Without any fanfare or a farewell, veteran Twin Cities singer Margaret Cox has retired from Dr. Mambo’s Combo after 38 years.
The band has played weekly shows at Bunker’s in Minneapolis’ North Loop since 1987, becoming a beloved institution embraced by countless music fans, including Prince.
“Margaret Cox is a once in a lifetime talent. I’ve had the pleasure of singing with her for 34 years,” Mambo’s Combo leader Julius Collins said in a statement announcing her retirement. “She’s a marvel ... and always will be with me.”
Cox is a versatile, powerhouse singer, who relished the R&B repertoire of Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin but could belt rock hits as well. She is the rare local musician who never had a day job.
Having started singing at Minneapolis clubs as a teenager, Cox went from recording on the final Lipps, Inc. album in 1983 to scoring a national R&B hit leading Ta Mara & the Seen in 1985 to fronting a Prince-produced project MC Flash, that was never officially released.
Born in Morocco, Cox moved to Minneapolis at age 7 and made her Twin Cities nightclub debut in ninth grade, singing at Bootlegger Sam’s in Dinkytown (where she lived and attended Marshall-University High School).
She graduated to other local bands, including Raggs, the Doug Maynard Band, the TC Jammers, the Peterson-Cox Band (with Patty Peterson), Rupert’s Orchestra and, in 1987, Dr. Mambo’s Combo.
She was “a star for a minute” (her words) with the Jesse Johnson-produced Ta Mara & the Seen, scoring a No. 3 R&B hit with “Everybody Dance,” though she said she didn’t see royalties — just a salary and $10,000 when she signed with A&M Records, she told the Star Tribune in 2003.
