TV One has announced that its heralded “Unsung” series will return this summer with eight new episodes, including Sly Stone, Gerald Levert, the Marvelettes, Kool Moe Dee, Angela Bofil, Arrested Development and Confunkshun.

Among TV One’s most popular shows, "Unsung" spotlights talented urban musical artists who deserve more recognition and appreciation than they received in their prime. Past episodes have spotlighted Minnie Ripperton, DeBarge, Tammi Terrell, Teena Marie, and Washington D.C. native Stacy Lattisaw.

TV One, based in Silver Spring, MD, just wrapped its highest-rated season of “Unsung” ever on March 12. The slate included percussionist/singer Sheila E., soul great Millie Jackson, rap group Whodini, Temptations great David Ruffin and the lateVesta Williams. [Watch Vesta's "Unsung" in its entirety in the video player at left.]

Timmy you wanted the Marelettes you got em.

Finally glad to see one for ConFunkShun.

[Edited 3/22/12 19:25pm]

Oh my God Phunk, thank you.

MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!

sly is an icon. His ass ain't unsung

silverchild said:

Of all people, Sly Stone? SLY FUCKIN' STONE? But otherwise, I am hyped up about this. It's gonna be a good summer indeed!

Well I knew they were gonna do it anyway. Didn't Phunk or someone (maybe it was Shaolin) who said that Sly or his friends have been interviewed for his episode? I wonder what excuse they'll use to make Sly "unsung".

Yes, Angela Bofill

Confunkshun one sounds nice

Glad to see this series is going strong.I hope they keep em coming. I love this show so much!! I'm most excited to see Kool Moe Dee & Angela Bofill's stories. Arrested Develpoment eh? Too soon for them I think. They could have done another more deserving artist in my opinion. I'll be watching though.

must see sly, kool moe dee, confunkshon and arrested development

scriptgirl said:

sly is an icon. His ass ain't unsung

Timmy84 said:

Oh my God Phunk, thank you

MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!

I'M SO GLAD FOR THE MARVELETTES IT'S ABOUT TIME I WAS WAITING AND HOLDING MY BREATH TOO TIMMY84 SO NOW WE HAVE SOME TO LOOK FORWARD TOO!

TD3 said:

scriptgirl said:

sly is an icon. His ass ain't unsung

But, you know, we will hopefully get an accurate of what's really going on with him and that RV and the other things we keep hearing about.

Even though Sly is obviously anything but unsung and is considered the precurser to many later legends and an all time innovator for music as a whole, i kinda get why it's happening.

Sly is only the above to the more musically enthusiastic. Sly, along with the band, should be uttered in the same breath as The Beetles, Elvis, MJ, Prince, Dylan, Floyd etc, etc by the casual public. But for some reason...he ain't.

It's all part of his musical tragedy that needs to be rectified.

[Edited 3/23/12 6:42am]

It's good hearing that the show has done so well in the ratings. Like others here seeing Sly Stone listed as "unsung" does look puzzling. The ones I'm looking forward most to seeing are the eps on Angela Bofill and Con Funk Shun.

My questions is this-are the 'lettes really gonna tell the truth about how Berry did them dirty and are we gonna have to suffer a cameo from Smokey talking about the "Motown Family"?

scriptgirl said:

My questions is this-are the 'lettes really gonna tell the truth about how Berry did them dirty and are we gonna have to suffer a cameo from Smokey talking about the "Motown Family"?

Oh I think Katherine Anderson is gonna definitely speak her mind regarding Motown... if she for some reason doesn't on the "Unsung" special, here's a link to her basically telling Motown "they can fuck off":

http://www.charles-thomso...ettes.html

Thanks Timmy!

Did Smokey write songs for them, though?

scriptgirl said:

Thanks Timmy!

Did Smokey write songs for them, though?

Yup.

"Don't Mess With Bill"

"My Baby Must Be a Magician"

"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"

The only two episodes I'm really interested in are Angela and Gerald.

Timmy84 said:

scriptgirl said:

My questions is this-are the 'lettes really gonna tell the truth about how Berry did them dirty and are we gonna have to suffer a cameo from Smokey talking about the "Motown Family"?

Oh I think Katherine Anderson is gonna definitely speak her mind regarding Motown... if she for some reason doesn't on the "Unsung" special, here's a link to her basically telling Motown "they can fuck off":

http://www.charles-thomso...ettes.html

These ladies have been definitely disrespected by the label. I remember watching

an oldies PBS special several years ago with the Marvelettes with Gladys Horton

singing lead. Her background singers were young whipper snappers and PBS kept

doing close ups of them and had the camera show Gladys Horton from a distance.

I was like damn. That was a show of disrespect too to a Motown legend.

phunkdaddy said:

Timmy84 said:

Oh I think Katherine Anderson is gonna definitely speak her mind regarding Motown... if she for some reason doesn't on the "Unsung" special, here's a link to her basically telling Motown "they can fuck off":

http://www.charles-thomso...ettes.html

These ladies have been definitely disrespected by the label. I remember watching

an oldies PBS special several years ago with the Marvelettes with Gladys Horton

singing lead. Her background singers were young whipper snappers and PBS kept

doing close ups of them and had the camera show Gladys Horton from a distance.

I was like damn. That was a show of disrespect too to a Motown legend.

The Marvelettes were the first to make Motown what it is (the Miracles weren't even working it like that) and they're the most to get DOGGED. It's fucking sad. I'm glad Katherine kept it 100 and told it like it t-i was...

Timmy84 said:

phunkdaddy said:

These ladies have been definitely disrespected by the label. I remember watching

an oldies PBS special several years ago with the Marvelettes with Gladys Horton

singing lead. Her background singers were young whipper snappers and PBS kept

doing close ups of them and had the camera show Gladys Horton from a distance.

I was like damn. That was a show of disrespect too to a Motown legend.

The Marvelettes were the first to make Motown what it is (the Miracles weren't even working it like that) and they're the most to get DOGGED. It's fucking sad. I'm glad Katherine kept it 100 and told it like it t-i was...

That was pretty shitty they weren't invited to perform at Motwown 25.

phunkdaddy said:

Timmy84 said:

The Marvelettes were the first to make Motown what it is (the Miracles weren't even working it like that) and they're the most to get DOGGED. It's fucking sad. I'm glad Katherine kept it 100 and told it like it t-i was...

That was pretty shitty they weren't invited to perform at Motwown 25.

Yeah. Gladys mentioned that the final straw came when the Motown Museum opened in, I think, '88 or '89 and they weren't included in it! Talk about betrayal.

nursev said:

Confunkshun one sounds nice

Yeah it is. I don't know much about them but like a few of their songs.

I find it weird as hell that they keep getting dissed left and right like this. Seems like there is a LOT more to the story. Someone's holding a grudge.

scriptgirl said:

I find it weird as hell that they keep getting dissed left and right like this. Seems like there is a LOT more to the story. Someone's holding a grudge.

I wouldn't say it was a grudge...

Timmy, what would you call it? Cause it sounds like it's more than label politics. Sounds personal to me.

scriptgirl said:

Timmy, what would you call it? Cause it sounds like it's more than label politics. Sounds personal to me.

Well Motown was always fucking each other. I think the Marvelettes got tired of playing the game. I ain't buying the two sides argument with them this time. They seriously got FUCKED OVER. Mary Wells didn't get much respect at Motown either after she left.

Wasn't Mary blackballed, though?

scriptgirl said:

Wasn't Mary blackballed, though?

Allegedly. That's still disrespect. Mary knew something was wrong with her money... the Marvelettes did too.