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Back to the Article » DYANA WILLIAMS SHARES STORIES OF ‘UNSUNG’: New season features Minnie Riperton, Shalamar, more

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Name: Big10

Comment: Why does it say she helped launch black music month in 1997? Black music mont started back in the early 80's

Name: jazzfan

Comment: Ebony Moonbeams!

Name: dport

Comment: Knowing what happened to Melba Moore(thanks to the Huggins fam) is just so sad...just like the ep of Phyliss Hyman. I still have that show's recording since I know I'll want to look at it again.....which begs to me wonder if they'll think about putting these shows on DVD. This series is thoroughly enjoyable and I hope TV ONE keeps up the positive moves. Take a hint B.E.T.....as if

Name: Janissi

Comment: This is an excellent series and I'm looking forward to seeing more, especially about Minnie, Melba and Shalamar.

Name: NYCsoul

Comment: I'm looking forward to this series too. I wish I could meet this woman. I love to hear the history behind our music and learn about the struggles that are black artists went through. It irks me sometimes that we can be very unforgiving or harsh towards our legends. We tend to forget that they are human like us and all the fame and money in the world can't take away some of the hurt that they went through. I remember the announcment when Minnie Riperton died. I was just about 9 or 10 but her death touched me. I learned about her in Black Stars (remember this magazine?), Jet and Ebony. I recall the Jet issue where she was remembered by her colleagues and how it felt reading about it. It was so sad that she died so young but she left some beautiful music behind. I wish Mothership would come here and drop a gem or two about some of our artists.

Name: goldengirl2

Comment: Cosign dport, I could not agree with you more as far as BET is concerned. BET needs to get out of the gutter " so to speak" with those crappy shows. The series sounds fascinating but, my cable company does not have TV One. I hope the series is available on DVD sometime soon.

Name: GHank

Comment: NYCsoul>>>I remember the announcement about Minnie Riperton. I was about 12 years old. All the radio stations used to play "Loving You" to death! (LOL!) It was the first time I was introduced to the meaning of cancer.

Name: MzTee

Comment: I love this series. I was most touched by the Phyllis Hyman episode as she was and still is my favorite female secular singer. I can't wait for the new season and look forward to seeing all of the artists profiled.

Name: Conrad

Comment: I'm looking forward to seeing Minnie because she had just hit BIG with "Loving You" shortly before the cancer silenced her voice -- and what a voice -- I know Mariah would give up Nick if she could hit Minne's register. The Melba Moore story is just sad and tragic. I saw her on Broadway as Luttie Bell in Pearlie (written by the late, great, prolific Black writer and activist, Ozzie Davis. (Ozzie and his wife, Ruby Dee, starred in the movie version, which at the time was called Pearlie Victorious. Godfrey Cambridge played Gitlow, the role Sherman Helmsley played in the Broadway show, and he was great). But, getting back to Melba, when she sang I Got Love, just before intermission, she brought the house down and the entire audience stood as one and gave her a raucous standing ovation that lasted long into the intermission. A former high school music teacher from New Jersey, after her success in Pearlie, Melba cut several very successful albums (all of which I still have). Melba married a bar owner from Harlem named Charles, and the last time I saw her many, many years ago, she was in the mid fifties on the east side of Manhattan trying to hail a taxi, because she was about 15 months pregnant. She is a very petite lady. When Charles' bar went south, he followed, leaving Melba to raise their child alone. I really don't know how Melba became so destitute because she was still recording although I don't remember her doing another Broadway show. I know she had to go on public assistance. I know she is (hopefully was) very bitter. She still has a clear, beautiful voice you could hear from the back of the theatre. Don't know much about Shalamar except I think Jodie used to dance on Soul Train, and I did and still do love their recordings. Phyllis Hyman and Donny Hathaway's stories pained me, but I still wanted to know what happened to them, so I watched those shows. TV One is doing a tremendous service to our talented Black singers and actors, and we're not going to get that on any other tv station in this country. I plan to watch all of the series this year (and discuss them later on this board with my fellow real music lovers).

Name: Muzak

Comment: I love Minnie Riperton. It's so sad to see her paas away so young. And I'm really %*$!ed at Black Radio. Who won't paas there legacy along. For example: Why don't black radio celebrated these exordinary artist on their birthday. For the hold day you play there catalog of music. And you get the people and artist who know these individuals. And pass the history along.

Name: Muzak

Comment: Typo... what meant to say is pass away and pass their legacy along.

Name: MelodyCool

Comment: Excellent series!

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Back to the Article » DYANA WILLIAMS SHARES STORIES OF ‘UNSUNG’: New season features Minnie Riperton, Shalamar, more

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