EGOS, ECONOMICS, AND EXPLOSIONS LED TO SHALAMAR’S DEMISE: TV One’s 'Unsung' tells the group's complex story Sunday night.

Being that it's Funky Friday up in heah, scroll down to jam to Shalamar's 'A Night To Remember' and 'Make That Move'

"Howard Hewett, by saying, ‘we were young and full of ourselves,' would make the viewer think it was all of us - maybe he and Jeffrey, but not me. It seemed like a cop out. It was a moment for everyone to speak for themselves - and not hide behind 'we.'"

      *Shalamar was a group that was hastily put together and despite success, had tremendous difficulty staying together.

      With major hits like: “Second Time Around,” “Night to Remember,” and “This is For The Lover in You,” audiences heard the good. This Sunday at 8pm Eastern, TV One’s acclaimed bio-show “Unsung” will air the ups, downs, and explosions that caused the group to disband.

      “They had superstardom written all over them; they were a unique act…they had the whole package,” Dick Griffey says of Shalamar.

      Griffey, owner of Solar Records, merged Shalamar together in the late 1970s. Within two years the group had two hits and two lead singer changes. When the group solidified, Howard Hewett joined Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley who had originally been dancers on the popular show “Soul Train.”

      Though the trio connected musically, they experienced personal conflicts that escalated throughout Shalamar’s near ten year run.

      “It was constantly tension; constant drama,” Griffey says.

      Respect seemed to be one of the major factors that disrupted the group.

      “You can’t keep people where they were; respect everybody for how they evolve, and if you don’t, it blows up,” Hewett says.

      Yet, in the “Unsung” episode, both Jeffrey Daniel and Jody Watley point out Hewett’s lack of respect for the group.     

      “For whatever reason, we didn’t hit it off right away; the respect wasn’t always there,” Watley says.

      “Howard had a talk with Jody and myself and he told us, ‘Well, I’m the leader of the group,’” Daniel said.

      The comments and egos caused friction within the group. Added to that, there were financial issues. Griffey says that artists have a “demented” view about the money they should be getting. He cited a discussion between himself and Hewett, who was asking why he hadn’t received any royalties. Griffey said he had given Hewett an extremely large advance, which meant, Hewett was receiving advance royalties.  Even though the group was inwardly divided with personality conflicts, they had a common question about money. Daniel said their bank accounts were empty and they didn’t own anything. Watley also felt she was being taken advantage of financially. She said no amount of fame or popularity could smooth that over.

      Outwardly, Shalamar had achieved notable fame in the US and Europe.

      “Shalamar, at one point, was the biggest group in Europe, bigger than the Rolling Stones,” says Griffey.

      The internal problems escalated. At one point, there was word that Daniel and Watley refused to work on the same set with Hewett.

      “I don’t think we could stand each other; we were going at it; we were like nose and nose,” Watley says of a confrontation she and Hewett had.

      Watley perceived the chemistry was gone within the group. She also felt the respect factor was not there for her and Daniel’s contributions. Watley said it was “fatiguing” being told ‘you’re just dancers; you can be replaced.’

      Eventually, both Daniel and Watley had to be replaced because they individually quit the group. But, the Shalamar drama did not end there. Griffey still saw the equity in the Shalamar brand. He brought in rock guitarist Miki Free, then later D’Lisa Davis to replace Daniel and Watley. Yet, the newly formed group experienced internal conflict as well.

      Davis says they tried to adjust and move forward but they were “three people thrown together.”

      Still, those three people achieved success. They won a Grammy for “Don't Get Stopped in Beverly Hills," which was featured in the movie Beverly Hills Cop. But once again, Shalamar fell apart; Hewett left the group.

      Despite selling out Wembley stadium, breaking racial barriers, being one of the two African American music acts featured on MTV, and accomplishing worldwide fame, Shalamar continually imploded and eventually disbanded.

      In an interview with EURweb, Watley talked about the Shalamar experience to an extent. She was asked about Hewett saying that “we were young, stupid and full of ourselves.”

     “When people use 'we,' they should say 'I' ... Howard Hewett, by saying, ‘we were young and full of ourselves,' would make the viewer think it was all of us - maybe he and Jeffrey, but not me. It seemed like a cop out. It was a moment for everyone to speak for themselves - and not hide behind 'we,'” a defiant Watley reminded.

      Hmm. Watley's dagger to the heart response indicates that decades later she's still not a fan of her one-time compatriot. One more reason this episode of "Unsung" will be worth watching.

      Individually, Daniel, Hewett, and Watley went on to pursue success. Daniel lives in Japan; Hewett has a solo career and. Watley     won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 1988. She was invited to the White house under President George H.W. Bush’s administration. Recently she has established her own record label, Avitone, with distribution through ADA.

      For more information on the artists visit: www.Jeffreydaniel.com, www.JodyWatley.net & www.myspace.com/howardhewett.

      TV One's Shalamar episode of "Unsung" airs this Sunday, June 21 at 8pm Eastern/5 Pacific. For more info, go HERE.

Shalamar performs their 1982 classic 'A Night To Remember':

OK, we don't have the video, per se, but here's the audio of 'Make That Move':

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