1. Fame is a bull hellbent on bucking you.
Every act profiled on TV One's hit docu-series, Unsung, was chosen because their hopes for superstardom were somehow dashed and/or their immense talent has been under-heralded. But after four seasons of watching tale after tragic tale of love, loss, betrayal, and dirty politics, a crystal clear moral has emerged. If you want fame, it's gonna cost you. Dearly. And even if you let it bleed you dry, it may never yield you dividends. Instead it may leave you paralyzed (Johnnie Wilder of Heatwave, Teddy Pendergrass); abused (Tammi Terrell); drug-addled (Miki Howard, Mary Wells, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, any member of the Debarge family); imprisoned (Billy Preston, Foster Sylvers); or dead at your own hand or your brother's (Donny Hathaway, Phyllis Hyman, Roger Troutman).
2. Karma is a mother.
Look, we can all agree that if your brother is writing your hit song lyrics and you vote to kick him out of your singing group, you have to know that your subsequent singles are gon' end up in the 99 cent bin, right? Right? Likewise, if you're married to one brother, with children, then leave him and have kids with his brother, all will not bode well in the love department thereafter. In like fashion, if you're abused as a child, then you grow up and become an abuser, your life ain't gon' be no crystal stair. And if you sell out your group members for a solo career, your solo career's not very likely to thrive (exceptions to the rule, notwithstanding).
3. Read the fine print.
Mismanagement leads to the demise of far too many acts on Unsung. From Melba Moore to Miki Howard to George Clinton, we know that reading the fine print on a contract, owning your masters, and not letting people -- especially jealous spouses -- screw you out of what's rightfully yours are imperative rules for success in the recording industry. Though it's the most obvious of causes, it's still hard to hear that time in and time out, an infinitely talented person fell for that contract okeydoke and signed away all their residuals and profits.
4. Talent is no panacea.
Mental illness crops up in more than a few episodes of this series. From depression to bipolar disorder to schizophrenia, these artists really suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. If there's one takeaway from the entire run of Unsung, one lesson more valuable than any other you'll ever learn from a cautionary tale, it's that you must always seek the help you need. There's no singing your way through it, no pouring your pain cathartically into your albums, no propping an artist up -- regardless of how loose his grip on reality has become -- to record just one last hit record. People should always be more valuable than profit and if you're into siphoning their talent off like so much gas from a car, you're being incredibly short-sighted. A healthy person is a productive one, and we can only imagine how much richer the world would be if business managers, agents, and other hangers-on truly believed that.
5. Arrogance will get you nowhere./Patience is a virtue.
It's great to know that you're a valuable commodity. You should always be aware of your worth. But when you start swaggering around thinking you're God's gift to your record label, you're in big trouble. Huge. It's one thing to have your own artistic vision, but unless you're producing and bankrolling your own work, it's pretty presumptuous to try calling your label's bluff after a few hits. This one's a tough lesson, because it's always so gray. In the episodes where Mary Wells, Teena Marie, and Miki Howard are profiled, each has very legitimate concerns with her record label. But when you're up against a juggernaut like Motown or Atlantic, you may have to swallow your pride for a chance at long-term career success. After all, if your contract says that leaving will cost you use or your name and likeness, as well as rights to everything you've recorded with that company, it makes more sense to wait till your contract's up for renewal than to break it outright.
Unsung wrapped its most recent season last month. What's the most haunting or memorable episode you've watched?
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TV-One's Unsung salutes R&B legends - Milwaukee R&B Music ...
The Spinners Show They Still Got It On TV One's Unsung [VIDEO ...
She'd become one of the most outspoken female artists in pop when she left Motown on the grounds that they were holding her to her contract while simultaneously refusing to release her new music. When the label sued her, she countersued, and won. The resulting new limits on recording artist contract-length, and concurrent increase in wage caps, became known as "The Brocket Initiative."
Ms. Brown at least make an addendum to your last point to correct or update. You forgot to mention at least The Clark Sisters who were featured in the season one of Unsung. Other than those two issues you hit it out the box on all the stuff about Unsung.
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Well, it says a lot about the show and the viewer.
Thanks for playing.
I have enjoyed the many informative and eye opening episodes of Unsung. The one episode that resonated with me was the story on the Debarges. I was shocked by the drug abuse rampant through out the entire family. Glad to see that El is making a comeback
The Spinners episode highlighted just how GOOD those gentlemen were, one of the most talented singing groups ever. It made me appreciate just how good Phillipe Wynne was as a singer and storyteller and how sad it was when he died (also the excellence of Bobby Smith). It also reminded me of the well-deserved stature of producer/songwriter Thom Bell in R&B. I wish the group had hooked up with Gamble and Huff or some other songwriters/producers and continued its excellence a bit longer.
The Angela Winbush episode finally answered the question I had about why she split with Rene Moore. It's too bad things worked out that way because that team produced some really smooth ballads and hot dance tracks during the 1980s. One of my all-time favorite albums is "Street Called Desire." I was very happy with Winbush's successes after the duo split.
Here's hoping for many more seasons of Unsung, where great music and life's lessons fuse into such a great show.
I look forward to next season of Unsung, and thank TVOne for airing this great, educational show.This is excellent Black programming and it has a following.