Margie Cox (Minneapolis Soul Voice & Paisley Park Collaborator)

The powerful lead singer of Ta Mara & the Seen who became a favored vocalist at Paisley Park in the early 1990s, recording extensively with Prince for an unreleased project.

OVERVIEW

Margie Cox (born Margaret Cox, September 1, 1962) is an American R&B and soul singer from Minneapolis. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the Minneapolis Sound band Ta Mara & the Seen and for her deep involvement in Prince’s early-1990s studio sessions.

EARLY LIFE & MUSICAL BEGINNINGS

Raised in Minneapolis, Margie gained local fame as Ta Mara with her band Ta Mara & the Seen. Their 1985 hit “Everybody Dance” (produced by Jesse Johnson) became a Minneapolis Sound classic. She also sang with groups like Lipps Inc. earlier in her career.

PRINCE CONNECTION

Prince admired Margie’s voice and invited her to record at Paisley Park in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She recorded over 25 songs with him, primarily for a project called M.C. Flash (or Flash), which was never officially released. Prince produced and played on much of the material.

She contributed the track “Standing at the Altar” (a Prince composition) to the 1994 Paisley Park compilation 1-800-NEW-FUNK, which was released as a single.

KEY RELEASES With Ta Mara & the Seen:

• Ta Mara & the Seen (1985) – featuring “Everybody Dance”

• Blueberry Gossip (1988)

Prince-Related:

• “Standing at the Altar” (1994) – Single from 1-800-NEW-FUNK

• Unreleased M.C. Flash album (recorded 1989–1994) – Dozens of tracks worked on with Prince, Levi Seacer Jr., and others.

She also performed locally for decades with Dr. Mambo’s Combo at Bunker’s in Minneapolis.

STAGE WORK & LATER CAREER

Margie has been a staple of the Minneapolis music scene for over 40 years. She performed regularly with Dr. Mambo’s Combo every Sunday night for decades. In more recent years, she has spoken about her experiences working with Prince and continues to sing in the Twin Cities area.

WHY THEY MATTER TO THE PRINCE UNIVERSE 

Margie Cox represents Prince’s deep commitment to nurturing local Minneapolis talent in the post-Revolution / New Power Generation era. Her powerful, soulful voice was perfectly suited to the evolving Paisley Park sound. The large body of unreleased material she recorded with Prince remains one of the more intriguing “what if” projects in his vault, highlighting his ongoing support for strong female vocalists from his hometown.

SOURCES Prince Vault, Wikipedia, Discogs, interviews with Margie Cox, 1-800-NEW-FUNK liner notes.

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