Jump to content

Unsung


Eric83

Recommended Posts

  • Members

I found the stuff about her mom, Josephine Howard from The Caravans ( http://youtu.be/up6Sfpkat-E ), the most interesting. Almost every member of that group dodged gay rumors for decades. Well, James Cleveland didn't exactly dodge them. He is by no means "UnSung", he's the King of Gospel and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but damn, what I wouldn't give to see a program on him where people were willing to speak on camera about all the scandal that surrounded him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 299
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Members

Re: the Miki Howard episode - it just seemed as if that tidbit dropped from the sky and never expounded upon ("Oh, my mother was a gospel singer who just happened to be a lesbian...so, then after that, I moved to LA") and it was odd.

Admittedly, I know the bare minimum about gospel and even less about the behind-the-scenes gossip, so I was pretty surprised to hear that gospel singers had to contend with rumors about their sexuality just like secular singers. Hearing that every member of the group that Miki's mother was a part of dodging gay rumors adds a whole other dimension to that tidbit that I wished were explored in some capacity via some form of media (whether it'd be TV, print, or online).

As for James Cleveland, all I know of him was that he was a gospel singer/pastor who'd molested plenty of young boys/men for decades and (allegedly) died of AIDS (though barely anyone in the gospel industry/church wants to touch that with a ten-foot pole). I also read on another message board that Billy Preston's Unsung touched on it (without naming him) when they'd mentioned that he'd been abused by an elder statesman in the church as a boy, though I'm not sure if this is baseless speculation or an unspoken fact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

James Cleveland! Wow! You guys prompted me to read up on him, and I feel like bathing right now (good thing I am about to get ready for work because I need a shower stat!). What a vile piece of garbage and hiding behind gospel too?

I would love to see a biopic on this guy! Time for Unsung to challenge themselves and take on this particular "Unsung"!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Yeah, *allegedly*, Rev. had inappropriate contact with Preston and even Sylvester in their youth (though JC isn't the original offender alluded to in Sylvester's Unsung, that was a clergyman at his boyhood Bay area church). Preston grew up to face his own charges of molestation and ended up doing time for them.

Apparently, JC had lots of "nieces" and "nephews" that he looked out for financially. Of course we don't know the true nature of all of those relationships, but nonetheless, a lot of them were living up under him and happy to spend his money. He did have one biological daughter and my heart goes out to her because I'm sure it was hell hearing all of that stuff about your own father and living in a home where God knows what was going on.

I suppose you all read the article(s) about Christopher Harris, one of JC's adopted (or "adopted"?) sons who sued JC's estate, claiming JC knowingly infected him with HIV. What a mess.

A nephew of one of The Caravans wrote a scathing tell all with lurid details of lesbian sex, alcoholism, and related scandal. But he has his share of critics, to put it mildly.

At any rate, I find myself so conflicted because I love JC's music. Like, LOVE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The whole (alleged) sordid, yet tragic, story made me livid and heartbroken at the same time, CH. I'm not sure what was worse - Rev. Cleveland's (alleged) self-hatred manifesting into a continuing cycle of (alleged) abuse that was (allegedly) passed on down to another generation or the fact that damn near everyone in his congregation (allegedly) chose to turn a blind eye to it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Do you know if the Sylvester's church's clergyman had any connection to Rev. Cleveland? Or was the (alleged) nature of Sylvester's relationship with both merely coincidental?

The whole Billy Preston story saddened me precisely because he wasn't able to truly recognize and conquer those demons that he'd acted out in self-destructive and abusive behavior.

I was under the impression that the Reverend only had "nephews"/"sons". Have his "nieces" ever spoken out about any (alleged) abuse? Furthermore, is his daughter still affiliated with (what's left) of his congregation?

Whatever happened to that case with Christopher Harris, anyway? I know it was written sometime in the (mid?) 90s, so I don't know how it was resolved in court (if it even got there).

The more I read (though I confess that I can't put faces to many names since I'm really out of the loop when it comes to gospel acts - past and present), the more I'm starting to agree with CH about a doc/factional biopic about this needing to happen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Oh indeed, and I've been crafting one in my head off and on for about ten years now. I have just the friend to play him. Some of my college classmates were from L.A. and grew up near his church (after he died, there was no money and they lost the church which was later converted into a Big Lots, the congregation splitting and forming two new smaller churches). I became friendly with someone who sang in his choir(s) back in the day and she had great stories, mostly about his kindness and generosity, actually. But there were darker stories about the things going on around his church, the gangs, the drugs, the murders, some really compelling stories about the "supporting characters" in Rev.'s life.

I don't think he had the same type of relationships with the "nieces" as he did with the "nephews", but he certainly financially provided for some down on their luck young women.

The Harris case was settled out of court to the best of my knowledge, and in the interview of him I read online, he made it clear that there was but so much he could legally discuss.

JC was in southern California and Sylvester's church was in the Bay area, but those great Californian gospel choirs traveled up and down the coast performing at each other's churches and special events. They all knew each other and each other's business.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

According to a former co-worker, James Cleveland used to go cruising in his limo. We used to hear a lot of stories about celebrities and some of our local jails on the west side. Anyway, she said that they changed his clothes several times during his funeral. I guess he has the whole ceremony planned.

I liked all the Unsung episodes I saw, though I may have a few of the subjects confused with some on Life After. I remember DeBarge, the Sylvers, Vesta, among others. Jody Watley made an impression on me during the Shalamar episode. I do occasionally wonder about their criteria because I'm not sure that Minnie Riperton fit since she died pretty young. Nor am I quite sure about Teena Marie since I think in some instances, the artists reached the highest level of success they were likely to reach. I know with Alexander O'Neal, for instance, there was the whole Prince falling out which he believes got him booted from the Time. But it's not as if they stayed on top either. It's rare to have those artists that not only make it big but span decades.

I've seen Klymaxx on this series and on that VH1 series where they would try to get bands to reunite. I loved that show. I love whenever they get after Cheryl Cooley.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Wales, that's correct, they changed James' clothes a couple of times in the casket. He had a wake/musical celebration at Cornerstone then a funeral (with of course more music) at the Shrine Auditorium. Much of it is on YouTube, including shots of James laid out, which is not for everybody if you don't like looking at dead people.

Wales, I didn't even know that Jody Watley was in Shalamar until Unsung. I always knew her as a solo artist. ♫I was too blind to see, when you belonged to me, you were my everything...♫

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Are these online? I'vehad no luck--but woul love to see the Thelma Houston one, in particular. Yeah her Don't Leave Me This Way is one of Disco (and 70s Motown)'s best all time tracks, and she still has a voie but I would hope they'd cover her first album Sunshower (I paid ridiculous money to get the Japan only reissue of it). It's a flawless album produced and written by Jimmy Webb who said he considered her his muse and the best voice he worked directly with (A year later he did a similar, butnot quite as good album for the new lineup of the Supremes that flopped as well)--it's one of those albums music connoiseurs of the era seem to allknowand love, but it snuck through the cracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RETXQnBWR8c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOX8TlqImaU

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Wow, thanks for this! I don't have cable and I got hooked on Unsung by watching episodes posted by some kind soul on You Tube but some disappeared.

I'm going to check out this site to see if I can try to catch up on what I've missed.

I'm going to try tvone.tv as well.

I often get lost in the soap threads so I'm so glad I wandered into this one.biggrin.png

Thanks!smile.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

For some reason I thought his service was at the Forum but I had that wrong. Wow, the Shrine. I haven't been down that way in several months but they're seemingly working on gentrification. I noticed that USC's student housing is moving further and further into neighborhoods they previously avoided.

I found Howard Hewett's attempts to keep Shalamar going kind of interesting--especially since he wasn't an original member.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks for the background on the whole James Cleveland mess...

As for this past episode, I'm mad that the Midnight Star episode hadn't made a reference to Curious, as I do love that song. That said, I had no idea that the guys that sang "I Wanna Be Rich" were in Midnight Star (for some reason, I thought they were affiliated with Timex Social Club/Foster & McElroy/Club Nouveau). Good to know.

Can't wait for the EPMD episode, as I hope that they address the full details of their breakup (as well as Erick Sermon's [alleged] suicide attempt).

Edited by VirginiaHamilton
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • As requested by @P.J. the 1976 summary from Daytime Serial Newsletter. This was the Dobsons. I will be posting it in parts, as it quite lengthy. The Guiding Light premiered forty years ago on radio and now, after successfully having moved to television in the mid-fifties, it continues to chronicle the lives of the Bauer family of Springfield. Bertha (Bert) Bauer, the matriarch and guiding. force behind the family,has proved to be a source of strength and good counsel to all her friends and acquaintances as well as her own sons.  Michael, her older son, an attorney, recently married Leslie, who was formerly married to his brother,Ed, with whom she has a son, Freddie. Michael’s daughter Hope has always felt close to Leslie, but a recent conflict with Mike over her relationship with an older college professor has strained Hope’s relations with her father. Ed married Holly Norris last year but has just learned from her that their infant —daughter, Christina, is not his child but Roger Thorpe’s. Roger, who is deeply in love with nurse Peggy Fletcher, hopes the truth about Christina can be concealed, as he fears he could lose Peggy for good. Holly’s mother, Barbara, has recently married Roger’s father Adam and has no idea of the truth about Christina. Drs. Sara McIntyre and Joe Werner find their marriage is better than ever since orphaned T.J. became their foster child, and they are relieved that he is not the missing son of Cedars patient Ann Jeffers, who is searching for the child her estranged husband took out of town when she ran off with another man. Nurse Rita Stapleton, newly arrived in Springfield, aware of Ed’s personal upheaval, is solicitously offering him friendship and a shoulder to lean on. Dr. Ed Bauer has stunned the Bauer family by separating from his wife, Holly, soon after the recovery of their infant daughter, Christina, from pneumonia. Holly, exhausted by the baby’s illness and her own growing guilt feelings, has confessed to Ed that Christina is Roger Thorpe’s child, not his. Ed, learning that Peggy Fletcher has accepted Roger’s proposal,tells Roger to tell Peggy the truth before he does. Rita Stapleton, R.N., is taken aback when she meets Peggy’s fiancé, as she knew Roger when he worked in the oil fields in Texas. At the time, Rita was private nurse to wealthy oilman Mr. Granger. Roger, under pressure from Ed, realizes he can’t marry Peggy without telling her the whole truth. Somehow finding the courage, he tells her everything and begs for her forgiveness. As he feared, Peggy, stunned, breaks their engagement. Despite Ed’s later assurances that his own marriage was shaky before Roger, Peggy can’t forgive him; there’s no trust left. Holly, who has filed for divorce, goes to Peggy, explaining that she cared for Roger more than he ever cared for her, that she knew Roger loved Peggy from the moment he met her and became a better person for just knowing her. She assures Peggy that there has been nothing between them for a long time now. Leslie Bauer has returned to college to add personal fulfillment to her life as a housewife and mother. Her husband, attorney Mike Bauer, has undertaken a search for Ann Jeffers’s son Jimmy, whom she abandoned when she ran off with another man years ago. Jimmy’s father, Spence Jeffers, was a quick tempered drunk who cheated on Ann repeatedly. Mike offers Ann a job in his office, to help her meet the costs of the investigation. Spence and Jimmy’s trail seems to end in Alaska. Mike seems to resent Leslie’s involvement with school, and she is upset by his long hours and absences on the Jeffers case. Ann, realizing Leslie’s feelings, apologizes to her for causing Mike’s absences and tells Leslie how lucky she is to be married to a man like Mike.  Ed, unable to do neurosurgery after being wounded in the arm last year, decides to go ahead with highrisk nerve-root-resection surgery, despite the fifty-percent chance of total paralysis. In the operating room, Dr. Steve Jackson finds an excessive amount of scar tissue and refuses to continue the surgery, fearing that healthy nerve roots could be severed accidentally. Dr. Jackson closes, over young Dr. Tim Ryan’s objections, and later tells Tim his arrogance is becoming a detriment to his medical career at Cedars Hospital. Ed’s friends and family are upset at his reaction to this disappointment. His assignment as Chief of Staff wasn’t as fulfilling as surgery, and he now realizes that will no longer be part of his life. Rita Stapleton tries to cheer Ed by bringing groceries and consolation, but Ed’s depression isn’t lifting. His mother, Bert. Bauer,fears that Ed, a former alcoholic, may start drinking again. |  When Roger tells Peggy he’s leaving Springfield —for the sake of everyone he has hurt, Peggy, realizing also the suffering of her son Billy, who had grown to love Roger, tells Roger that even though it hurts to know about Christina, it hurts more to be without him. They agree to try again and plan to marry immediately. Barbara Thorpe, Holly’s mother, stumbles upon a manuscript written by her son Andy and, putting the pieces together, realizes that the story of a young woman whose child is not her husband’s is about Holly. Holly makes her mother promise not to tell anyone, which puts a tremendous strain upon her, as Barbara is married to Roger’s father, Adam Thorpe. Barbara is unable to tell Adam why she’s suddenly suffering migraine headaches and constant depression. | Despite Rita’s increasing attempts to reach him, Ed continues to sink further into his depression, until finally she tells him he isn’t half the man she thought —he was. Stunned into taking a good look at what he’s become, Ed admits he’s destroying himself and shows up the next morning at his office ready for work. Dr. Tim Ryan has become annoyed at the number of dates Rita has broken to be with Ed, and upon learning he’s up for chief resident, he rushes to share the news with her, only to find she’s entertaining Ed for dinner. Tim leaves angrily but later returns to apologize and propose marriage to Rita. She politely turns him down and suggests they no longer see each other, for his sake. Tim bitterly accuses her of using him. Under pressure from Adam to explain her strange depression, Barbara finally tells Adam the whole story.She informs him that Roger and Peggy are not welcome in her home. Home from his honeymoon, Roger learns from his father that Barbara knows the truth and has told him. Roger can tell his father only that he regrets what happened and he is a changed man now. He hopes his father can one day forgive him. Adam later tells Barbara she’s put the entire blame on Roger and hasn’t considered Holly’s guilt in the matter, adding, “I can accept the truth, why can’t you?” Feeling that it’s best for everyone involved, Roger prepares to resign as manager at the Metro Restaurant and take Billy and Peggy out of town. Peggy bolsters his confidence by telling him they’ll stay and fight this out together. Tim, upset by Rita’s attitude and rejection, is letting his emotions affect his work. When Ed, unaware that Rita is the reason, warns Tim that his recent lack of efficiency may lose him the senior resident appointment, Tim smarts at his rival’s being his superior. Tim takes stock of the situation and resolves to put personal problems aside and concentrate on his career. More to come...
    • @Tisy-Lish Seems like the bulk of 76 was the Schneiders who I don't believe ever headwrote another soap. I think the Labine/Mayer structured the show well in the time they were there and succeding headwriters used that to their advantage but then began chipping away with their own characters/story. @Franko glad you're enjoying delving into unfamiliar territory And now Part 2.... When a missing person’s report on Ben goes out, the Connecticut state police respond with their unconscious John Doe. When Ben awakens after brain surgery he calls for Betsy, angering Arlene, who gets drunk and goes to tell Meg the truth. Meg’s housekeeper, Carrie Lovett, who is Arlene’s mother (she had no idea of ‘Arlene’s involvement with Ben when she took this job), manages to prevent Arlene from seeing Meg. Ben, still hazy from anesthesia, tells Betsy how sorry he is for the way he’s treated her. Betsy, misunderstanding, assumes he means the gambling. Diana is still feeling sorry for herself, despite Jamie’s efforts to convince her that they can have a full life with children by adoption. When he informs her that his divorce is almost final and they can plan their wedding, Diana refuses to acknowledge that she has any future at all. Arlene, drunk and despondent, starts a letter to Ben in which she refers to herself as his “real wife.” Ray finds it and takes it to Jamie, threatening to give it to Betsy unless Jamie gets his client, Meg, off Ray’s back. Jamie has already warned Meg that Slater is no small-time hood; he has big money and power behind him. Arlene, confronted by Jamie, insists she meant “first wife,” but Jamie gives her seven days to produce a divorce decree or he’ll prove her and Ben guilty of attempting to defraud Meg. Ben, learning this, orders her to get a quickie Haiti decree, but she refuses, reminding Ben that he has told her sometimes he feels happy being married to Betsy and expecting a child. Arlene refuses to be dumped. Ray comes to Ben’s aid with a phony divorce decree. Ben takes it to Jamie for verification while Ray tells Meg that Ben needed false divorce papers from Arlene. Meg confronts her son and agrees to help him out of this mess. She plans to expedite his divorce from Arlene and convince Betsy to renew her marriage vows on their anniversary. Learning that Rick has known about Arlene and Ben’s marriage since the beginning, Meg withdraws her support from their planned ski resort. Rick realizes his dreams have just gone down the drain but can’t fault Meg’s motive. Arlene decides she needs money now to get Ben out of town and sets out to blackmail Meg. Ben, realizing that the only thing left to do is to run away with Arlene, leaves a letter for Betsy explaining why he married her but that he later fell in love with her. At the edge of town, however, he realizes he can’t go through with it. He tells Arlene he loves Betsy and wants to be there with her when their child is born, and he gets out of the car and calls a cab. Arlene, furious, races back to Meg’s house, where she tells Betsy the whole story. Betsy, disbelieving her, rushes to her bedroom, where she finds Ben’s letter confirming everything Arlene just told her. In shock, Betsy calls her brother, Dr. Tom Crawford, to come right away. Ben arrives and is truthful with Betsy, who no longer wants anything to do with him. Realizing that Meg stands in the way of his being a man, Ben moves out. Betsy is unmoved when Ben and Arlene’s divorce comes through; she won’t expose herself to that kind of hurt again. When Meg cajoles her to live with her until her grandchild is born, Betsy tells Meg that in the eyes of the court this isn’t her grandchild and she’ll never allow her child to be corrupted by Meg’s money, as Ben was. Meg, full of self-pity gets drunk and manages to get Rick drunk when she tells him Skyler Mountain is out. She then reminds him of how their relationship used to be and renews his passions, now affected by liquor. After they spend the night together, Meg decides to go ahead with the Skyler Mountain project after all. Rick makes it clear, however, that he still loves Cal and his relationship with Meg will be strictly business. Betsy continues to refuse to see Ben and is determined to be self-supporting. When she inadvertently mentions Ben’s letter to Bruce Sterling, the mayor of Rosehill, he has to turn it over to the district attorney. Meg is furious upon discovering that her own brother in law is the one who found the evidence against Ben. Dr. Joe Cusack is quite concerned about a teenaged alcoholic patient at the clinic, Lynn Henderson, who is determined not to be helped. She tries a sob story on Vanessa Sterling, but Cal, Van’s niece, overhears and warns Lynn not to put the bite on her friends and relatives. So Lynn, who refuses to heed Joe’s warning that alcohol has so destroyed her stomach lining that she could die from another binge, steals money from Van’s fund-raising folder and takes off. She later turns up at Van’s to apologize for stealing charity money and explains she was the ugly daughter of a beautiful mother and grew up feeling unloved. Van persuades Joe to let Lynn stay with her instead of returning to the halfway house she hates. Bruce, Van’s husband, sees Lynn as another of Van’s strays and asks Lynn not to take advantage of Van. Cal. is concerned to learn Rick will again be involve in business with Meg. He assures her it will be okay and that Meg is his last chance to fulfill his dream of making it big. When Meg overhears Cal telling Ben that she and Rick are engaged, Meg tries to tell Cal that Rick’s not the marrying kind and she’s wrong for him. Seeing that Cal is serious and Rick apparently is too, Meg threatens to tell Cal everything, including their most recent intimacy, if Rick doesn’t call it off immediately; she gives him twenty-four hours. Rick, for Cal’s own good, he feels, tells her he’s not the monogamous kind and she’d be better off without him. Cal, knowing she really loves him, refuses to let  go easily. So. he uses Cal’s knowledge of the fact that his son Hank dearly wants his parents to reconcile and tells Cal he and Barbara are planning to try again, for the boy’s sake. But Cal later runs into Hank and mentions that he must be glad his mother’s coming home. Hank has no knowledge of this and is confused. Rick, therefore, has to tell the child he used this as an excuse to get out of marrying Cal. But Hank, miserable at having his hopes raised and dashed, spills this to Cal when she tries to cheer him up. He tells her it was all a lie. Jamie warns Rick that his Skylar Mountain contract with Meg has so many contingencies that if anything happens, he’ll be holding the financial bag. But Rick, wanting this success badly, signs the papers, and Meg releases the money.
    • I genuinely in my 20 year history of watching Days can’t recall a single Bo and Phillip scene though I’m assuming there had to be one or two? Phillip was always much more presented as Lucas’ brother due to Kate’s involvement in their love lives and closer age post SORAS. I will say my favorite thing about PR though is he made Bo the only Kiriakis to actually pronounce it like Victor/John Aniston despite Papa Brady obviously being the dad he was associated with.
    • OK 1976 GL coming up   As none of those shows aired in 1976...
    • Thank you, @Paul Raven! I chose Love of Life because it's a show I don't have a lot of familiarity with, so I thought it would be interesting to look at this period with a more or less unspoiled view.
    • 40 years ago this summer.  To me this is the GOAT CBS daytime promo and the yardstick to which all CBS daytime promos are measured.

      Please register in order to view this content

       
    • That would be a good plot point to add more tension to the situation.
    • Some hot sports guys from tennis and football.

      Please register in order to view this content

       

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Checked. Favorite New Couple & they beat out AW Cindy & Grant and ATWT Peter Parros & Lauren Martin
    • Leslie: "But I deserve to be on the wall with King, Fauntroy, and Angelou. For I, too, have suffered."  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy