Ta Mara and the Seen was an American R&B group based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. They were signed by

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

to capitalize on the mid-1980s chart success of the "

Minneapolis sound The Minneapolis sound is a subgenre of funk rock with elements of New wave music, new wave and synth-pop, that was pioneered by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based musician Prince (musician), Prince in the late 1970s. Its popularity was given a boost th ...

", which included acts such as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince (musician), Prince. Led by singer Vanity (singer), Vanity, they are known for their song "Nasty Girl (Vanity ...

Sheila E. Sheila Cecilia Escovedo (born December 12, 1957) better known under the stage name Sheila E., is an American percussionist and singer. She began her career in the mid-1970s as a percussionist and singer for The George Duke Band. After leaving t ...

, and the Time. They achieved

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

success with the

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

" Everybody Dance", which peaked at No. 24 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in early 1986. Other tracks from their self-titled debut album include the single "Affection", "Summertime Love", and a ballad titled "Long Cold Nights". The album was produced by former Time guitarist Jesse Johnson. The group was managed by

Owen Husney Owen Robert Husney (born September 8, 1947) is an American music manager, musician, promoter, and record executive. Husney is known for his discovery and management of the artist Prince and Prince's 1977 signing to Warner Bros. Records—then o ...

. A 1988 follow-up album, ''Blueberry Gossip'', failed to catch on and the group disbanded in 1989. Their albums are no longer in print. Lead singer Margaret Cox (a.k.a.

Margie Cox Margaret Cox is an American singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the Minneapolis sound band Ta Mara and the Seen, and for her work with Prince. Early life and career Cox was born in Kenitra, Morocco and moved to Minneapolis with her fa ...

), given the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Pegi Ta Mara by producer Johnson, was born in

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou River, Sebou river, has a popul ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

and lived there until age seven, when she and her family moved to Minneapolis. Other members of the group included bassist Keith Woodson, guitarist Oliver Leiber (son of the songwriter

Jerry Leiber Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such Crossover music, crossover hit songs ...

), keyboardist Gina Fellicetta, and drummer Jamie Chez.

Discography

Albums

*''

Ta Mara & the Seen Ta Mara and the Seen was an American R&B group based in Minneapolis. They were signed by A&M Records to capitalize on the mid-1980s chart success of the "Minneapolis sound", which included acts such as Prince, Vanity 6, Sheila E., and the Time. ...

'' (1985), A&M *''Blueberry Gossip'' (1988), A&M

Singles

*" Everybody Dance" (1985) – U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 24, U.S. R&B Singles No. 3, U.S. Dance/Disco No. 17 *"Affection" (1985) U.S. R&B No. 19 *"Thinking About You" (1986) U.S. R&B No. 85 *"Blueberry Gossip" (1988) U.S. R&B No. 54 *"True Ecstasy" (1988) *"

Everyday People "Everyday People" is a 1968 song composed by Sly Stone and first recorded by his band, Sly and the Family Stone. It was the first single by the band to go to number one on the Soul singles chart and the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It held ...

" (1988)

External links

* Musical groups from Minnesota American rhythm and blues musical groups {{US-R&B-band-stub