Biography of Teena Marie

This protégé of Rick James was one of Motown's most successful White artists. In the early '80s, she was one of the label's most successful artists, as her combination of funk, rock, pop and R&B earned two gold albums; she was also an accomplished writer and producer as well. She left the label in 1983, moving to Epic; her chart success continued at first, yet her popularity shrunk by the end of the decade. She was inactive for most of the '90s. ~ Rick A. Bueche

Biography of Teena Marie

This protégé of Rick James was one of Motown's most successful White artists. In the early '80s, she was one of the label's most successful artists, as her combination of funk, rock, pop and R&B earned two gold albums; she was also an accomplished writer and producer as well. She left the label in 1983, moving to Epic; her chart success continued at first, yet her popularity shrunk by the end of the decade. She was inactive for most of the '90s. ~ Rick A. Bueche

Biography of Rick James

Considered somewhat of a renegade, Rick James burst on the scene in the late '70s with a blend of rock and soul music he called "punk funk." His lyrics usually encouraged drug use and illicit sex. Things turned bad for Rick James in the '90s. He'd scored one final number one R&B hit in 1988, "Loosey's Rap," with Roxanne Shante. But he was charged and ultimately convicted of kidnapping and assault in an incident involving a woman in his hotel room. James is currently imprisoned, awaiting word on whether he'll get paroled in 1994. Motown planned to release a boxed-set collection of his greatest recordings in the fall of '94. ~ Rick A. Bueche and Ron Wynn

Biography of Rick James

Considered somewhat of a renegade, Rick James burst on the scene in the late '70s with a blend of rock and soul music he called "punk funk." His lyrics usually encouraged drug use and illicit sex. Things turned bad for Rick James in the '90s. He'd scored one final number one R&B hit in 1988, "Loosey's Rap," with Roxanne Shante. But he was charged and ultimately convicted of kidnapping and assault in an incident involving a woman in his hotel room. James is currently imprisoned, awaiting word on whether he'll get paroled in 1994. Motown planned to release a boxed-set collection of his greatest recordings in the fall of '94. ~ Rick A. Bueche and Ron Wynn