Unsung

[All My Shadows]

Damn, girl! But I totally agree. The disco ep was great, and a funk ep would cover another side of the same era.

I'm still holding out for Betty Wright, though.

[amybrickwallace]

I'm still holding out for SYREETA Wright!!!

[amybrickwallace]

I LOVED the Peaches & Herb episode!!! It was nice because no one involved dealt with drug or alcohol issues, or pretty much any huge scandal (in fact, Herb has spent his career away from music in law enforcement for decades and has been married to the same woman for decades). Their music still holds up very well - both with the first Peaches (the late Francine Barker) and the Peaches of the "Shake Your Groove Thing" and "Reunited" era (Linda Greene-Tavani).

Coming up:

Angie Stone (1/28, 8 PM EST)

Meli'sa Morgan (2/4, 8 PM EST)

[SFK]

Up early watching my obligatory Good Times marathon, and I just saw the promo for this season's Unsung: Hollywood. Not that I don't appreciate the chance to learn more, but on what planet (certainly not this one) are A Different World and Redd m'erf'ing Foxx "unsung"? They're also doing Cheryl Underwood which I oddly appreciate because I remember her scattered stand-up appearances on TV over the years. "Oh I'll suck a d!¢%. Datz why my teeth all crooked."

[amybrickwallace]

HUH??? I have to admit I didn't see that promo. That's like making Rick James the subject of a recent episode of the original show. I don't think these folks qualify as "unsung".

[All My Shadows]

Yeah, I'm with you on these. If they want to do profiles on popular things, they should just package it as a different series. The thing about Unsung was always that it was about people that "we" knew but only had fleeting encounters with household name status. I love me some Fred, but you can buy a Redd Foxx shirt at Hot Topic. His song has been sung.

[amybrickwallace]

UH should totally do a profile of Howard Rollins. Guessing from the number of fans of ITHOTN that post here, he would be the perfect celeb to do an episode about.

[VirginiaHamilton]

I'd much rather that they do one on Redd's running buddy, LaWanda Page.

As for ADW, the only reason why I'd make a concession is because of how it's been largely unacknowledged these days as the Top 5 hit that it once was during its heyday (largely due to the TCS lead-in, but still). Yes, they give reruns every day (which I am eternally grateful for), but it's nowhere near exalted in the mainstream in the same way that, say, The Golden Girls (another Top 5 hit for NBC), is today.

I wholeheartedly agree.

As am I. "No Pain, No Gain" is one of my favorite songs.

I was born during that funk era (early 80s baby here), so seeing a detail retrospective of (unsung) Black music around that time would be enough for me to tune in.

[All My Shadows]

I always thought it was odd that ADW was such a big hit because that success really isn't talked about much today. There are other shows that fall into that category, too.

[amybrickwallace]

I still can't find a list for the episodes that will be on the upcoming UH season. I've said it before, but TV One's website is a nightmare. Good luck trying to find anything out there!!

[DramatistDreamer]

Anyone ever hear of a songwriter by the name of Rose Marie McCoy? Neither did I until I read her obituary (she died at 92 years of age). If she isn't deserving of her own Unsung episode, I don't know who is. She worked with scores of artists in jazz, pop and rock and roll. And the most she's had is a radio documentary!

I must admit, I'm disappointed with Unsung so far this season (what I know/ have heard of what they're offering). No offense to Angie Stone, who I don't think has gotten much credit for her talent- but there are people like Ms. McCoy whose contributions to music are prolific, yet I think the average person has not really heard of her (I'd love to be wrong about this, though). She fits the definition of Unsung! Now she's passed on and the chance to interview her directly has also passed with her.

I would hope that by some miracle, TV One would surprise me and announce that they did indeed manage to do an episode on her before her death but I wouldn't count on it.

By the way, if anyone is interested in listening to the radio documentary, here's the link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100823151

Edited February 1, 2015 by DramatistDreamer

[amybrickwallace]

I'd never heard of her either, but wow - definitely some great credits there.

[amybrickwallace]

Any thoughts about the Meli'sa Morgan episode? I found it very touching - especially her memories of her dad.

According to my DVR, here are the listings for the first couple of UH episodes, the first set to air this week:

Wednesday 2/11, 8 PM EST - A Different World

Wednesday 2/18, 8 PM EST - Viveca A. Fox

[DramatistDreamer]

Okay, I just had a flashback to the Peaches & Herb Unsung episode, so bear with me for a moment:

Remember, in the episode, how both described how miffed they were at watching from the audience as Kenny Rogers & Donna Summer sang one of their songs at the Grammys?

I'm just discovering that last night at the Grammys created a small firestorm because apparently Beyoncé sang a gospel song that was featured on the Selma soundtrack-- only Beyoncé didn't sing it on that soundtrack, it was R&B singer Ledisi, who was right there in the audience!

I'm wondering how Ledisi felt (deep down) about this.

[amybrickwallace]

That's not the first time Beyoncé has sung another Grammy nominee's song, is it? Or am I thinking of the Oscars?