It has always been part of my curious nature to want to learn more about the lives and experiences of figures I respect and admire. The smallest, everyday detail can sometimes provide the most vivid piece of evidence that someone was actually a human being. His or her success was not simply a fluke or stroke of luck, but a successful singer, car designer, writer, etc. very often had a very real set of life circumstances over which they triumphed before managing to make their broader mark on the world. In many instances, the cars they drove while on the road (literally and figuratively) to their eventual success were a tangible part of their day-to-day lives.
It’s really not that hard for me to get lost in researching things online, in general. I have always loved popular music across many diverse formats, and there is a lot of biographical content on YouTube. I’m often busy creating content of my own in the realm of pictures and words, so I don’t always have the time to sit down and read a book, though I am nearly all the way through Mariah Carey’s recent autobiography (which is fascinating, insightful, and well-written). Sometimes, though, I just want to find something to watch online and get comfortable on the couch for an hour or so.
I’ve referenced my love of the artistry of Teena Marie here at Curbside a few times before, the first instance of which was probably an essay I had written several years back about a ’79 Buick Electra found near one of my former neighborhoods in Flint, Michigan. Born Mary Christine Brockert, she not only wrote and sang her own material, but she eventually produced it as well, starting with her third album, 1980’s Irons In The Fire. I have included a brief list of some of my favorite songs of hers at the end of this post, for those who are unfamiliar and interested. I can remember dancing as a young boy with joy and abandon to her rich, celebratory R&B sound (to “Square Biz”) with other kids in a basement without knowing her name, who she was, or even that she was as white as my own mother.
It was during the second part of an interview she had given with cable channel TV One that I had made a fascinating discovery. At around the 2:56 mark of this clip, Teena makes reference to driving her Vega from Burbank to Palm Springs, following one particularly unsatisfying early rehearsal session with a budding group called “Apollo”, one of her labelmates on Motown. I immediately hit “rewind” in a puzzled moment after I thought I had heard her say what she actually did say. “Vega…” “Vega…” “Got in my Vega…” I must have listened to her say that word and phrase for a full minute on repeat with a huge grin on my face before moving on with the rest of the interview with my mind blown like an original 2300 head gasket.
There were no other clues provided as to the model year of Teena’s Vega, but by the point in the mid-’70s around the time of her rehearsals with Apollo, any Vega could have been well on its way to beaterdom even if only a few years old. Both Apollo and Teena Marie would release albums on the Motown label in 1979, with that of the former being their only release, and with Marie on her way to major stardom with Wild And Peaceful, which featured her breakout single and duet with Rick James (her mentor), “I’m Just A Sucker For Your Love”. This song would peak at No. 8 on Billboard’s R&B chart, and would be just the start of a huge career on Black urban contemporary radio and in record stores across the country.
Just imagine, though, what would have happened had her Vega broken down on the road in some tragic fashion after that disastrous rehearsal session with Apollo which prompted her to drive off. This all happened decades before the modern prevalence of cell phones, and though there were call boxes or pay phones in existence, the distance she might have had to walk or ride to get to one might have presented its own challenges. Even outside the context of this one, specific drive between Burbank and Palm Springs, that Vega’s inborn unpredictability might have been a liability in many situations before Teena Marie’s career was on solid footing (and before she was driving something else).
I’ve long been a fan of the Vega’s styling, and I’m usually that contrarian in the comments on Curbside posts about Vegas who proclaims his devotion to the “very fine styling efforts” of GM, or however I felt like wording it that day. After watching this interview with Teena Marie, I suddenly felt a little bit of hostility toward the woefully under-engineered, small Chevy at the thought that it might have cost me, and the rest of the R&B-loving world, the artistry and exceptional body of work of Ms. Marie had she missed some crucial deadline with Motown or legendary label founder Berry Gordy due to the unreliability of her example of one of GM’s nicest looking and plentiful (with almost two million sold) “deadly sins“.
It’s true that in playing the game of hypotheticals, there might have been some other person around, some other car she could have borrowed, or the miraculous presence of a policeman who came to her rescue after seeing the forward-hinged hood of her Vega tilted upward, and pillars of steam billowing upward from its overheated motor. It still seems like it was too much of a dice game that she was behind the wheel of a Vega in the first place. Sadly, her untimely passing was at the end of 2010, so no one will ever have the chance to direct message her to ask her what she remembered about that car. In the meantime, I may have to have a little, one-person listening party. Thankfully, Teena Marie’s career eventually blew up in a way I hope her Vega’s engine didn’t.
My current top-five Teena Marie songs, in no specific order:
- “Square Biz” (1981)
- “I Need Your Lovin'” (1980)
- “It Must Be Magic” (1981)
- “Ooo La La La” (1988)
- “Portuguese Love” (1981)
(The above list is subject to change by next week.)
I like her duet with Rick James on Fire and Desire. She could really hit some high notes.
“Fire & Desire” – such a classic. It was so great to see the two of them reunited during the 2004 BET Awards, performing this song.
Well written and I love your taste in music, Joseph! Square Biz will always be my jam!
One wonders whether the Vega meant something special to her. Most of the time, “I drove off,” assuming that one would know a car was involved but without mention of make or model, would be expected. But we’ll likely never know.
This is a great observation. I wonder if she recalled her Vega due to some really unfortunate experiences with it. I think I would have guffawed if she had said she had a Gremlin. It’s not that I don’t like the Gremlin (which I do), but between the Vega, Pinto, and Gremlin among small, domestic cars of the ’70s, the Vega is the one I could most see a pre-stardom Teena Marie driving.
I’ve been a fan of hers since the 80s. She pretty much produced everything she recorded except for her first album. Motown’s greatest white artist, hands down! And gone way too soon.
In addition to the 5 you mentioned, I will add
– If I Were a Bell (90)
– I’m a Sucker for Your Love (79)
– Behind the Groove (80)
– Lovergirl (84)
And a relatively obscure, but gorgeous track from “New York Undercover: A Night at Natalie’s”:
– Wishing on a Star (97)
All great songs. It was hard to pick just five to tack onto the end of my essay. Another relatively obscure track of her’s I’ve always really liked was “Love Me Down Easy” from Emerald City (1986), where she took more of a rock direction.
As G. Poon mentioned above, it does sound as if the Vega meant something to Teena. As an obviously accomplished storyteller, I’d imagine she referenced the car to paint a picture of that moment to the interviewer. It does indeed paint a picture. A young independent woman in the 70’s driving a Vega? I can certainly see it. Whatever her feelings about the car itself, it obviously represents a time in her life.
My own mother drove a Vega during her brief few years as a divorced single mother. There were no tears shed when it was traded for a new Monza, but it’ll always be representative of those lean years. Ironically I have a close friend of many years whose mother also drove one when she was very young. They’re fodder for lots of laughter and reminiscing, fondly or not. But if either of us brings up the Vega lots of stories of our (not so) idyllic childhood together ensue.
MTN, your accounts of your mom’s and your friend’s mother’s Vegas does bring to mind that these cars, nice though some of them might have been, were probably not first-choice transportation for many people.
I remember that on the mid-’80s show “Our House”, it was the single mom of three who moved home to her dad’s (played by Diedre Hall) who drove a dented Vega wagon that showed up in the opening credits. Maybe to some, Vegas from childhood came to represent desperation, and not something cool like a Cosworth Twin Cam model.
I will confess a lack of experience with this artist, but would probably recognize something she did if I heard it, given the time frame.
Musicians and their cars has always been a subject of fascination to me. Musicians who are broke and trying to find fame tend to drive some pretty awful stuff, so maybe she got the Vega because it was cheap and she thought a Chevrolet was a great car because her grandparents always bought them? Pure speculation, of course.
Incidentally, I noticed that I have the same 1/24 model that Joseph photographed for his post. The black gas cap, looking like a mismatched junkyard replacement for a lost original, gave it away.
My Vega model shares pride of place, if you can call it that, with other 70s wonders: a Ford Pinto hatchback and an AMC Gremlin!
Nicely photographed, too. Years back, I did similarly with a Pentax, a 28mm lens and a 1/144 model of an American Airlines DC-10, against the view from the back of my home. Many reacted to the resulting photos with cognitive dissonance!
Wouldn’t have guessed Teena was ever a Vega Girl…
Rick James’ career took many twists and turns in the early days too, and had something not worked, or more likely had things worked as originally planned, it’s unlikely Teena Marie would have ever hooked up with him. James was signed to Motown Records in 1966 with a five-album contract with his band the Mynah Birds, whose guitarist was a then-unknown Neil Young. They cut a single called “It’s My Time” along with a few other songs, but before it was released, Motown learned he was AWOL from the Navy and he’d have numerous legal problems for the rest of the decade, and those records were never made. I still can’t imagine Neil and Rick in the same band, but their recordings like “It’s My Time” and “I’ll Wait Forever” (both on YouTube) sound great.
Wow! This is so cool. I actually can imagine Neil Young and Rick James in the same band, as I see them both as being rockers. I will, however, have to hear it to actually believe it, so I’m checking out those songs you referenced. Thank you!
Neil Young’s car at the time, a converted 1953 Pontiac hearse, definitely boosted his career, as well as that of several other musicians. Had he been driving a less recognizable car down Sunset Boulevard one particular day, several subsequent popular bands may never have existed. I won’t recount the long story here, but check out the wikipedia entry on Buffalo Springfield for more details.
Is that a Motor Max Vega? They were reproducing all the forgotten classics there for a while – I have a ’74 Pinto model, and a couple of their 1/64 scale cars, too.
This one is the Motor Max! I bought it from a flea market in Colona, Michigan while driving from Chicago to Flint (or Detroit?). I saw this place off an exit ramp, stopped, and ended up buying this Vega and a vintage jacket.
I had originally intended to write this whole, fictional thing about how I had traveled back to Flint for the annual “Back To The Bricks” car festival end ended up buying a Vega. I’m glad I held out for this. 🙂
I have what is probably the same Motor Max 1974 Pinto, a metallic brown Runabout fastback with a white roof. And a 1974 Gremlin, metallic blue. My Vega is Motor Max, too, the same as Joseph’s.
I’m not real familiar with Teena Marie’s work, but what I’ve heard of it, I’ve liked a lot. As a white guy who would have liked to be a soul singer and can’t sing (any genre) for beans, I think highly of her.
Her then-teenage daughter came home and found her body–how terrible.
Don’t feel bad, because I can’t really sing spectacularly, either, though I have been known to give it my all during karaoke. We can’t all do everything. LOL
I can’t even imagine what was going through Alia Rose’s mind and heart that day. Teena Marie died really young. She had just had an amazing career resurgence and was still doing concerts. It was such a shock.
Hi, I’m a regular “lurker “ on this site and i have to say that i truly love your pieces as they combine my two greatest passions: US cars and late ‘60s to mid ‘80s funk/soul/disco/R&B music…I’m a bass player and that era and style is the real goldmine for everyone with a couple of ears approaching the instrument…sheer grooviness and master musicians that knew how to keep it in the pocket..!
Francesco, thank you so much. I always appreciate any feedback on something I’ve written, whether good / bad / opinions / tangents / etc., but you’ve made my day.
Writers have a lot of weapons in their arsenal, a lot of tools at their disposal, yes, a lot of irons in the fire. I have to wonder – would she have wanted her adoring public to know she actually drove one of those?
I imagine that at the time she wrote that, the Vega’s less-than-stellar reputation was well-known. Or might she have been using the name in a metaphorical sense to describe a character who was down on her luck, or made what seemed to be great choices at the time, but in the long run turned out not to be?
As always, a great piece.
I was doing Top 40 in Central NY when “Lovergirl” was new. We played it off the album. GREAT record.
Such a great song. 1984 seems to have had a bumper crop of stellar music. That has always been my opinion.
This is a timely post, as I’ve been on something of a Teena Marie kick these last few days. Always loved her music, though I’m partial to the more synth-based sounds from her mid-1980’s albums. My favorite Lady T song, and album, is Naked to the World.
Not one bad song in Teena Marie’s music catalog. In my opinion one of the top female vocalists of all time. She had so much character and emotion in her voice. “I Need Your Lovin'” is one of my all time favorites!
As far as the Vega is concerned, I too am a fan of its design but most definitely would’ve adapted a better motor if I owned one.
Wow, this is indicative of some kind of weird generational/geographical culture gap. I owned a Vega. I liked my Vega. I have posted about it here at CC probably more often than it deserves. But I have never heard of Tina Marie. Tina Turner yes. Marie Osmond, ok, I’ve heard of her and might even recognize her picture. But not Tina Marie. Today I have learned about Japanese microcars and popular music. Thanks CC, Joseph, and T87.
Another fun post from Mr. Dennis! I’ve got one of those toy Vegas, too… Got it at Seattle’s Pike Place Market. As the former owner of a 1976 Vega, I couldn’t resist.
Cool! And, thank you. Is that a JDM Toyota Corolla E80 to the left of the Vega? Those cars are quite the juxtaposition against one another! I can say that I have ridden in one of those old London taxis back in the ’80s.
The white car is the AE86 Corolla from the Initial D Anime. The figurine is supposed to be the car’s driver, Takumi Fujiwara. I guess he got a job driving a taxi to pay the bills! I rode in one of those black cabs back in the day, too… On an all-too-brief trip to London. The taxi is from Welly Toys (I got it in the toy section of the local Rite Aid drug store) and the Corolla is from Jada toys. My fleet of toy cars has really been growing lately…
It’s always interesting to find out what later famous/successful artists drove when they were still normal – maybe you could develop this theme.
Now later of course things changed:)
From a Vega to a Rolls – the American Dream! And great suggestion for future subject material – thank you.
Yeah, I loved the way the Vega looked, I guess the ones through ’73. Their front end really resembled the ’70-’73 Camaro. And i Luuuved me some Teena Marie ! Favorite tune ? Out On A Limb. Masterful, ’80s Slow-Jam Perfection ! Thanks for the Post, man.
It was actually a blue vega. I have recording of her talking about it in an interview. The first time she heard herself on the radio, she was driving on Franklin Blvd in LA with Jill Jones and heard Sucker for Love.