Unsung

First rising to prominence as a house band for the legendary Stax record label, the Bar-Kays have survived 40 years, 27 albums, 25 members, 23 hits, a tragic plane crash, a stroke, a murder and at least five major shifts in Black music. By consciously adapting their style to the trends of the day and constantly tuning their voice to the will of the streets, they’ve managed to make hits in every prevailing genre: R&B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Techno and even Hip Hop.

In March of 1982, Teddy Pendergrass was arguably the most popular black recording artist in the world, and the first artist of any color to achieve five consecutive multi-platinum albums. He’d shot to stardom as the singer for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, putting his stamp on Gamble & Huff classics like “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” then elevating to even greater success on his own, to become an icon of romantic balladry, and a role model for seductive male singers that remains a defining image to this day.

She had a record deal by the time she was 14. She was a featured vocalist with James Brown at 17. Berry Gordy signed her to Motown Records 3 years later. And in 1967 Tammi Terrell teamed up with Marvin Gaye to record a series of classic romantic hits – ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’, ‘Your Precious Love’, ‘Ain’t Nothin Like The Real Thing’, and more - that remain the gold standard for romantic duets.

When Angela Winbush came on the scene in the 1980s, she brought not only a powerful sultry voice infused with gospel roots, but also a versatile self-contained songwriting and producing talent at a time when few females, and even fewer African American females, were producing records at all.