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***rubs hands together***
http://www.examiner.com/tv-in-washington-dc/tv-one-to-premiere-new-unsung-season-june
TV One to Premiere New Unsung Season in June
Six new episodes of Silver Spring-based TV One's popular biography series “Unsung” begin airing next month.
The NAACP Image Award-winning show, which celebrates the careers of successful artists who have yet to receive their props, launches June 6 with Deniece Williams, then, follows with new episodes each Monday at 10 p.m.
The Spinners airs on June 13, Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle follow on June 20, Big Daddy Kane is set for June 27, The Ohio Players premiere on July 4, and Evelyn Champagne King wraps up the season on July 11.
“New episodes of ‘Unsung’ continue to generate an incredible amount of positive feedback from our viewers,” said TV One Senior Vice President of Original Programming Toni Judkins. “The good news is that no matter how many episodes we produce, we never run out of candidates for new ones. The talent pool is so deep - there are so many remarkable artists who have had incredible raw talent and amazing careers, and whose remarkable stories have never been told. We are
delighted to keep bringing our viewers more of these incredible, real-life stories.”
Below, more info on artists highlighted in the new season:
Deniece Williams (premiere episode June 6) - Deniece’s refusal to compromise her ideals and put music first came with a heavy cost – ostracized from her church, three marriages that ended in divorce, and ultimately the dissolution of her career as a pop star. In this personally revealing episode of Unsung, Deniece tells her story with poignancy and humor, and is helped along by exclusive interviews with an all-star cast of her admirers that includes Johnny Mathis, Ray Parker Jr., Phillip Bailey, Verdine White, George Duke – and Stevie Wonder.
The Spinners (June 13) - The vocal group that may be the greatest of them all never quite got the recognition of their peers, in part because they blended together so seamlessly that no one was ever quite sure who was the star. But Henry Fambrough and Bobby Smith, who helped form the Spinners nearly sixty years ago, weathered triumphs and tragedies to make some of the most beloved pop standards of our time – R&B evergreens like “I’ll be Around”, “One of a Kind”, “Sadie”, and “Could it be I’m Falling in Love.” They spent nearly a decade at Motown driving cars for the label’s top stars while waiting for their own shot, then survived the abrupt departures of two lead singers, without ever missing a beat, or a show.
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Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle (June 20) – They were the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell of their time – an unlikely pairing of opposite personalities that made musical magic together. Alexander O’Neal grew up poor and troubled in Mississippi, while Cherelle was the pampered daughter of a successful attorney in Beverly Hills. Both artists, whose most popular songs were often produced by the stellar team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, really took off when they were teamed together on unforgettable duets like ‘Saturday Love.’ Then, poised on the brink of superstardom, both of their careers abruptly fell apart, a casualty of both self-destructive acts and unforeseen tragedies.
Big Daddy Kane (June 27) - The smooth operating native of Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy would exert a direct influence on Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, both of whom took notes on his easy flow and take no prisoners style. (Indeed, Kane put Jay-Z on stage early on, giving the future Roc Nation mogul one of his early breaks) But as the West Coast sound crowded out stars from hip hop’s ‘Golden Era’, Kane seemed to fade from view.
The Ohio Players (July 4) - The Ohio Players were one of the most successful funk outfits of all time, scoring monster crossover hits in the 1970s like “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster.” Along the way, The Players – with monikers like Sugarfoot, Diamond, and Rock - lived up to their names, with super-sexy album covers that got nearly as much attention as their songs, and by lifestyle excess that led to a major drug bust; not to mention a notoriety so extreme that the group was rumored to have killed someone during a recording session that included the dying screams in the grooves of a song. Ultimately, it was the I.R.S., and funky financial dealings among the Players themselves, that brought the group down.
Evelyn “Champagne” King (July 11) - The R&B & disco diva was discovered while singing at age 15 in the bathroom at Philly International Records, where her parents worked on the maintenance crew. When producer T. Life heard her, he assured the girl he would make her a star. And he did. Her 1979 debut single, “Shame” was an instant crossover smash and disco anthem. But those same high spirits left her vulnerable, not only to the slings and arrows of the music business, but to real life episodes of personal tragedy.
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Good...I'm glad
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