5th March 1956 was indeed a blessed day for future soul survivors with Steve Arrington being born in the same year and day as Mary Christine Brockert better know as Teena Marie aka ‘Vanilla Choc’, ‘Lady T’ & the ‘Queen Of Ivory Soul’.
Born and raised in Santa Monica California with Portuguese ancestry, Teena was a child star at an early age appearing in the USA TV show ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’. Teena loves music and running track (athletics) at high school and had an infinity passion for loving Smokey Robinson of Motown.
Teena fronted a rock band Truvair between 1974-75 before she signed to Motown Records around 1976 and wrote ‘Just As Long As There Is You’ for Tata Vega’s 1976 album.
Motown head honcho Berry Gordy decided to team her up with Rick James on her debut 1978 ‘ Wild & Peaceful’ album. Berry reversed the race record covers psychology by using a seascape image as opposed to showcasing Teena’s natural Caucasian complexion so that her music would be judged on its quality rather than her ethnicity, something that would be questioned with Motown being a predominantly black artist label.
The album was a success with songs like the funk/disco productions ‘I’m Just A Sucker For Your Love’ & her cover of idol ‘ Smokey Robinson’s composition & Temptations classic ‘Don’t Look Back’. Her following ‘Lady T’ album championed the universal anthem ‘Behind The Groove’ and further cemented Teena’s stamp on the soul world. It was then that everyone became aware that Teena was Caucasian.
True story whilst I was at college in 1980 a fellow Caucasian female student Debbie Slingsby #told me that her Caucasian boyfriend was in love with Teena Marie. I was alarmed as, as odd as it may sound today, back then it was unusual that a white man would openly declare his attracted to a black woman, who due to how Teena was so in Lady T’s own words so ‘black sounding’, I wrongly assumed that Teena Marie was black. I naively remember asking Debbie “What he’s attracted to a black girl?” and Debbie proclaimed to my dismay that she was white. I was a bit embarrassed but Beeey Gordy’s sea scape ethos clearly worked on me 😂.
Teena recorded 4 incredible Motown albums including ‘ Irons In The Fire’ & her swan song final 1981 album ‘ It Must Be Magic’ showcasing the inspiring ‘Portuguese Love’ & ‘Square Biz’.
Teena had a very intense relationship with Motown bad boy Rick James who she sang a duet masterpiece with namely ‘Fire & Desire’ from
His ‘ Street Songs’ album and Rick wrote a very personal ‘ My Love’ dedicated to Teena on his 1982 ‘ Throwin’ Down’ album.
Teena made history when she got into a legal battle with Motown via the ‘Brockert Initiave’ which made it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for that artist. This enabled artists like Luther Vandross to get out of their unfair contracts.
Teena signed to Epic and released her debut 1983 ‘Robbery’ album and a further 5 albums on the label. Teena’s music was sampled in the 90’s by The Firm and The Fugees and Teena continued as a solo artist to keep herself relevant.
Her final album ‘Congo Square’ paved a way for Teena to come and perform in January 2010 at The Indig02 London to a sellout audience. I was fortunate through Steve Ripley to interview Teena on the phone in the winter of 2009 where she graced our The Soul Survivors Magazine front cover and then face to face the day before the Indig02 concert.
The concert was a major success and Teena was due to return a year later but unfortunately she passed on Boxing Day 2010 aged 54. Meeting and interviewing Teena was a career highlight for me as I loved her voice and her metaphoric writing skills and she shared some personal stories with me for our interview which gave those who read it a great insight into her psyche.
As aforementioned Teena today shared her now heavenly born day the same date and year as Steve Arrington so today you can blast her ‘Behind The Groove’ classics loud & proud!! 🙏🏿🎼
To purchase the first interview click on this below
https://www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk/product/issue-21-december-january-2010/
This Tunesday is a celebration of ‘The Invade’ Steve Arrington’s 68th earthday who was raised in the USA’s mid west Dayton Ohio.
As a percussionist primarily Steve worked in local bands including The Young Mystics and ended up touring with Pete & Sheila (Sheila E) Escovedo before he joined the local group Slave ( a combination of two groups The Young Mystics & Black Satin Soul) on the third album ‘The Concept’ in 1978, where he co wrote and performed ‘Thank You Lord’.
Steve inadvertently became Slave’s lead vocalist when the group’s lead singer went awol and Steve stepped up to sing the lead on ‘Just A Touch Of Love’ with Starlena Young’.
With Steve’s anomaly & improvising vocal range, influenced by his love for jazz became the lead singer showcasing his talented brilliance on the next two ‘Stone Jam’ & ‘Showtime’ albums on Warner Brothers’ subsidiary label Cotillion.
At the height of the groups success Steve to the surprise of many, left Slave to pursue a solo career recording two distinguishing boogie albums ‘Hall Of Fame’ & ‘Positve Power’.
Both albums were greatly received by connoisseurs and purists as seminal albums with spectacular productions on cuts like ‘Way Out’, ‘Weak At The Knees’, ‘ You Meet My Approval’, ‘Nobody Can Be You But You’, ‘ What Do You Want From Me?’ & ‘ Mellow As A Cello’ on Warner labels WEA/Atlantic.
In between the transition of Slave and going solo Steve released a 12 inch single ‘ Summertime Lovin’’ on Salsoul Records circa 1981. After leaving Slave, Steve was wrestled with his conscience of continuing to make secular music and pursuing recording the more gospel message music format.
You can observe this change with a deeper hidden meaning within ‘Nobody Can Be You But You’ and ultimately in 1985 Steve announced to the world that he was a born again Christian releasing the ‘Dancing In The Key Of Life’ album in 1985.
It received a mixed reception from some of his fans here in the UK who were majorly disappointed at his 1985 Hammersmith concert of his songs of choice to perform. When I spoke with Steve in 2009 he was very honest and acknowledged how people felt at the time. Although Steve continued to record he subsequently for a period of time, faded out of the mainstream, occasionally rearing his head especially when he re sang his vocal on 3X Dope’s hip hop classic which sampled his anthem of the same name ‘ Weak At The Knee’s circa 1988.
When we started featuring interviews in the The Soul Survivors Magazine , Steve Arrington’s name was one of the most requested artists to interview as his profile in the soul world had literally become totally obscured.
However one random day I received a phone call from a contact in the USA called Randy who used to send me music asking me if I would be interested in speaking with his friend Steve Arrington. I had to question if we were speaking of the same man who was in Slave and ‘Hall Of Fame’ notoriety and Randy confirmed it was one and the same. So I spent two hours speaking with Steve and we published the interviews in 2009, the same issue as his earthday twin Teena Marie on the front cover.
Once the interview was published Steve emerged from his ‘Way Out’ hiatus and after several promoters attempted to secure his comeback, Orlando Gittens secured Steve’s first anticipated UK date since the infamous Hammersmith 1985 episode, and all was forgiven from the UK soul and funk fraternity, when Steve delivered all the classic we know and love, at the Indigo 02 in November 2013. Thankfully I was DJing on the bill.
Steve has been to the UK several times since and I managed to catch up with him at The Scottish Soul Weekender in 2016 and at Summer Soulstice in 2017.
Steve is 68 today so let’s celebrate by blasting this soul survivors music out loud and proud!! 🙏🏿🎼
To purchase the issue with the Steve Arrington interview click link below
https://www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk/product/issue-21-december-january-2010/
Just a heads up. I was approached to write the sleeve-notes for this incredible box set coming out on Cherry Red Records end of July 2022. With The Soul Survivors Magazine ethos of preserving the legacy of Black Music & it’s culture it is humbling to be part of such a historic and informative music compilation. Check it out and please spread the word as this really is an each one teach one project. Peace Fitzroy
‘Haven’t You Heard?’ Patrice Rushen is @ Koko Camden London 1st June here is the ticket link bit.ly/PatriceKOKO