Unsung (TV One)

[Raja]

Editor's Note:

Discuss Unsung here!

 

Original post:

This Is How We Do IT

Edited January 10, 2019 by kariyaki

[GreatKazu]

I didn't know much about Montell's private life. I guess the whole PR move to not disclose he was married, worked. I also didn't bother to check up on his life. I just enjoyed his music.

 

Not shocked at all that he cheated. Of course hoochies will throw themselves at guys who are rich and famous. Nothing new here. I was saddened that he had to sell his catalog of music though. Shame. Usually that shit happens years later. I was reminded of Sly Stone who sold his catalog of music to Michael Jackson for a mere million dollars. Say what??? Yep, that's what happens when you do drugs, you become desperate. As for Montell, that happened because of financial mis-management.

 

Glad to see Montell and his wife are still together and with the church. He seems to be happy and that is all that matters.

[Raja]

I Like The Way

[Raja]

I ran into one of his CCM videos I don't remember if it was on Centric, Aspire or the GMC gospel  video show about a years ago, 6'8" he still stood.

[honybr]

Ok I loved this episode because I loved Hi Five back in the day.  I was so confused that they kept saying the guy who shot someone was the lead singer.  Clearly Tony was the only one singing lead with maybe someone else doing the bridge.  Watching this made me realize how many of their songs I liked.  Had to go you tube a couple.  Sad about all the tragedies though.  

 

I had to laugh that they are still touring because the fans want to see them.  I noticed they didn't really pan out so we could see the size of that audience.  I loved Hi Five but I have no desire to see them without Tony and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same.   

[SistaLadybug]

I love him simply because he has given me one of my favorite lessons for my daughter.  Whenever we're at some sort of social function and things have gone left clearly because someone involved (host/hostess) has cut corners or didn't put in much effort, I turn to her and say, "What have we learned from this?" to which her reply is, "Never come wack on an old school track."  It makes no sense but it's amusing to the two of us.

 

I met Montell in person once at a party and he is spectacularly tall.  Of course, I'm 4'11", so everyone is a giant compared to me.

[Raja]

It was like The Spinners, Shalamar and The Ohio Players having their first hits and then the lead singer leaving. It seems to be an Unsung trope

[charmed1]

I can't even describe how in love I was with Tony Thompson. Those dimples, that little cleft in his chin, that voice. I wanted him to go to my school or go to his and make him cut that bama rat tail half-fro gumby. I remember watching Hi-5's videos and being seriously pissed off because there was always some random old assed woman touching him, dancing with him, looking at him. I remember thinking, "get your hands off him! where is CPS!?" lol I even skipped class one day so I could listen to a radio interview he did on my local station when he first went solo. That was my man.

I bought all their music that I could with the little money I could scrape up. This was back when you could go the the record store and buy singles for a dollar. And to this day, I still have "Never Should've Let You Go," on cassette. Damned the rest of the Sister Act II soundtrack. I was all about Tony.

So it was with great hesitation that I watched this episode of Unsung, because I knew the waterworks would be flowing. And boy did they ever. I remember hearing about Tony's death and crying like a baby. But seeing the footage of him so shortly before his death and learning that he'd reunited with his friends and was trying to make a comeback just hurt my heart.

One of the "new" guys, I don't even recognize. He looks 60 years old and is missing all his molars.

And their first manager gave me the serious creeps. When Trestan was recalling his first encounter with him, it sounded like the beginning of some horrible Dateline on ID story. "I was walking from school and this guy in a truck told me he heard about me and to sing him a song. Then he told my mom he was taking me." What the hell? lol

[ridethemaverick]

Lmao! That WAS weird. But I did like that the first manager didn't allow them to go to clubs and hang out all night. Given the stories I've read about artists like Usher and Bow Wow, it was refreshing to see someone looking after young artists rather than encouraging them to run with an older crowd and drink, club, sleep around, etc.

What a heartbreaking episode though. It's almost like they were cursed.

[AyeshaTheGreat]

Okay, I just watched this episode and it really explained a lot.  Their ever rotating line up confused me so much when I was a kid.  Back in 1990, I had no idea who was the member that killed someone and now I know why.  I always though Tristan was an original member.  Though I liked their music growing up, I never purchased any of their albums.  When Tony died, I bought a "Best of Hi Five" CD.  That compilation album really reminded me of the hits I enjoyed in my youth.  

 

Back to the episode, I know Tony's ex-fiancee loved him so but sweetheart, he was wrong for putting those randoms together and calling them Hi Five.  The other three guys were right to shut down those album sales.  Also, as stated above, I am not here for the group minus Tony.  While they had rotating members, he wasn't one of them so their hits are all his voice.  And whoever that guy was they have singing now is not even close to an adequate replacement.

 

Lastly, I barely wonder when the members of the group began to "dabble" in cocaine and other drugs.  Good to know that despite coming across as a creeper, Vinny Bell really was looking out for the guys.  Sad that they started using.

[Raja]

The Best Of My Love

 

I think we are about to see another act killed by the disco backlash. And they were not a disco act they just collaborated with Earth Wind and Fire to make a mediocre (in my opinion) disco song.

[charmed1]

Flowers was my Mom's jam. That guy was right. If there are such things as angels, I would imagine they'd sound like the Emotions.

[spaceytraci1208]

Damn, I didn't realize Unsung was back! I need to catch up On Demand..."Don't Ask My Neighbors" is a classic

[Raja]

The unaccredited voice on many dance hits

[spaceytraci1208]

Martha Wash's voice is incredible; one of the few powerful vocalists whose power and range stuns me because it's brilliant rather than turning me off because it's obnoxious (like Jennifer Hudson). The industry did her soooo dirty.

[Happytobehere]

Martha was done so dirty by the industry. As someone pointed out, "How can someone who was the voice of so many hits spanning so many decades be unknown? ". Imagine how big her career would have been had she had the "right" look.

[spaceytraci1208]

One of the "new" guys, I don't even recognize. He looks 60 years old and is missing all his molars.

LMAOOOOOOO!!He was annoying too, talking about needing to get the group back together like he was there from the beginning.

While Tony was without question the voice of Hi-Five, it's Trestan's voice that I love on " Can't Wait Another Minute." His baritone is a lovely contrast to Tony's tenor.

[Raja]

In The Midnight Hour

 

Another, "wait a minute he is unsung?" episode coming. Leaving Stax may be the story as it may have stopped his career in its tracks and Stax was not the crossover factory Motown was but to this day Wilson Pickett is on the set list of bar bands all over the world. Sort of like athletes pop musicians have that sweet spot

[charmed1]

I thought tonight's episode is featuring Troop. (Total Respect of Other People). Hee. I remember watching Soul Train when they announced that BS acronym. That was back when everybody said Troop products were made by the Klan.

[Raja]

Maybe I should have waited, the Wilson Pickett promo is running so I posted. I remember Lou Rawls was announced in season 7 but his story didn't air until season 8.

[kia112]

You know, I didn't mind the new guy they had singing Tony's part in the "new Hi-Five."  Mostly because I know there's no way Tony's voice would sound the same today singing that song.  I'd go see 'em.  For free.

[kia112]

Find out what happened to the R&B group Troop.

[kia112]

So basically, I've been waiting for this Unsung (this and Chuckii Booker) since I heard about the series.  I still remember sneaking around my sleeping parents on Friday nights to watch Video Soul's Top 20 Countdown, hoping I could catch the video for "Spread My Wings."  Flex was right: it still invokes chills just thinking about it.  And Chuckii Booker was that man.  I know of two Chuckii Booker songs ("Turned Away" and "Games") and I know of a few he produced (the Troop ones from Attitude and Angela Winbush's "Treat U Rite"), but if I hear a song that I've never heard before, I can tell right away if it's a Chuckii Booker production.  Case in point: "My Heart."  I heard that for the first time at some point last year and immediately said, "That's Chuckii Booker."

 

I just really like that Steve Russell has had continued success as a songwriter.  And a good one!  I think "Gots Ta Be" is my favorite B2K song so I was pleasantly surprised to see that he wrote it.  Plus, "No Air"?  That was the jam.

 

I would pay $15 to see Troop perform now.

[spaceytraci1208]

A friend of mine always refers to Troop as "the group with the ugly haircuts" so I died laughing that the dude that had the blonde-patch in the front of his head STILL has that raggedy blonde-patch in his head lol. It wasn't cute 20+ years ago, boo

[charmed1]

In the days of video jukebox, my awful cousin always had this habit of claiming the cute members of groups and "giving" me the uh...not so cute ones. So of course, John-John was my "boyfriend" and Allen was hers. So it was with great pleasure to see what her boyfriend looks like now. Ha ha! Now I just have to figure out where to dump my harem consisting of John-John, Bobby Brown, Shawn Stockman, K. Ci, and the guy from H-Town who should've never taken his shirt off in the Knockin the Boots video.

Edited August 29, 2014 by charmed1

[SistaLadybug]

Well, I think Shawn has gotten quite good-looking in his older age.  Your boyfriend is cute now.  :-)

[charmed1]

You're right SistaLadybug. Shawn became more attractive when he stopped looking so much like a number 2 pencil. And H-Town guy wasn't really unattractive. He should've just never taken his shirt off within a 10 mile radius of when the brothers had theirs off. All in all, my cousin was just a 12 year old asshole. Serves her right though because now she's stuck with Allen AND DeVante Swing.

[kia112]

I wasn't into Troop so much that I knew what they looked like, but as they were playing the videos I saw a cute one and I had the hardest time figuring out who he was based on the today interviews of the guys.  I thought they were pulling a Hi-Five, switching members and they couldn't get the cute one in to tape a segment.  While I finally figured out it was Allen, I couldn't take it.  What the heck happened.

 

I'm glad Steve cut his hair since the BET Awards (or maybe he grew it out for the BET Awards).  Either way, I don't like that hair.  For whatever reason, it reminds me of the hair of a newly freed slave.  And what's up with the "Harts" at the end of his name now?

[Enero]

I recently saw this episode. I had no idea Tony Thompson had died. I will always see him (and remember him) as that young kid with the amazing voice leading the group. It's such a shame that he fell into addiction and that it ultimately destroyed him. SMH.

They must've filmed this episode before Russell Neal was arrested for killing his wife since he was in the episode and at the end there was no mention of his troubles.

Anyway, great episode. I didn't realize how many hits they had, way more than TROOP, who recently got an Unsung episode and came up a few years before Hi-Five. For some reason I always thought TROOP had more success.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Enero

[kia112]

I think that Hi-Five had more crossover success, but Troop had more Top 20 R&B singles.  "I Like The Way" was magic -- everyone knows that song.

[spaceytraci1208]

Just saw the Wilson Pickett ep On Demand today. What a voice! And a very handsome man! Not a lot of juicy info, but a good all-around episode

[Gloworm]

Russel Neal's arrest was mentioned very briefly. It appeared to be edited in after the show was complete and tacked on the segment before the last commercial break. The way it was added in felt like it was a quick fix.

[Enero]

Unsung: Bone Thugs -N-Harmony

 

Anyone catch this episode? I was a fan of the group back in the day. I had no idea that Eazy E was the one who gave them their start. I really enjoyed the episode. The guys seemed really cool and most sounded like they'd learned from their mistakes. It was good to see that though they had their disagreements and falling outs, they still care about each other very much and continue to keep pushing forward.

 

I always thought they fell off because their sound, though unique, would not be something that would last through the ever changing landscape of hip hop, now hip pop. It appears that was sort of the case, but also the many other pitfalls so many musicians fall into when they make it.

 

Another interesting thing about the documentary was there was no mention of the two very successful collaborations they did with Mariah Carey (I Still Believe, Breakdown) back in the 90s.  They flashed up a picture of her with the group when mentioning how successful they'd become working with other artists etc. But no specific mention of Mariah. I wonder if she refused to give rights to those songs been used in the documentary.

 

Good show. I wish they'd profile more rappers. It'd be interesting to see where many of them ended up.

[Gloworm]

I laughed that they still call each other by stage names.

While I wasn't a huge fan, I can get with them being Unsung. They ushered in a new sound and vibe.

[Raja]

they added that commercial break in when Unsung Hollywood started. I bet they did edit the earlier bit to report the arrest

[Raja]

Have You Seen Her

 

This one had just about every Unsung trope. The lead singer leaves to go solo. A member leaves for the church. Another member is drug addicted and dies as a homeless man. The IRS goes after the group. A new member who joined when the act hits the oldies circuit is one of the main interview subjects.

 

The only thing i missed was the fellows joking about how it was hard not to hook up with groupies when they went on tour.

[topanga]

That episode had me so heartbroken, I'm still feeling the effects the next day. I loved Hi-Five back in the day. One of the "celebrity commentators" mentioned playing "I Like The Way" over and over when it came out. That was me. I rewound and rewound that cassette so many times, I'm surprised it didn't break. This morning I've been playing "Quality Time" over and over. That remains one of my adult slow jams.

 

I knew about Tony Thompson's death, but I didn't know how much tragedy had fallen upon the entire group from beginning to end. I was watching the show with my kids and warned them again about the dangers of drug use--especially huffing. I wonder if Pooh is still alive--the guy who was paralyzed. If he is alive, I wonder if his health is bad or if he simply chose not to be part of the show.

 

(BTW I loved the story about them originally calling themselves Hi-V but realizing that HIV wasn't a good name for a group). 

[Raja]

Decemeber 3, 2014

TV One is now showing 'the best of Unsung" episodes

 

Lovin You

[Raja]

Your Precious Love

[jah1986]

Just caught up on a rerun. Great episode. The Best of My Love was just a fantastic song. It is too bad their dad turned out to be right about their success without him. And that one sister really was a mess.

[topanga]

This was one of my favorite episodes. Another tear-jerker. Especially when Minnie realized she was dying, and she kept asking her husband, "What about my babies? What's going to happen to my babies?" It helps a little to know that one of her babies, Mya Rudolph, is doing well and has a successful career in entertainment. But still heartbreaking. 

[ZaldamoWilder]

In 1993, Xscape rose to the top of the charts with three platinum albums that included number one hits “Just Kickin’ It,” “Understanding” and “Who Can I Run To?” Composed of sisters LaTocha and Tamika Scott and classmates Kandi Burruss and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, they formed a sisterhood as strong as their sound.

 

[topanga]

I've started watching this episode. Very good. I'm still at the point where the girls are very close and supportive of one another. I can't wait to find out what happened to them. 

[ZaldamoWilder]

Girl.  Come back when you're done, I can't wait to talk about it!

[topanga]

I really enjoyed this ep. Though it's sad that the girls aren't talking (except for the sisters, I guess). 

 

I did like that everyone was mostly honest about their role in the group's breakup. Except Kandi never admitted that having a relationship with Jermaine DuPri might not have been the best professional decision. 

 

I remember jammin to their music throughout the '90s. Those girls can sang.

[announcergirl]

Watching it now; great episode.

[Enero]

I enjoyed this episode as well. It was refreshing to see an artist not get consumed by all the vices of fame. Though perhaps that was because she never became a huge artist and unfortunately died way before her time. 

She was such a talented artist. It was heartbreaking to see that she got sick and died so young leaving behind a young husband and kids. Just so sad, but a really great profile on her. 

[Motor City]

TV One's UNSUNG Returns on Sunday, March 3

TV One's longest-running and award-winning documentary series UNSUNG continues its stellar run with eight new episodes debuting on Sunday, March 3 at 9 p.m. ET/8C.

UNSUNG celebrates the lives of trailblazing musicians whose full stories and journey have yet to be explored. This season promises memorable stories of influential artists including R&B heartthrob Lloyd, 90s songstress Adina Howard, 80s family band The Jets, singer/songwriter Shirley Murdock, house music legend Crystal Waters, crooner Glenn Jones, vocalist Kenny Lattimore and contemporary gospel musician Tasha Cobbs-Leonard. Through first-hand accounts, interviews with family and friends, and archival footage, each episode weaves a tale of the highs and lows of a life in the limelight.

 

[Vixenstud]

Loved the recent Unsung on The Jets....

My fave tracks were Crush on You, Curiosity and Rocket 2 U.  Couldn't stand You Got it All but now I love it; didn't think much of them back in the day but was listening to their music all day yesterday.

Sad to learn about how they are estranged due to internal crap.....they professed to be so close and all, I hope they work things out as tomorrow is never promised.

[Enero]

On 3/19/2019 at 11:43 AM, Vixenstud said:

Sad to learn about how they are estranged due to internal crap.....they professed to be so close and all, I hope they work things out as tomorrow is never promised.

This. So sad after all these years they ended up on opposite sides and thus estranged over an attempted comeback that led to a disagreement over what they should be today, how they could be relevant, which ultimately led to a lawsuit over who could use the name. SMH. What I don’t think some of them got was that they’d never be as relevant as they were in the 80s during their peak. The most they could hope for is getting gigs (hopefully that paid fairly descent) at C and D venues singing their old hits. This is JMO of course. 

That said, it was once again refreshing to see an artist/group profiled who weren’t destroyed by the vices of fame ala DeBarge. It sounded as if they were pretty clean cut.

Hearing the songs they sang again after this many years (I was a kid when they were in their prime) made me so nostalgic. Sigh.  They really did have some great hits. 

Edited March 22, 2019 by Enero