featured her portrait on the cover, and it is noted for having production from Richard Rudolph (the widower of R&B singer Minnie Riperton).

Teena 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.

[18] Also in 1980, Teena Marie released the LP Irons in the Fire, for which she handled most of the writing and production herself, an achievement considered rare at the time for a female artist.

[19] Teena Marie continued her success with Motown in 1981, with the release of It Must Be Magic (#2 R&B Albums Chart), her first gold record, which included her then biggest hit on R&B, "Square Biz" (#3 R&B Singles).

[8] In 1982, Teena Marie got into a heated legal battle with Motown Records over her contract and disagreements about releasing her new material.

Epic released the concept album Robbery, which featured the hit "Fix It" (#21 R&B), as well as "Shadow Boxing" and "Casanova Brown".

She also recorded the rock-influenced track "Lead Me On", co-produced by Giorgio Moroder, for the soundtrack of the box-office hit film Top Gun (1986).

[25] During the 1990s, Teena Marie's classic R&B, soul, and funk records were either sampled by hip-hop artists or covered by R&B divas.

Teena Marie herself is regarded as something of a pioneer in helping to bring hip-hop to the mainstream by becoming one of the first 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 Vaughan, Johann Sebastian Bach, Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, and Nikki Giovanni.

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".

She took this time to play a couple of finished tracks from her upcoming album Congo Square and received a positive response from the audience.

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.

"[29] Regarding the early-life inspirations for Congo Square, Teena Marie told Blues & Soul magazine editor Lee Tyler in January 2010: "I wanted to do songs that reflected the things that I loved when I was growing up.

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 i.e. Roland TR-808 drum machine.

Teena Marie gave birth to a daughter, Alia Rose, on December 25, 1991, whom she had with a man named Peter Butcher.

Teena Marie lived in various neighborhoods and cities throughout greater Los Angeles, including Santa Monica, Inglewood, Pasadena, and Marina Del Rey.

[34] On the afternoon of December 26, 2010, Teena Marie was found dead by her daughter, Alia Rose, in her Pasadena home.

Among those in attendance were Stevie Wonder, Deniece Williams, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, LisaRaye, Sinbad, Tichina Arnold, Shanice, and Berry Gordy.