Creating Space in the New Century: Remixing the 100-ish Most Influential Female Artists
In July 2015 I was excited to publish the “100-ish Most Influential Female Artists in Twentieth Century Popular Music.” (http://www.riffsbeatsandcodas.com/blog/2015/7/25/100-most-influential-female-vocalists-in-20th-century-popular-music) There’s nothing inherently magical about the number 100, or other derivatives of our “base 10” system, but we tend to like top 10 and top 100 lists. Th list was 100-ish because once you factor in duos, girl groups, and mixed gender groups (e.g., ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and Diana Ross & the Supremes) 100 is simply insufficient. Alas, as we approach a quarter century in the new millennium I decided to push against the hegemony of 100 (or 100-ish). The article has since been shared and accessed by thousands of readers (Thank you!) over the years. It is my most popular blog post and I decided to revisit and “remix” the original piece by pivoting more toward the voices influencing music of the early 21st century. I plan to expand the list periodically to incorporate more voices as the century progresses.
My concept of popular music is an expansive one that includes contributions to music in film, television, and theatre as well as the “traditional” recording industry. Recording and distributing music entails greater autonomy and a broader range of channels so the recording “tradition” evolves as the boundaries between media forms continue to collapse and converge. As I have noted previously, impact and influence are highly subjective notions beyond record sales. While chart positions and sales figures convey trends and patterns in the marketplace matters of quality, innovation, and longevity necessitate interpretation. An artist who has had multiple “hit” singles and albums may simply exemplify a trend rather than set trends or advance the from beyond formulas. Many artists never experience major sales during their lifetime and career but other artists cite them frequently in developing their talent, and we can discern their influence through close listening.
Popular music flows in very unpredictable rhythms. At different times mainstream music derived from Broadway, jazz clubs, the Black Protestant church, and Hollywood competed for consumers’ attention. Today these influences remain important to different degrees but the quilt of popular music is more diffuse. While there are a handful of musicians whose albums command attention and are dependably popular the lack of a dominant performer or style has inspired many people to reconsider what constitutes “mainstream” music or to dispense of the notion entirely.
Writing about the unique contributions of women remains important because women remain devalued as artists and citizens in the U.S. cultural mainstream. Though I am encouraged by the greater inclusion of female artists in lists and profiles of great music and musicians there is still room to challenge tacit gendered assumptions about who makes “great” music, how it’s made, what is says, and its formal qualities.
For example, while I’m delighted Carly Simon is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 it’s highly problematic that generational peers like Cat Stevens and James Taylor were inducted well before her. Notably Stevens was inducted in 2014 and Taylor in 2000. I believe she is superior to both creatively. Lest you think I’m being too myopic here it’s worth noting Carole King, whose album Tapestry is almost universally regarded as one of the best singer-songwriter albums released, was not inducted as performer until 2021. Given that males constitute the majority of industry executives, current inductees, and tastemakers who select the nominees these biases are all too common.
Multinational corporate record labels, radio stations, and video channels remain influential but no longer play as dominant a role in determining the impact and relevance of musicians. Musicians who have never had a platinum selling album can make the music they want and reach millions of listeners outside of the usual constraints. Popular music has become increasingly fluid in how musicians approach genre. The most interesting musicians are routinely eschewing boundaries and finding value in exploration, experimentation, and risk-taking. Artists are more willing to express their values and explore their vulnerabilities. The rise of less expensive production and distribution methods, and the viability of independently made music, has fostered a generation of musicians less concerned about corporate pressures to go platinum and more concerned about building meaningful relationships with their listeners. This has opened up how we access and listen to music, and fostered a more personal relationship to art.
Selecting New Artists
There are several credible bodies such as the Kennedy Center Honors, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry that acknowledge artistic achievement. Ultimately, my judgements are independent. I could write a separate blog on why I find certain artists limited and am not convinced they hold the stature of the artists I feature. I’m most interested in celebrating the artists I include. I do so by recognizing biases and limitations in my taste and aesthetic preferences. Reviewing the list and expanding it periodically allows me to interrogate my tastes and revisit folks I have overlooked and/or whose contributions have become more salient with time.
As before I considered a wide range of female identified performers recording in popular genres. This time around 10 years in the public’s consciousness, rather than 15, was my minimum. Given the glut of performers competing for attention in the digital era, artists who can create and sustain great music over the course of a decade are notable. As such there are some promising artists such as Mickey Guyton, Brittany Howard, Lizzo, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kacey Musgraves and Olivia Rodrigo, who are not yet eligible but I’m excited to continue listening.
There are female artists who have recorded a uniquely popular and/or influential single album who worth celebrating even if their careers are uneven or more significant for a musical subgenre. In my 2017 blogpost on the 150 essential albums by female artists (inspired by NPR’s 2017 list) I recognize the music of an even wider range of artists some of whom are not featured on this list. On Wednesday I add some new albums to the list, and on Thursday I debut a list of outstanding singles, recorded by artists beyond those on these lists, from 1972-2022.
Archiving 20th Century Greats
I included the following vocalists in the original list and am excited to shift them into the “Archive” for this edition. Doing so acknowledges the salience of their achievements and influence during the 20th century while creating space to consider more emergent voices impacting the music of today.
These inductees include the following: Adelaide Hall, The Boswell Sisters, Carter Sisters, Jackie De Shannon, Ella Mae Morse, Ethel Waters, Ivie Anderson, Jo Stafford, Kay Starr, Koko Taylor, LaVern Baker, Lena Horne, Mabel Mercer, Marion Harris, Martha Reeves, Mildred Bailey, and Ruth Brown.
New Entries…
I am excited to update the list to include the following 21st century additions: Abbey Lincoln, Adele, Alicia Keys, Alison Krauss, Cyndi Lauper, Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Esperanza Spalding, Janelle Monáe, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Lady Gaga, Me’shell N’degeocello, Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, P!nk, Sheryl Crow, Tanya Tucker, and Teena Marie.
I am delighted to kick off the list with a guest entry from author Elaine M. Hayes who I invited to share her perspectives on an influential jazz vocalist and composer Abbey Lincoln. Elaine is the author of the acclaimed biography Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan (Harper Collins, 2017). Based in Seattle she served as the editor of Earshot Jazz and has written for Seattle magazine.
“Abbey Lincoln insisted on crafting her own image and speaking her truth, always with an unflinching integrity, proclaiming in 1996 ‘I have a right to sing my songs.’”
Guest contributor Elaine M. Hayes offers an appreciation for influential jazz legend Abbey Lincoln.
Abbey Lincoln
I have to confess, I’d heard a lot of Abbey Lincoln before I truly listened to Abbey Lincoln. My journey of appreciation began when I finally unpacked her singing on We Insist!: Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite, released by Candid records in 1961. While composer Roach and lyricist Oscar Brown Jr. are rightly celebrated for this now iconic civil rights masterpiece, for me, Lincoln’s singing is the emotional center of the suite. She is the reason why it is such a powerful work, and I remain in awe of the remarkable range of textures, inflections, techniques, and personas she created with her voice.
On “Driva Man,” a work song from the perspective of an enslaved woman, for example, Lincoln portrays the monotony of manual labor under the watchful gaze of an unrelenting and violent white overseer. Her delivery is direct, and she’s unafraid to be provocative. She almost snarls as she spits out the song’s opening lyric, “Driva' man he made a life, but the Mamie ain't his wife,” making her disgust and anger toward not only the overseer, but the institution of slavery, unmistakable. Her tone shifts on the next track, “Freedom Day,” as she describes the joys, paired with a healthy disbelief, that emancipation had finally arrived. Her style is still declamatory, but contempt has been replaced with giddy excitement and anticipation for what lay ahead. In the third and most striking track, “Triptych: Prayer/Protest/Peace,” Lincoln assumes the role of a civil rights protestor. In a wordless, meter-less duet with drummer Roach, she explores the emotional toll of the freedom movement, and again, Lincoln’s range of vocal expression is astonishing. “Prayer” is a plaintive, almost soothing lament. At last, her voice is lyrical, full-bodied, and melodic, and we hear her soar from the bottom of her register to the top. “Protest” shatters this calm as Lincoln sings full-throated screams of rage, anger, and frustration. It is a shocking contrast that evokes, in a very visceral way, the overwhelming pain of racism and the freedom struggle. “Peace” explores the aftermath of the protest. Lincoln gasps for breath and sighs in exhaustion as she begins the process of recovery, eventually returning to the lyricism first introduced in “Prayer.” Then she returns to her more declamatory style in the final two tracks, “All Africa” and “Tears for Johannesburg,” which link the civil rights movement in the United States with the liberation struggle in Africa.
Lincoln’s singing on We Insist!: Freedom Now Suite was a revelation to me. Hers was not an obviously beautiful voice, say like the lush, almost operatic virtuosity of a Sarah Vaughan, another of my favorites. Yet Lincoln’s singing was beautiful, and her power as a storyteller profound. With pieces like We Insist! she was reimagining not only how to sing jazz but also the expressive possibilities of the human voice. And she was expanding the expected role of the jazz singer. By 1961, Lincoln had undergone a personal and artistic transformation from supper club singer, valued more for her physical beauty than brains or talent, to jazz singer, a pursuit that both she and her fellow musicians, not to mention critics, considered more serious, worthy. Then she began writing her own material – first lyrics and then compositions too – setting the stage for the next generation of singer-songwriter jazz vocalists. Throughout it all, even when industry insiders deemed her too political or controversial, Abbey Lincoln insisted on crafting her own image and speaking her truth, always with an unflinching integrity, proclaiming in 1996 “I have a right to sing my songs.”*
*This quote, and many other wonderful insights, can be found in the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History of Abbey Lincoln conducted on December 17-18, 1996. (https://americanhistory.si.edu/sites/default/files/file-uploader/Abbey-Lincoln-Transcription-2020.pdf)
Numerous artists have recorded Abbey Lincoln’s songs including Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson. Ran Blake and Christine Correa, Kendra Shank, and Virginia Schenck have each recorded album length tributes comprised of her original songs.
Adele
The imprint of full-throated belters like Etta James, Alison Moyet, and Whitney Houston can be heard the robust phrasing of British superstar Adele but in stellar songs like “Chasing Pavements,” “Rolling in the Deep,” and “Hello” she demonstrates a unique style of her own. Amid the swell of British female vocalists in the mid-2000s she has stood out for her powerful, uniquely textured voice, infallible ear for melody (she composes most of her material), and incisive lyrics. A gifted composer and singer of torch songs romantic angst has never sounded so good. Though music sales are smaller and more diffuse then ever she is one of the few popular singers with global, multi-generational appeal.
Alicia Keys
Alica Keys’s subtle piano prowess, supple vocals, and appealing original melodies established her as a leading voice of neo-soul, and reenergized the singer-songwriter movement in the early 2000s. Her first hit “Fallin’” is a shimmering statement of desire that wooed listeners instantly and she has never turned back. Musically, Keys has consistently fused the warmth and melodicism of 1970s soul music with the contemporary feel of hip-hop elements resulting in solo classics like “You Don’t Know My Name,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “No One” and “Girl on Fire,” and collaborations like “Gangsta Lovin’” (with Eve) and “Empire State of Mind” (with Jay-Z). A generation of musical performers including Adele, H.E.R., Janelle Monae, and Rihanna cite Keys as an inspiration.
Alison Krauss
Well regarded as one of the most proficient fiddlers in bluegrass Krauss, as a solo artist and the leader of Alison Krauss & Union Station, is the genre’s most visible ambassador. Krauss began developing a strong following among bluegrass fans in the mid-1980s before crossing over into the country and pop mainstreams in the 1990s. Inspired vocally by the sweet soprano sound of Dolly Parton she is a remarkably versatile musician inspired by country, folk, bluegrass and well as pop and rock music. 2000’s O Brother Where Art Thou? and 2003’s Cold Mountain soundtracks exposed a wide range of listeners to Krauss’s talent. In 2011 she and Robert Plant collaborated on the eclectic folk album Raising Sand which become a surprise hit and Grammy winner (followed up by 2021’s Raise the Roof). Other collaborations have included the gospel group the Cox Family, country vocalist Vince Gill, and jazz pianist Billy Childs. Krauss’s venerable talents have enabled her to persist as a soloist, as leader of Union Station, and as a bridge between her roots and a variety of musical styles.
Cyndi Lauper
1984’s kaleidoscopic pop masterpiece She’s So Unusual is long considered Lauper’s signal achievement. In addition to winning her 1984’s Grammy for Best New Artist the Library of Congress inducted it into the National Recording Registry in 2019. Lauper has exhibited remarkable versatility since the 1980s. After scoring with such pop classics as “True Colors” and “I Drove All Night” Lauper has evolved as a musician recording albums of contemporary dance pop, American popular standards, country, and blues. She has also emerged as an acclaimed composer for musical theatre winning Grammy and Tony awards for Kinky Boots and receiving a Tony nomination for Sponge Bob Square Pants. She is currently adapting 1988’s Working Girl for Broadway. Lauper is also an Emmy-winning actress (Mad About You) and an avid LGBTQ+ activist.
Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
Destiny’s Child, (Beyoncé, Knowles-Carter, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams) was at the vanguard of a new generation of performers who redefined the sound of late 1990s/early 2000s pop through hip-hop inflected R&B hits like “Say My Name,” “Independent Women,” “Survivor,” and “Bootylicious.” After solidifying their status as one of the most popular vocal groups in pop history lead singer Beyoncé pursued a notable solo career. Though her talents as a savvy songwriter and performer were well established when she debuted her highly successful 2003 solo album Dangerously in Love she is the rare artist who has consciously grown into her art by responding to the changing world around her. From exploring different personas on 2008’s ambitious double album I Am…Sasha Fierce to the wide-ranging exploration of black female identity, blackness in America, family, and relationships, on 2016’s song cycle-visual album Lemonade, she is arguably the most influential female icon in early 21st century popular music.
Esperanza Spalding
Best known as a bass virtuoso in the jazz world Esperanza Spalding is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter whose kaleidoscopic talents have enabled her to contribute to recordings by artists as diverse as Jack DeJohnette, M. Ward, and Janelle Monáe, while pushing the boundaries of jazz in progressive directions. A musical prodigy she earned music scholarships to Portland state University and Berklee College of Music where she was invited to teach at age 20. Since 2006 she has released a series of acclaimed albums including Radio Music Society, Emily’s D+Evolution, 12 Little Spells, and Songwrights Apothecary Lab that find her approaching her work conceptually, integrating rhythms and textures, and lyrics themes beyond traditional jazz. She has also experimented with different ways to share her music with audiences creating 2017’s Exposure live for 77 hours and distributing its final result in a limited edition. Spalding is one of popular music’s most eclectic talents teaching as a Professor of the Practice of Music at Harvard, writing the libretto of the original opera Iphigenia with Wayne Shorter, and engaging in various forms of activist work.
Janelle Monáe
In an industry defined by commercial trends and clones Janelle Monáe emerged as a genuine original on 2010’s contemporary-yet-futuristic concept album The ArchAndroid. Inspired by funk, rock, pop, sci-fi, and Afrofuturism, its blend of sonic sweep and danceability defined her as one of pop’s great synthesizers. 2013’s Electric Lady, which included guests like Prince, Erykah Badu and Miguel, was another conceptual gem that employed a futuristic vision to comment on the present. Between her second album and 2018’s Dirty Computer Monáe extended her talents to the silver screen appearing in the Oscar winner Moonlight and the highly popular and acclaimed Hidden Figures. Drawing from Beyoncé’s success with Lemonade Monáe launched Dirty Computer with an intriguing short film that showcased express her queer sexuality and feminist politics. The album’s dazzling patchwork of funk and soul, mirrors classic albums like Prince’s Sign O’ the Times in its mix of eroticism (“Make Me Feel”) and cultural observations (“Americans”).
Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson’s 1986 album Control is an undisputed masterpiece chronicling an artist coming-of-age into adulthood thanks to assertive songs like the title track and “What Have You Done for Me Lately?” and more reflective songs such as “Let’s Wait Awhile.” Jackson continued expanding upon this thematic approach to her albums, including the sensual focus of 1993’s janet. and the introspective layers of 1997’s The Velvet Rope. Like Madonna, Jackson’s strength as an artist lies more in the way she weaves personal-yet-resonant themes into highly melodic, danceable pop than vocal virtuosity. Her musical approach is paralleled by some of the most innovative videos of the MTV era. The imprint of Jackson’s musical and visual impact is evident in the look and sound of a diverse group of dance and funk-oriented performers across generations including TLC, Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, and SZA.
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson transformed her elimination from American Idol’s third season into a stellar multimedia career: Hudson’s combination of gospel fervor and Broadway showmanship had made her the premiere singer-actress of her generation. Her star turn as Effie White in 2006’s Dreamgirls introduced the musical to a new generation of listeners who were enthralled by her showstopping rendition of its signature “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” After winning nearly every critical and industry accolade for the role including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, Hudson won a Grammy for her eponymous debut solo album. In addition to performing in various film and television roles, she made her Broadway debut in The Color Purple on Broadway in the fall of 2015, portrayed Motormouth Mable in NBC’s 2016 production of Hairspray Live! and was selected by Aretha Franklin to portray her in the 2021 biopic Respect which earned Hudson further acclaim.
Jill Scott
Singer, songwriter, poet, and actress Jill Scott emerged as a unique presence in contemporary soul music when her 2000 debut Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Volume 1 dropped. Drawing from a well of popular music influences, including jazz, 70s soul, and hip-hop, she offered a fresh variation on Black urbanity tackling love, spirituality, and politics in her own way. Songs like “He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat),” “The Way,” and “Long Walk” resonated deeply with fans of the graceful melodies, sensual rhythms, and illustrative lyrics associated with classic soul music. Subsequent albums and a series of collaborations continued to endear her to audiences including anthems like “Golden” and her duets with Lupe Fiasco (“Daydreamin’”) and Anthony Hamilton (“So in Love”). Boldly and proudly black in her music and persona she has been recognized regularly by the BET Awards, Lady of Soul Awards, NAACP Image, and Soul Train Awards, as well as the Grammies. In addition to her recordings she is a successful theatre, television, and film actress.
Lady Gaga
After years of performing and writing songs for other performers Lady Gaga broke through with 2008’s Fame Monster catapulting melodic dance music from the margins to the center thanks to the rhythmic throb of “Just Dance” and “Pokerface” and a highly cultivated visual persona. Inspired by a mélange of ingredients borrowed from Madonna, David Bowie, disco, sci-fi movies and the fashion world, Gaga is a genuine multimedia star for the new millennium. Beyond the eye-catching outfits, over the top videos, and elusive persona lie a gifted musician with an impressive range. While chart-topping albums like 2011’s Born this Way continued her commercial streak she has continued showcasing the scope of her talents duetting with Tony Bennett on two popular jazz themed albums, acting in Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story series, performing at the Superbowl Halftime, and earning multiple Academy Award nominations for her acting, and a win for songwriting in director Bradley Cooper’s remake of A Star is Born. Lady Gaga has inspired a younger generation of performers and her peers including Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Halsey, Sam Smith, and Kanye West.
Me’shell N’degeocello
Few musicians have had a career as diverse and unpredictable as bassist, songwriter, and vocalist Me’shell N’degocello. Though she began fusing elements 1970s soul music with more contemporary elements prior to the circulation of the term “neo-soul” her artistry exceeds such narrow categories. Eclectic by nature she disrupted the monotony of early 1990s R&B with her bold debut Plantation Lullabies and has never repeated herself. Whether exploring religious themes (Peace Beyond Passion), profound heartbreak (Bitter), adult sensuality (Comfort Woman), or saluting past masters (Ventriloquism), she is unafraid take lyrical or musical risks. A lover of soul, rock, and jazz her best music is exploratory. For example, her brilliant 2012 tribute to Nina Simone Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone which features several guests forsakes reverence for the opportunity to reimagine and modernize the songs. A frequent presence on film soundtracks, and as a featured artist on various jazz, hip-hop and progressive R & B albums, she is a well-respected musician whose music is boundless.
Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott
The doors that pioneers like Roxanne Shante, Salt-N-Pepa, Monie Love, and Queen Latifah blew open for female MCs opened wider when Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott dropped 1997’s Supa Dupa Fly. A writer and producer turned hip-hop performer Elliott’s creative blend of vintage samples and modern beats, and innovative music videos, instantly distinguished her as a fresh voice in hip-hop. Elliott, often in collaboration with her creative partner Timbaland, pushed the percussive range of hip-hop thanks to innovative sounds like 2001’s Punjab inspired “Get Ur Freak On” the sleek retro style of 2002’s “Work It,” and their classic videos. Alongside her solo career Elliott’s writing and/or producing for such artists as Aaliyah, Christina Aguilera, Bubba Sparxxx, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Keisha Cole, Ginuwine, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Monica Jazmine Sullivan, Total, and Tweet, among others, has placed her at the forefront of the creative pioneers shaping and expanding the sound hip-hop, R&B and, their overlaps.
P!nk
P!nk could have easily gotten lost among the emerging performers marketed as “teen pop” in the late 1990s. After achieving several solid pop hits initially, she translated her spunky personality and vulnerability into 2001’s Missundaztood where her affinity for jaunty dance pop, fervent confessional rock, and R&B coalesced into an early creative and commercial peak. In her eclectic musical world all topics are potential subjects including politics, feminism, intimate relationships, and social acceptance and she brings a unique perspective to each of these. Through songs like “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” “Trouble,” “So What,” “Sober,” “Fuckin’ Perfect,” “Just Give Me a Reason,” “What About Us,” we get a clear glimpse of her soul. One of pop’s boldest artists she is misunderstood (missaundaztood?) no more.
Sheryl Crow
Before radio programmers warmed up to 1994’s “All I Wanna Do” Sheryl Crow paid her dues as a music teacher and a working musician gaining visibility as a background singer for pop performers like Belinda Carlisle, Kenny Loggins, and Michael Jackson. Disappointed with the slickness of the first album he recorded for A & M Records initially, she abandoned it for the more organic feel of Tuesday Night Music Club. Developed from a series of fruitful jam sessions with fellow musicians in Los Angeles it freed her to pursue her own sound. Wry, vulnerable, furtive, and impressionistic she became the premiere female rocker of the era through 1996’s Sheryl Crow, 1998’s The Globe Sessions, and 2004’s C’mon C’mon. Inspired by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and various strains of country and folk, Crow’s music continues to embrace and reflect a range of American musical colors making her an excellent exemplar of rock’s aesthetic possibilities.
Tanya Tucker
Though Tanya Tucker established herself as a major vocalist on 1972’s “Delta Dawn” it took 2019’s Grammy winning While I’m Livin’ produced by Brandi Carlisle and Shooter Jennings to reassert her greatness to contemporary listeners. Possessing a gritty yet flexible instrument and an interpretive swagger all her own Tucker transcended her early years as an ingenue and “outlaw” to become one of country’s most affecting singers. From the mid-1980s-late 1990s songs like “I’ll Come Back as Another Woman,” “Love Me Like You Used To,” “Strong Enough to Bend,” “Don’t Get Out”, “Soon,” and “Little Things” showcased the power of her instrument and the talent of emerging songwriters like Beth Nielsen Chapman and Paul Overstreet, among others. Though her sales ebbed in the 2000s she remained a vital performer irrespective of trends. For a younger generation of country artists seeking out models of distinction and authenticity, such as Carlisle and Jennings, Tucker is a formidable inspiration.
Teena Marie
From the late 1970s-early 1980s vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Teena Marie, known as Lady T, was arguably the first lady of Motown scoring with soulful funk tunes like “I’m a Sucker for Your Love,” (with Rick James) “Behind the Groove,” “I Need Your Lovin’” and “Square Biz.” A colleague of funkster Rick James she left Motown for Epic Records in the mid-1980s and continued making an impact in R&B with tunes like “Lovergirl” and “Ooo La La La.” Marie was the rare white singer who was more popular with black audiences and on R&B radio than in the pop world, and was fully accepted as contributing to rather than appropriating African-American music. One of the first vocalists to integrate hip-hop phrasing into her music on “Square Biz,” her songs are sampled frequently in hip-hop (e.g., The Fugees “Fu-Gee-La”), and she is considered one of the unheralded queens of funk and R&B.
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