Album Notes

Margaret Cox Career Highlights

1975
While in only ninth grade, Margaret helps form her first band, Split Rock, with her friend Shine and her music teacher, Morrie Dunow. The group evolves into her first gigging band, Perception. Although she is too young to drive, let alone drink, Margaret sings at Bootlegger Sam's bar at night and attends Marshall U. High by day!

1976
Still under the legal drinking age, she is invited to join Sweet Thing, the house band at The Mermaid Supper Club. Singing the funk of the day, Margaret really starts building her chops.

1979
St. Paul's notorious Raggs invites Margaret to join the band, and they rock the house at clubs such as The Cabooze, The Hideaway, Thumper's, Boyd's on the River, and The Pain Reliever.

1980
She joins forces with her hot singing buddy, Melanie Rosales, and they blow away the Twin Towns with The Doug Maynard Band. The group wins the first of its many Twin Cities' Yammie Awards at Uncle Sam's in Minneapolis. They also pack places like Mr. Nibb's, The Union Bar, Moby Dick's, Duffy's and Bootlegger Sam's.

1982
Grammy Award winner Bonnie Raitt recruits Margaret, Melanie and the rest of The Doug Maynard Band to tour the country as her backup group. R&B fans everywhere love Bonnie's runaway hit single Green Lights. After the tour, the group returns to Minneapolis and forms the TC Jammers.

1983
Funkytown creator Steven Greenberg enlists Margaret and Melanie to sing on Lipps Inc.'s fourth album. The record gets lots of radio and club play, and results in a sizable U.S. tour.

1983
Still gigging with The T.C. Jammers, Margaret joins up with Patty Peterson and her brother Paul to form the Peterson-Cox Band.

1983
After a brief stint with Inside Straight, Margaret then joins Metropolis with Sean LaBelle, frequently appearing at Williams Pub in Uptown Minneapolis.

1984
Margaret links up with Rupert's Orchestra, and performs regularly at the elegant nightclub for a couple of years.

1985 - 1986
Jesse Johnson of The Time changes Margaret's name to Ta Mara and produces her solo album for A&M Records, Ta Mara And The Seen. The first single, Everybody Dance, spends several weeks at #1 on the R&B charts before crossing over to #21 on the Pop charts. The two subsequent singles, Affection and Blueberry Gossip also do well on the R&B charts.

1986
As Ta Mara, Margaret pens I Need You with Jesse for Paula Abdul's multi-platinum selling Forever Your Girl LP.

1987
Margaret teams up with Melanie Rosales, Cynthia Johnson, and Debbie Duncan and they start a band with Tim Emerson called Dr. Mambo's Combo. (Now called The Legendary Combo, the band is currently celebrating its 16th year of playing the house gig at Bunker's in Minneapolis.)

1990
Prince signs Margaret to Paisley Park Records, changes her name to Margie Cox, and records over 25 songs for her still-unreleased LP called M.C. Flash.

1990s
Margaret is a frequent nominee and winner of the prestigious Minnesota Music Award for Best Female Singer, while The Combo often wins Best R&B Band.

1997
Prince includes Standing at the Altar, one of Margaret's songs on his 1-800-New-Funk CD. It's the first single released from the platinum-selling album.

2002
Margaret finishes writing, recording and mixing her own CD, Margie's Little Demo. The CD is released in September 2002, on Margie's Baby Records.