I'm a 56-year-old white woman who grew up in a segregated, white suburb and heard lots of R&B on the radio. Stevie and Donny are my favorite artists. Stevie always sounded like the soulful optimist and Donny was the epitome of soul but so sad. They're both brilliant and the best at expressing what it means to be human. I recently rediscovered "Sack Full of Dreams" by Donny Hathaway after not hearing it for 30+ years. My God, what a song!
I can understand how people in the US feel about the series portraying black musicians as victims. However, here in the UK there was never a real separation concerning the charts and we grew up with black muisc on the same chart as all other music. It's nice to see the story behind the music with so many artists, but I agree that they are not unsung especially in the UK where we loved soul and black music so much. We aspired to be like them and admired their glamour and talent.
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why do so many have an issue acknowledging the attrocities that this country put black folks thru..we can feel for the jewish who came to america to escape..yet black ppl could not leave and stayed thru the fire...and its called an excuse or ppl rationalize what this country has/was/is about regarding black america...funny...haha...
Unsung is not about painting artists as victims but about showing grave examples of many muscians who had much more to contribute but were unable to because of the tragic events in their lives. These are beautiful stories to be cherished not tossed to the side.
@regg073 That is absolutely false. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for black men ages 15 to 24. Please let's stop regurgitating myths. It's time black people deal with some realities so they can heal and move forward; rather than continuing to repeat ignorance so we can "feel" better about ourselves. Black people suffer from depression and mental illness and yes, even commit suicide just like every other race. Maybe, even more we just lie about it.
@carterlaa i agree, and you know i l had this idea that black didnt commit suicide at an early age. i thought only white people did it. i had a rude awakening when i realized that suicide dioes not discriminate. thanks for stopping the crazyness and presenting a open dialogue. the samething is said about mental illness' in the black community. we just dont talk about iy
@mjjcng8958 When you adopt bad habits from people that run this country (white people) the end result is that you'll find more and more Black people committ suicide. We're not a suicidal people. It happens more because we're not in our right environment and haven't been for centuries, plus the chemical/biological manipulation of the food we eat, the water we drink and the polluted air we breathe.
@ddenniscoleman3 many black people committed suicide during the Middle Passages, millions of them took their own lives instead of living as slaves in a foreign land.
black people DO kill themselves. because the news media doesn't consider the things we do news worthy, you don't read, see, or hear about blacks killing themselves. if black people didn't kill themselves, then mr. hathaway would still be with us today. oh, and this is not to argue wit' you, my reason for this is to hol' the media accountable. they're not our friends and we're not to listen and believe everything they say.
@regg073 I didn't want to get into this race conversation, but your comment struck a nerve in me. I'm a retired principal who worked for 22 years with gang members of all backgrounds. One thing I learned about "us" that's been there since the Willie Lynch era is, while we may not be big on killing ourselves, we are huge on "suicide by black." I'm sure you've heard of "suicide by cop," well that's what we do to one and another. We've got to get beyond the denial, and victim stage.
Its not that they have failed or anything like that its basically saying that they did not get the recognition that was deserved of the artist and their work.
I Love you Donny Hathaway. I believe him when he says that, some white people did something to his head. He was probably a Targeted Individual. And like so many other TI's, it hard to prove when you have been tampered with by outside forces. Some targets are driven to suicide. I Love you Donny Hathaway and always will.
Unsung? Bad premise. Donny was sung all over every neighborhood that I know of. Bad title. This damned video is just chasing the ambulance, so to speak, using the hot topic to get views. The real deal is in his music. Just can the video and get his albums and you'll be stocked.
@mjjcng8958 In '72 or '73 he and Roberta Flack won a Grammy or maybe a FEW for song or record of the year: "Where Is the Love." Of course, that was back when winning a Grammy actually MEANT SOMETHING.
@ashleymoreful he is right, back then u didnt hear about blacks committing suicide like now. we just got back up, push stuff down deep inside, & keep going. which is a bad thing when u dont confront your troubles or find an outlet 4 them. mr hathaway was a skitso, & back then they didnt have meds like they do now to help him. plus in the black community back then people just thought u were crazy, & just needed to get your shit together. not that u had a serious medical condition.
@ashleymoreful I think you're missing the BIG PICTURE. What that comment suggests is that black people have a history of ignoring certain things despite their obvious presence. Mental illness has been STIGMATIZED...along with suicied...being gay...having HIV/AIDS and so forth. Hell, even today a lot of us won't say another black person has a mental illnes; we'll just say "he's sick' or "sick in the head" or dismiss it outright : "That n-word's crazy!" and we'll laught it off.
the show is great and i m glad it exists...your reading too much into the title...maxmikelatino is right...the careers were cut short by tragedy thats why we didnt hear from those artists anymore...they would have become even more stellar is the theory...unsung means that they didnt get all the props they deserve OVERALL...there is no other show out there that is explaining where minnie, heatwave, donnie, phyliss, went...and i have learned a whole lot about these artists from the show..
the show is great and i m glad it exists...your reading too much into the title...maxmikelatino is right...the careers were cut short by tragedy thats why we didnt hear from those artists anymore...they would have become even more stellar is the theory...unsung means that they didnt get all the props they deserve OVERALL...there is no other show out there that is explaining where minnie, heatwave, donnie, phyliss, went...and i have learned a whole lot about these artists for the show..
I wish that Roberta Flack would've been on here...as well as Stevie Wonder...I think that Donny was a huge infuence on Stevie's work in the 70s. You should also check out his two duets with June Conquest..."Thank You" and "Just Another Reason"....very nice songs from the Curtom label.
My curiosity has been elevated especially with Quincy's remark about him having a lot of demons. Also, voices inside, everything is everything suggests schizophrenic. He was so gifted. May he rest in peace.
My curiosity has been elevated especially with Quincy's remark about him having a lot of demons. Also, voices inside, everything is everything suggests schizophrenic. He was so gifted. May he rest in peace.
Donny Hathaway Live has to be not only one of the best soul/r&b albums ever recorded, But it was also recorded live, AND its one of the best albums of any genre.
What bothers me about the premise of this series is that it takes the stance of black artist as victim. Instead of just telling us about their lives and musical legacy it paints them as failures or Unsung.
Donny was not unsung niether was debarge niether a Minnie..Sure they didn't see like Elvis but their musical legacy was amazing.
I have to agree with you Tempest87. Unsung has the right idea to these artists, totally wrong approach. They manage to get Quincy, Jesse, Hathaway's family to be a part of it, and complete what is essentially an E! True Hollywood story. And don't get me started on that creepy narrator. Donny deserves much more than this.
Wow, had no idea! He should of sang the narration and it probably would have worked out better.
Donny deserves more than this, this seems quite hastily put together to meet a deadline. Let's hope a definitive and legitimate documentary can come out soon!
Or for that matter a bio/feature film about his life. I mean I seriously would like to see a few movies made of these great artist like Donny Hathaway and others (Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Rick James, Sylvester, Luther Vandross) just to name a few.
I didn't get "victimization" from this series at all. I think the reason for the title is that they are largely unrecognized by current artist and the effort is to get we to look back at what has come before in order to move forward. I think that retrospection is in short supply these days and applaud any effort to enjoin it.
Why? Rachel Farelle will never have as much popularity as say Mariah Carey does that make her career or her musical legacy a faliure? no
Its the nature of the music buisness..some people are Icons others are not. The popularity of an artist should not affect weather or not you have been touched by the artist. Everyone cannot and will not be an icon and it should not be Icon or Unsung. He was an amazing artist. not a victim.
Your now missing the WHOLE point.Who said anything about "failure' or 'victim'??Unsung doesn`t even come close to suggesting that.That`s just your additional summary!
Does that seem like a positive reference on the subject. No. It paints the musical performer as being Unrecognized and Unsung. Which is negative and paints the performer as victim who has recieved its just due.... And my argument is that it is counter productive to show all of our artist as being unsung. Obviously you know who Donny hathaway is. Most american's have heard minni riperton's Loving you. on her episode her husband was frustrated by the premise of unsung
@bgblkb He said, "I don't look at minnie's career as being a faliure. She made amazing music that stood the tests of time" That is true for most of the artist shown on the program. I am sure that it is a better name and premise for the show. That is my argument.
I disagree, I think the point is that despite all of this talent, Donny, like many other black artists, do not receive the the respect of their legacies and talents like there much less talented white counterparts receive. Hence the title "Unsung."
Who decides the degree of respect in regards to white artist. There are many influential country singers that changes many white people's lives that blacks may not know.
Donny hathaway's music was a huge part of me growing up...and I am 22...Everybody knows the christmas song everyone of my peers and our parents can sing most of the words to his classic duets. So I don't see him as being UNSUNG. Its great to learn about the story behind the music but its not positive to paint our artist as vic
@Hazakim A Thousand thumbs up for that. I was born in 1975; a unique period which afforded me, in my youth, to see the development and blossoming of hip-hop, the creation of New Jack Swing and redefinition of RnB, and the raid by corporate America upon both. Still, in all of that, I had parents who revered the music of THEIR generation (50's and 60's), which had a profound effect on my musical sensibility, which is why, though 35, I still respect the rich history and legacy of black music.
@Hazakim That is largely true to an extent - however, if the ELDERS don't pass down the knowledge and artistry that greats like Donny Hathaway, Tammi Terrell, Phyllis Hyman and others left behind, then we can't just single out the youth.
@Tempest87 But his story, like many others esp. Michael Jackson, Elivs, Karen Carpenter, Jimi Hendnrix et al, are typically and classically American, for better or worse. Melanin doesn't have anything to do with it
@Tempest87: No, they are trying to say that these people are not household names nut contributed a lot and if certain things did not happen, they would have been household names.
@Tempest87 I didn't take it that way. I took it as saying these artists were underrated or left the spotlight before their time. By the way I love the series because it talks about artists I'm personally interested in, whereas other stations only focus on the same mundane entertainers.
@Tempest87 What your talking about is a different show. No race is above any other and a lot of people struggle in there lives. What you fail to understand is that people with talent who find success suffer with the same struggles as anyone. You can't dismiss the inspiration with all the flaws one's life can have.
@MaxMikeLatino I have no idea what you are speaking of. I know what show I am talking about...its called Unsung on TVone and I have said nothing about dismissing flaws based on race.
i find the premise of naming a show about famous black musicians "unsung". I have stated why. It is not an overgenerlaztion or anything of the sort. Its ok if you don't agree but I feel I have been very clear about my views
@mrlopez2681 in what way? I have a critique about a specific show and how it treats the artist. how is anything argument I've made broad or over-generalizing. I think I have been very clear.
@Tempest87 - what I meant was that you are falling into the trap over-generalizing, which is what minority groups often do: when an individual of this or that group is portrayed in a seemingly "negative" way, one automatically feels that it is a representation of every person in that group. Perhaps you feel that these extraordinary artists are being misrepresented, but it is very dangerous to feel that it is a representation of everyone in that group, which is hardly the case.
@Tempest87 i understand what you are saying but in my mind this goes beyond being unsung. it gives you the whole struggle of the artist and their history. what they mean by unsung is that they didn't crossover to the pop charts but where huge on the black charts yes they had black billboard. i rarely hear mainstream media these days talk about donny hathatway, he doesnt get the love tha jimi hendrix or the isley brothers get. plus it gives my generation a view of their pioneers
@Tempest87 cont'd...i have never seen vh1 nor bet do a series strictly geared towards black musicians . being unsung doesnt mean you are a failure it just means you get no love from the mainstream
Donnie Hathway is one of my mother's favorite male singers and I grew up grooving to his soulful voice. I wish in the Black Community we would confront and overcome the stigma attached to mental illness for there are too many people out there who refuse help because they are afraid to be stigmatized.
I'm so pissed I never got to see this one! Every time I watch Unsung, it's about someone else! All the episodes r good, but this is the one I really wanted to see!
We miss you so much Donnie! You'll always live through your music... I just wanted to thank you!!!
bassbymichele 1 month ago
Donny Hathaway was and still is ahead of his time. Just a phenomenal talent. 1 of the greatest to do it.....
mrmartywaring 2 months ago
I'm a 56-year-old white woman who grew up in a segregated, white suburb and heard lots of R&B on the radio. Stevie and Donny are my favorite artists. Stevie always sounded like the soulful optimist and Donny was the epitome of soul but so sad. They're both brilliant and the best at expressing what it means to be human. I recently rediscovered "Sack Full of Dreams" by Donny Hathaway after not hearing it for 30+ years. My God, what a song!
bareftcontessa1 3 months ago 3
I can understand how people in the US feel about the series portraying black musicians as victims. However, here in the UK there was never a real separation concerning the charts and we grew up with black muisc on the same chart as all other music. It's nice to see the story behind the music with so many artists, but I agree that they are not unsung especially in the UK where we loved soul and black music so much. We aspired to be like them and admired their glamour and talent.
martley1 5 months ago
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rahjwanti 5 months ago
why do so many have an issue acknowledging the attrocities that this country put black folks thru..we can feel for the jewish who came to america to escape..yet black ppl could not leave and stayed thru the fire...and its called an excuse or ppl rationalize what this country has/was/is about regarding black america...funny...haha...
DKF76 8 months ago 3
I enjoyed his music.
longlegs1944 8 months ago
Unsung is not about painting artists as victims but about showing grave examples of many muscians who had much more to contribute but were unable to because of the tragic events in their lives. These are beautiful stories to be cherished not tossed to the side.
chellabella08 8 months ago 6
If he was affiliated to Quincy Jones, Ohh Shit!!
Cxrusha 11 months ago
Remarkably ingenious... this man lived a short life but his music will surely endure forever
shamikachalmers2008 11 months ago
Neither!!!
sonya3020 1 year ago 2
i like how that guy said, "black ppl dont do that" referring to suicide. Cause we really dont. black ppl really dont kill theirselves
regg073 1 year ago
@regg073 That is absolutely false. Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for black men ages 15 to 24. Please let's stop regurgitating myths. It's time black people deal with some realities so they can heal and move forward; rather than continuing to repeat ignorance so we can "feel" better about ourselves. Black people suffer from depression and mental illness and yes, even commit suicide just like every other race. Maybe, even more we just lie about it.
carterlaa 1 year ago 3
@carterlaa i agree, and you know i l had this idea that black didnt commit suicide at an early age. i thought only white people did it. i had a rude awakening when i realized that suicide dioes not discriminate. thanks for stopping the crazyness and presenting a open dialogue. the samething is said about mental illness' in the black community. we just dont talk about iy
mjjcng8958 11 months ago 2
@mjjcng8958 When you adopt bad habits from people that run this country (white people) the end result is that you'll find more and more Black people committ suicide. We're not a suicidal people. It happens more because we're not in our right environment and haven't been for centuries, plus the chemical/biological manipulation of the food we eat, the water we drink and the polluted air we breathe.
ddenniscoleman3 8 months ago
@ddenniscoleman3 many black people committed suicide during the Middle Passages, millions of them took their own lives instead of living as slaves in a foreign land.
kimrabb 7 months ago 2
@ddenniscoleman3 I could not have said it better myself.
katimere2 5 months ago
@ddenniscoleman3 Facts!
jonesvrnc 2 months ago
@regg073
black people DO kill themselves. because the news media doesn't consider the things we do news worthy, you don't read, see, or hear about blacks killing themselves. if black people didn't kill themselves, then mr. hathaway would still be with us today. oh, and this is not to argue wit' you, my reason for this is to hol' the media accountable. they're not our friends and we're not to listen and believe everything they say.
Arthro92 10 months ago 2
@regg073 I didn't want to get into this race conversation, but your comment struck a nerve in me. I'm a retired principal who worked for 22 years with gang members of all backgrounds. One thing I learned about "us" that's been there since the Willie Lynch era is, while we may not be big on killing ourselves, we are huge on "suicide by black." I'm sure you've heard of "suicide by cop," well that's what we do to one and another. We've got to get beyond the denial, and victim stage.
shag112002 4 months ago
Its not that they have failed or anything like that its basically saying that they did not get the recognition that was deserved of the artist and their work.
mstye 1 year ago 8
@mstye
i agree!!
Arthro92 10 months ago
nice for posting. Genius is more rare today. Let's admit it. It's gotta be the first step.
RikJamezBich 1 year ago 3
Another great singer; gone too soon. Donnie has one of the sweetest Christmas song.
patisserie1 1 year ago 3
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I Love you Donny Hathaway. I believe him when he says that, some white people did something to his head. He was probably a Targeted Individual. And like so many other TI's, it hard to prove when you have been tampered with by outside forces. Some targets are driven to suicide. I Love you Donny Hathaway and always will.
rtisleo 1 year ago
Comment removed
rtisleo 1 year ago
unsung is so sad!
niyankharimama23 1 year ago 3
Unsung? Bad premise. Donny was sung all over every neighborhood that I know of. Bad title. This damned video is just chasing the ambulance, so to speak, using the hot topic to get views. The real deal is in his music. Just can the video and get his albums and you'll be stocked.
TallSomeone 1 year ago
@TallSomeone i think it is more like you know his career was cut short. did he have grammy's? just wondering b/c he really deserved it
mjjcng8958 1 year ago
@mjjcng8958 In '72 or '73 he and Roberta Flack won a Grammy or maybe a FEW for song or record of the year: "Where Is the Love." Of course, that was back when winning a Grammy actually MEANT SOMETHING.
Odawg96 1 year ago 7
Unsung? Bad premise. Donny was sung all over every neighborhood that I know of. Bad title.
TallSomeone 1 year ago
black people dont do that..... ROTFL!!! .....how he going to say black ppl dont do that :D
ashleymoreful 1 year ago
@ashleymoreful he is right, back then u didnt hear about blacks committing suicide like now. we just got back up, push stuff down deep inside, & keep going. which is a bad thing when u dont confront your troubles or find an outlet 4 them. mr hathaway was a skitso, & back then they didnt have meds like they do now to help him. plus in the black community back then people just thought u were crazy, & just needed to get your shit together. not that u had a serious medical condition.
famousfuture 1 year ago 3
@ashleymoreful I think you're missing the BIG PICTURE. What that comment suggests is that black people have a history of ignoring certain things despite their obvious presence. Mental illness has been STIGMATIZED...along with suicied...being gay...having HIV/AIDS and so forth. Hell, even today a lot of us won't say another black person has a mental illnes; we'll just say "he's sick' or "sick in the head" or dismiss it outright : "That n-word's crazy!" and we'll laught it off.
Odawg96 1 year ago 3
the show is great and i m glad it exists...your reading too much into the title...maxmikelatino is right...the careers were cut short by tragedy thats why we didnt hear from those artists anymore...they would have become even more stellar is the theory...unsung means that they didnt get all the props they deserve OVERALL...there is no other show out there that is explaining where minnie, heatwave, donnie, phyliss, went...and i have learned a whole lot about these artists from the show..
tomeickogilbert1965 1 year ago
the show is great and i m glad it exists...your reading too much into the title...maxmikelatino is right...the careers were cut short by tragedy thats why we didnt hear from those artists anymore...they would have become even more stellar is the theory...unsung means that they didnt get all the props they deserve OVERALL...there is no other show out there that is explaining where minnie, heatwave, donnie, phyliss, went...and i have learned a whole lot about these artists for the show..
tomeickogilbert1965 1 year ago
donny's talking voice sounded like smokey robinson. i thonk if him and stevie wonder got togather they would have made magic
mjjcng8958 1 year ago 3
They should change the name of that show to SANG..better yet...SING! These great genius' were not "unsung"!! Their music brought JOY to the world!!
dggd 1 year ago
it seems to be done that way as a Black version of "behind the music" a great series as well.
Mixxersmix 1 year ago 3
jus a gifted voice
19770326 1 year ago
THANK YOU: I don't have cable so I truly appreciate this. I do.
UrbanPrincess2008 1 year ago 3
The greatest male singer ever
rajounmwangi 1 year ago
i remember as a kid discovering Donny and asked my mom where he was at?
She told me what happened. It effected me like he was part of my family.
I had listened to his music for years as a kid before I knew he wasn't alive anymore.
He's influenced my vocals tremendously!
telj1 1 year ago 3
Great singer.
magiq1 1 year ago
Do you happen to have Debarge? I love that one.
visionimagify 1 year ago
One of the Greatest singers ever !
xstanadu 1 year ago
He wasn't a unsung artist, he was legend...
Thearcangel979 1 year ago 3
Next to my father there is no man greater than Mr. Hathaway.
icecreamladydream 1 year ago
Blacks do commit suicide. We are not exempt from getting help from mental illnesses.
CMHism 1 year ago 4
@CMHism You're right.
ProximaB 1 year ago
I wish that Roberta Flack would've been on here...as well as Stevie Wonder...I think that Donny was a huge infuence on Stevie's work in the 70s. You should also check out his two duets with June Conquest..."Thank You" and "Just Another Reason"....very nice songs from the Curtom label.
shydmples 1 year ago
Thank you so much for posting this!
LuKasAV6 1 year ago 2
Genius.
andychrist916 2 years ago
Nice!! I love Donny
blackcaesar72 2 years ago
That live version of "Sackful Of Dreams" - still sends a shiver up my spine. What a voice. Great piano player too.
Casio61 2 years ago
I can't get past how creepy everybody looks. Very peculiar looking people.
antij1 2 years ago
I wld have loved to have seen or heard any comment by Roberta Flack on this matter. Shocked that she didnt speak out
horus1971 2 years ago 2
if i was tell you why you would be shocked!!!!!!!!!!
commando611 2 years ago
@commando611
Yo, so what REALLY happened?
horus1971 2 years ago
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@horus1971
My curiosity has been elevated especially with Quincy's remark about him having a lot of demons. Also, voices inside, everything is everything suggests schizophrenic. He was so gifted. May he rest in peace.
vmccarty1055 1 year ago
@commando611
My curiosity has been elevated especially with Quincy's remark about him having a lot of demons. Also, voices inside, everything is everything suggests schizophrenic. He was so gifted. May he rest in peace.
vmccarty1055 1 year ago 3
Yeah man, her absence lends alot of credence to the myth that he killed himself over her spurning his love.
crealonthebass 2 years ago
Donny Hathaway Live has to be not only one of the best soul/r&b albums ever recorded, But it was also recorded live, AND its one of the best albums of any genre.
drinkincococola 2 years ago
i know i had it on c.d.
commando611 2 years ago
What bothers me about the premise of this series is that it takes the stance of black artist as victim. Instead of just telling us about their lives and musical legacy it paints them as failures or Unsung.
Donny was not unsung niether was debarge niether a Minnie..Sure they didn't see like Elvis but their musical legacy was amazing.
Tempest87 2 years ago 41
I have to agree with you Tempest87. Unsung has the right idea to these artists, totally wrong approach. They manage to get Quincy, Jesse, Hathaway's family to be a part of it, and complete what is essentially an E! True Hollywood story. And don't get me started on that creepy narrator. Donny deserves much more than this.
breakwind54 2 years ago 4
The creepy narrator is Al B. Sure! LOL!! I didn't know it until I read the credits.
CarolinaSlim80 2 years ago 2
lol yea he really does sound creepy
snowflake9315 1 year ago 2
Wow, had no idea! He should of sang the narration and it probably would have worked out better.
Donny deserves more than this, this seems quite hastily put together to meet a deadline. Let's hope a definitive and legitimate documentary can come out soon!
breakwind54 1 year ago
@breakwind54
Or for that matter a bio/feature film about his life. I mean I seriously would like to see a few movies made of these great artist like Donny Hathaway and others (Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Rick James, Sylvester, Luther Vandross) just to name a few.
gun15509 1 year ago
@gun15509 there actually was an unsung episode on tammi terrell last year .
jupiterhero2 1 year ago
I didn't get "victimization" from this series at all. I think the reason for the title is that they are largely unrecognized by current artist and the effort is to get we to look back at what has come before in order to move forward. I think that retrospection is in short supply these days and applaud any effort to enjoin it.
iArsalan 2 years ago
@Tempest87 I think you`re missing their piont.They should have been legacies like Elvis and Johnny Cash.
bgblkb 2 years ago 2
Why? Rachel Farelle will never have as much popularity as say Mariah Carey does that make her career or her musical legacy a faliure? no
Its the nature of the music buisness..some people are Icons others are not. The popularity of an artist should not affect weather or not you have been touched by the artist. Everyone cannot and will not be an icon and it should not be Icon or Unsung. He was an amazing artist. not a victim.
Tempest87 2 years ago
Your now missing the WHOLE point.Who said anything about "failure' or 'victim'??Unsung doesn`t even come close to suggesting that.That`s just your additional summary!
bgblkb 2 years ago
@bgblkb The title is Unsung.
Does that seem like a positive reference on the subject. No. It paints the musical performer as being Unrecognized and Unsung. Which is negative and paints the performer as victim who has recieved its just due.... And my argument is that it is counter productive to show all of our artist as being unsung. Obviously you know who Donny hathaway is. Most american's have heard minni riperton's Loving you. on her episode her husband was frustrated by the premise of unsung
Tempest87 2 years ago
@bgblkb He said, "I don't look at minnie's career as being a faliure. She made amazing music that stood the tests of time" That is true for most of the artist shown on the program. I am sure that it is a better name and premise for the show. That is my argument.
Tempest87 2 years ago
@Tempest87 what> thats not true at all.
maxday1000 2 years ago
I disagree, I think the point is that despite all of this talent, Donny, like many other black artists, do not receive the the respect of their legacies and talents like there much less talented white counterparts receive. Hence the title "Unsung."
crealonthebass 2 years ago
Who decides the degree of respect in regards to white artist. There are many influential country singers that changes many white people's lives that blacks may not know.
Donny hathaway's music was a huge part of me growing up...and I am 22...Everybody knows the christmas song everyone of my peers and our parents can sing most of the words to his classic duets. So I don't see him as being UNSUNG. Its great to learn about the story behind the music but its not positive to paint our artist as vic
Tempest87 2 years ago 3
The biggest culprits of this sad fact is the black community. Even today, the legends get NO RESPECT from the younger generation
Hazakim 2 years ago 18
@Hazakim A Thousand thumbs up for that. I was born in 1975; a unique period which afforded me, in my youth, to see the development and blossoming of hip-hop, the creation of New Jack Swing and redefinition of RnB, and the raid by corporate America upon both. Still, in all of that, I had parents who revered the music of THEIR generation (50's and 60's), which had a profound effect on my musical sensibility, which is why, though 35, I still respect the rich history and legacy of black music.
daTruChosen 5 months ago
@Hazakim That is largely true to an extent - however, if the ELDERS don't pass down the knowledge and artistry that greats like Donny Hathaway, Tammi Terrell, Phyllis Hyman and others left behind, then we can't just single out the youth.
chj2 4 months ago
@Tempest87 They're just doing this for the dramatic content, namely the tragedies. What you're talking about is another type of show.
cavaleer 1 year ago
@Tempest87 But his story, like many others esp. Michael Jackson, Elivs, Karen Carpenter, Jimi Hendnrix et al, are typically and classically American, for better or worse. Melanin doesn't have anything to do with it
cavaleer 1 year ago
@Tempest87: No, they are trying to say that these people are not household names nut contributed a lot and if certain things did not happen, they would have been household names.
n0gar 1 year ago 4
@Tempest87 true!1
damezydemo 1 year ago
@Tempest87 I didn't take it that way. I took it as saying these artists were underrated or left the spotlight before their time. By the way I love the series because it talks about artists I'm personally interested in, whereas other stations only focus on the same mundane entertainers.
ProximaB 1 year ago 10
@Tempest87 What your talking about is a different show. No race is above any other and a lot of people struggle in there lives. What you fail to understand is that people with talent who find success suffer with the same struggles as anyone. You can't dismiss the inspiration with all the flaws one's life can have.
MaxMikeLatino 1 year ago
@MaxMikeLatino I have no idea what you are speaking of. I know what show I am talking about...its called Unsung on TVone and I have said nothing about dismissing flaws based on race.
i find the premise of naming a show about famous black musicians "unsung". I have stated why. It is not an overgenerlaztion or anything of the sort. Its ok if you don't agree but I feel I have been very clear about my views
Tempest87 1 year ago
@Tempest87 it's called Unsung because there careers were cut short of some tragedy. Every last one of them.
MaxMikeLatino 1 year ago 3
@Tempest87 I couldn't agree more...
batUCLAda 1 year ago
@Tempest87 - you are over-generalizing.
mrlopez2681 1 year ago
@mrlopez2681 in what way? I have a critique about a specific show and how it treats the artist. how is anything argument I've made broad or over-generalizing. I think I have been very clear.
Tempest87 1 year ago
@Tempest87 - what I meant was that you are falling into the trap over-generalizing, which is what minority groups often do: when an individual of this or that group is portrayed in a seemingly "negative" way, one automatically feels that it is a representation of every person in that group. Perhaps you feel that these extraordinary artists are being misrepresented, but it is very dangerous to feel that it is a representation of everyone in that group, which is hardly the case.
mrlopez2681 1 year ago
@Tempest87
Great point
trebleclef1916 1 year ago
@Tempest87 i understand what you are saying but in my mind this goes beyond being unsung. it gives you the whole struggle of the artist and their history. what they mean by unsung is that they didn't crossover to the pop charts but where huge on the black charts yes they had black billboard. i rarely hear mainstream media these days talk about donny hathatway, he doesnt get the love tha jimi hendrix or the isley brothers get. plus it gives my generation a view of their pioneers
mjjcng8958 11 months ago 2
@Tempest87 cont'd...i have never seen vh1 nor bet do a series strictly geared towards black musicians . being unsung doesnt mean you are a failure it just means you get no love from the mainstream
mjjcng8958 11 months ago 3
@Tempest87
Right! Neither was The O'Jays. Why The O'Jays have an Unsung episode is beyond me.
Codycole80 5 months ago
@Codycole80 The O'Jays have an episode
shydmples 4 months ago in playlist Unsung Donny Hathaway/Phyllis Hyman
wow, thank you for posting i was so mad I missed this episode...I sooo love Donnie and his daughter Lalah!!! A voice like no other
miznickiey 2 years ago
Schizophrenia is a terrible affliction. Thank God he was able to leave his mark on the world.
SexyAzzHell93 2 years ago 3
Donnie Hathway is one of my mother's favorite male singers and I grew up grooving to his soulful voice. I wish in the Black Community we would confront and overcome the stigma attached to mental illness for there are too many people out there who refuse help because they are afraid to be stigmatized.
Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
NikiD40 2 years ago 5
Comment removed
antij1 2 years ago
fuck you faggot!!!...have some respect bitch ass cracker!
shadowsquadbeats 2 years ago
I love that song whats the name of it
LifePusher 2 years ago
What a gift? Had he gotten the help he needed, he would still be with us.
cat3375 2 years ago
my favorite singer of all times
mauricealston 2 years ago
I'm so pissed I never got to see this one! Every time I watch Unsung, it's about someone else! All the episodes r good, but this is the one I really wanted to see!
corinnej728 2 years ago 2
Same here, I've been trying to catch this one for the longest, it's like they never play it.
Jalafian 2 years ago
My ALL TIME favorite!!! Thanks for posting!
aepps20012001 2 years ago
R.I.P. DONNY! YOU ARE MISSED DEARLY!
Sonofdarighthand 2 years ago 4
His voice was amazing.
COJAZZ3 2 years ago 5
Donnie Hathaway was truly a genis
OpertonPerspective 2 years ago 22
This is really good but the narrators voice is so annoying. Suck on a lozenge or something.
tsarita 2 years ago
LOL!!! The guy who's narrating this program is Al B. Sure.
blachubear 2 years ago
realy??!! Oh my gosh he has totally different speaking voice. He should stick to singing. Good singer, bad narrator.
tsarita 2 years ago
I love it, it's raspy
deep71483 2 years ago
Finally!!!!! Thanks so much for posting these!
Ra1nemaker 2 years ago 5
thanks for uploading!
redvelvetjacket 2 years ago 3
Thxs for the upload Donny is indeed missed he lefted us ro soon!
cooperyahoo 2 years ago 3