Unsung Episodes	Season 4
Back To Pazsaz Entertainment Network's Unsung Page Deniece Williams Deniece Williams is a singers' singer, whose five octave range thrilled listeners on songs that ranged from ballads like Black Butterfly to gospel standards like God is Amazing to pop hits like ???Lets Hear it for the Boy.??? She's a songbird whose career started in Gary Indiana, cutting local singles at age 17, then moving on to make her mark with Stevie Wonder's band Wonderlove, and ultimately emerging as a songwriter of uncommon gifts, as evidenced by modern day standards like ???Silly??? and ???Free???. But Deniece's refusal to compromise her ideals and put music first came with a heavy cost ??? ostracized from her church, three marriages that ended in divorce, and ultimately the dissolution of her career as a pop star. In this personally revealing episode of Unsung, Deniece tells her story with poignancy and humor, and is helped along by exclusive interviews with an all-star cast of her admirers that includes Johnny Mathis, Ray Parker Jr., Phillip Bailey, Verdine White, George Duke ??? and Stevie Wonder. The Spinners The vocal group that may be the greatest of them all never quite got the recognition of their peers, in part because they blended together so seamlessly that no one was ever quite sure who was the star. But Henry Fambrough and Bobby Smith, who helped form the Spinners nearly sixty years ago, weathered triumphs and tragedies to make some of the most beloved pop standards of our time ??? R&B evergreens like ???I'll be Around???, ???One of a Kind???, ???Sadie???, and ???Could it be I'm Falling in Love.??? They spent nearly a decade at Motown driving cars for the label's top stars while waiting for their own shot, then survived the abrupt departures of two lead singers, without ever missing a beat, or a show. And in 2011 they're still on the road, a group that just keeps on keepin' on. On Unsung, the core members of this remarkable band, along with ace arranger and collaborator Thom Bell, tell the long and winding journey of a group that has become an American treasure. Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle They were the Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell of their time ??? an unlikely pairing of opposite personalities that made musical magic together. Alexander O'Neal grew up poor and troubled in Mississippi, while Cherrelle was the pampered daughter of a successful attorney in Beverly Hills. He sang ballads with the gruff-voiced soul of a Teddy Pendergrass, while she showed off an appealing voice and good looks on infectiously fast paced dance hits. But both artists, whose most popular songs were often produced by the stellar team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, really took off when they were teamed together on unforgettable duets like ???Saturday Love.' Then, poised on the brink of superstardom, both of their careers abruptly fell apart, a casualty of both self-destructive acts and unforeseen tragedies. On this remarkably candid episode of Unsung, Alexander O'Neal and Cherrelle tell the stories of two extraordinary characters whose legacies will forever be entwined. Big Daddy Kane With dizzying wordplay, upbeat, conscious lyrics and a chocolate Hugh Hefner-like mojo, Big Daddy Kane revolutionized hip hop's style and sound in the 1980s. Best known for his songwriting skills and sizzling stage shows, Kane could rock the party a la "I Get the Job Done", battle rap with cuts like "Warm It Up Kane" or craft politically inspiring joints like "Another Victory.??? But mostly, Kane was all about the ladies, on stage and off. The smooth operating native of Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy would exert a direct influence on Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, both of whom took notes on his easy flow and take no prisoners style. (Indeed, Kane put Jay-Z on stage early on, giving the future Roc Nation mogul one of his early breaks) But as the West Coast sound crowded out stars from hip hop's ???Golden Era', Kane seemed to fade from view. Or did he? In this episode, Kane and a slew of stars - including Biz Markie, Roxanne Shante and Kool Moe Dee ??? chronicle the surprising life and times of a charismatic rap kingpin, who always did it his way. The Ohio Players The Ohio Players are one of the most successful funk outfits of all time, scoring monster crossover hits in the 1970s like ???Fire??? and ???Love Rollercoaster.??? They took funk into uncharted territory, bringing a jazzy, free form feel to chart-toppers like ???Skin Tight,??? ???Heaven Must Be Like This,??? and ???Sweet Sticky Thing.??? Along the way, The Players ??? with monikers like Sugarfoot, Diamond, and Rock - lived up to their names, with super-sexy album covers that got nearly as much attention as their songs, and by lifestyle excess that led to a major drug bust; not to mention a notoriety so extreme that the group was rumored to have killed someone during a recording session that included the dying screams in the grooves of a song. Ultimately, it was the I.R.S., and funky financial dealings among the Players themselves, that brought the group down. But not before they scored three platinum albums and 18 Top 40 hits over an eight year span, and left an indelible mark on the history and evolution of funk. Evelyn Champagne King Evelyn ???Champagne' King's rise to fame and fortune in the music business is as close to a ???Cinderella story' as you can get. The R&B and disco diva was discovered while singing at age 15 in the bathroom of Philly International Records, where her parents worked on the maintenance crew. When producer T. Life heard her, he assured the girl he would make her a star. And he did. Her 1979 debut single, ???Shame??? was an instant crossover smash and disco anthem. For the next decade, Evelyn turned out a wide ranging slew of hits including ???I'm in Love,??? ???Love Come Down,??? and ???Betcha She Don't Love You, ??? while establishing her reputation as a live performer who gave fans all she had. But those same high spirits left her vulnerable, not only to the slings and arrows of the music business, but to real life episodes of personal tragedy. Now, 30 years out and still going strong, Evelyn King reveals to Unsung the unvarnished tale of a showbiz survivor. Sylvester Disco singer Sylvester is profiled. Billy Preston Billy Preston was a prodigy. By age 9, he'd mastered the Hammond Organ. At 10, he performed with Nat King Cole and recorded with Mahalia Jackson. At 15, Little Richard took him on a European Tour. In the late '60s, Billy joined The Beatles on their farewell rooftop concert and was the only artist ever to share a songwriting credit with the rockers. In the early '70s, he regularly toured with the Rolling Stones. And his greatest fame came on his own, with a slew of popular hits including 'Nothin' From Nothin',' 'Will it Go Round in Circles,' 'You Are So Beautiful' and 'With You I'm Born Again.' But the joy Billy shared in his music was masking a deep sadness. Burying a dark childhood secret behind drugs and alcohol, Billy deteriorated throughout the '80s and '90s, ultimately ending up in prison. For the first time, Billy's closest friends and family open up about the torment that drove a musical genius to ruins and a painful, early end. The Sylvers It was their biggest hit ever - see how The Sylvers came up with "Boogie Fever." Mary Wells Mary Wells (1943-1992) is profiled.
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