By Franklin Paul

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Soul singers Rick James and Teena Marie, two of the 1980s best-known performers, have traveled vastly different paths since they made hits together, but they hope to collaborate again on a joint tour this year.

In the 1980s, James, 54, and Marie, 46, sustained solo careers driven by a knack for both floor-shaking funk jams, such as his "Give It To Me Baby," and touching love songs.

James produced her 1979 debut album "Wild and Peaceful" and wrote most of its songs, including their hit duet "I'm Just a Sucker for Your Love." Their most popular collaboration was "Fire and Desire," a heartbreaking 1981 ballad about a failed relationship.

Both enter 2003 optimistically, fueled by new projects, all the while hoping to leaving behind decades of record industry troubles and, in James' case, illness and prison.

"We are back together again. We have two things on her new album and a tune on mine, and we are going on tour," James told Reuters in a recent interview.

Despite their enthusiasm for what would be their first joint tour in almost two decades, no firm plans exist yet. A spokesman for Universal Music, the current parent of Motown Records, was not aware of dates for any joint concerts.


FOREVER LINKED


While they each scored numerous solo hits, rhythm and blues history links them forever. Marie, a white, 4-foot-11-inch (150 cm) guitar player gifted with a robust bluesy voice, was signed while still a teen-ager by Berry Gordy to join his legendary Motown label, where she joined a roster made famous by its African-American soul artists.

Her debut album was a hit, even though Gordy and James decided that her picture should not appear on its cover because they thought audiences would be less willing to accept her if they knew she was white.

Today, Marie says her memories of Motown are mixed.

"I don't think that I could have had the career that I had were I not there," she said by telephone from her Los Angeles home. "I understood what they were saying and it kind of made sense. Rick and Berry are brilliant individuals and I felt they probably knew what they were talking about."

James and Marie's potential 2003 return comes on the heels of the release of remastered versions of critical 1981 Motown albums for both: "Street Songs," James's biggest seller, and Marie's "It Must Be Magic."

Ironically, "Magic" was Marie's last album for Motown. Money woes drove her away from the place where she recorded hits like "Portuguese Love" and rubbed elbows with greats like Stevie Wonder. Legal action yielded the "Teena Marie law," which protects artists rights, and she eventually won a suit against the label for nonpayment of royalties.

"There were certain things that happened back then that make me feel a little funny sometimes," she said. "Rick and I had the No. 1 and No. 2 albums that summer, and we were selling out on tour, but I didn't make any money."

STAYING CLOSE

Marie and James did not work together again after she left Motown. But despite ups and downs in their friendship, they have stayed close and she sang at his mother's funeral in 1991.

Her fate improved after she moved to Epic Records, where Marie, born Mary Christine Brockert, went on to string together more hits, such as "Lovergirl."

Her luck turned again, for the worse, in 1994 when she tried to record, produce, press and distribute an album without the help of a major label. To put it mildly, "Passion Play" was a business disaster.

"I have 40,000 CDs in my garage," she said as she cooked a meal at home. "We sold about 100,000 copies, but I learned not to do it by myself again."

Since then she's been touring sporadically, recording when she can and raising her daughter, Alia. She has been grinding out songs for her new package of original songs, "Black Rain," for almost four years but won't try to publish it on her own.

This time she is paired with an unlikely group -- the gold-teeth-flaunting hip-hop crew at Cash Money Records, home of the Grammy-nominated duo the Big Tymers. It's a savvy deal: Cash Money broadens its roster to rhythm and blues, and Marie gains a machine that has proven it can sell records.

James applauds Marie's decision, but said he wants to go it alone with his plan to sell a double-album of new cuts later this year.

"She feels comfortable with a company: I don't, and I have the intelligence and I do the due diligence," he said. "I know what it takes to make a record happen."

'SUPERFREAK'

In the late 1970s, James first used that winning formula to help resuscitate Motown after its star had begun to fade, with his flavor of brash, no-holds-barred funk. Created with his Stone City Band, James melded his percussive bass with disco's energy to make "let-me-hold-you-tight" grooves.

The height of his wining streak was "Street Songs," whose party-life themes, such as "Superfreak," reflected the rascality of James and his crew.

"It was the best time of my life," he said. "We were doing groundbreaking tours, and a lot of drugs and drank a lot. We didn't know anything about Betty Ford or addiction in those days. It's hard to reflect and remember those times, they are very vague to me -- a lot of it is a haze."

Misfortune followed for James. He served two years in prison for a 1993 conviction on charges of assaulting two women while under the influence of cocaine and suffered a stroke in 1998 caused by a condition known as rock 'n' roll neck, brought on by whiplash-like motion of the head and neck on stage.

And in November, Los Angeles police began probing allegations that James sexually assaulted a woman at his home. James contends he was the victim of a financially motivated smear campaign.

Still, his music, like Teena Marie's, has remained in demand, a sign they hope that audiences will want their live shows as much as they want to perform them. Their baselines thrive in the hip-hop genre, which has borrowed from each to make hits, such as The Fugees reworking of her "Ooh La La La," and his "Superfreak," known best as the key to MC Hammer's 1990s phenomenon "U Can't Touch This."

"She's ready and I'm ready and people are ready for it," said James. "They are ready for some love."

Source: Yahoo

I would LOVE to see Teena again...could care less about Rick though I will probably buy the remastered Street songs..great album,

Matt

Well i'd love 2 see me some Teena do her thang~

looking toward the Both of them doing it together again.

Wow,that's a great article and I can't wait for the tour!! A new Teena Marie CD and a 2-CD Rick James set?? Lawd,I'm ecstatic

DavidEye said:

you echo my sentiments.

I look forward to seeing Teena. I wish we could see her at the next celebration but I guess with so much bad blood btwn Rick and P that's not likely. Just wish Rick was outta the picture... but to Teena's credit she was one of the few who stood by Rick during all his trials and tribulations, cuz she respects the role he had in puttin her on in the very beginning.

NuPwrSoul said:

She did soem touring with Prince back in 1980&digs Prince.Rick ain't tripping like that.I Can't stand it when folks wanna make Rick&Prince out like Suge&Puffy? it ain't that kind of Feud.Rick did alot for Teena.He gave Her confidence&they were a true Chemistry in the Studio.Berry Gordy tried Flipping Her with different Producers&nobody could bring that "IT" out of Her like Rick did.

NuPwrSoul said:

There really isn't any bad blood between them, they toured toghether and didn't hang out toghether that much (mainly 'cause Rick was into drugs), and went their seperate ways. Just because Rick says all these thing about P, that really doesn't mean anything, he talks trash about everyone, doesn't mean anything.

NuPwrSoul said:

Teena is a huge Prince fan,and I think she hung out with him backstage after a 1997 concert (can't remember if it was his concert,or hers).She even plays a little bit of "Sexy Dancer" during her own shows these days.So,the idea of her joining Prince at the Celebration is not that far-fetched,although Rick probably wouldn't be too thrilled

DavidEye said:

remember on Sinbad's first Funk HBO Show when She did "LoverGirl"&Mixed in "I Wanna Be Your Lover"?