Unsung is a documentary series that examines the lives and careers of once well-known R&B and soul artists and groups who achieved national chart success and fame but have become under-appreciated by later generations.

Note: This title comes on two discs.

UNSUNG STAX - Volume 1

THE BAR-KAYS
First rising to prominence as house band for Memphis' 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 beat of the streets, they've managed to make hits in every prevailing genre: R&B, Soul, Funk, Disco, Techno and even Hip Hop.

Many bands had greater hits, but none have earned greater longevity. The miracle is that this band nearly ended before it began, when all but two members—Ben Cauley and James Alexander—died in the plane crash that killed the great Otis Redding. Yet those two members rebuilt the Bar-Kays into a remarkable hit machine and never looked back.

OTIS REDDING
Otis Redding was one of the most influential soul singers of all time with hits such as "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "These Arms of Mine" and "Respect" (famously covered by Aretha Franklin), his landmark album Otis Blue, his stance as one of the biggest artists in 1960's R&B, and of course the beginning of his crossover appeal, thanks to both his performances in Europe and at the Monterrey Pop Festival.

Those who knew Otis shed light on the kind of person he really was. Redding was seen as very respectable and a mentor (especially to the Stax house band the Bar-Kays), as well as a smart businessman.


UNSUNG STAX - Volume 2

JOHNNIE TAYLOR
In the 1970s, Johnnie Taylor was a fixture on most jukeboxes and eight tracks heard in black communities. His was definitely "adult music" and represented some of the darker aspect of life at that time. From cheating and drugs, Johnnie was singing about grime before gangster rap had come into being.

As it turns out, he was the victim of many of the demons that took down many artists of his era. Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 - May 31, 2000) was a three-time Grammy-nominated American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco.

ISAAC HAYES
Isaac Hayes' music set the scene for romantic seduction on stage and off. But Isaac was more than a legendary ladies' man. He was a creative genius, who rose from dire poverty to become one of the driving forces in popular music, co-writing classic hits like "Hold On I’m Comin" and "Soul Man" while reinventing popular ballads like "Walk On By" with striking emotional force. By the early '70s he'd become known as "Black Moses" a proud and positive-minded role model whose acts of public and private generosity were legendary.

But behind the gold chains and dark glasses was a sensitive and insecure figure whose compulsion to provide for others took its toll in unstable relationships, lost fortunes, and a tragically foreshortened career. Now, those closest to Isaac, including family members, life-long friends and musical associates, tell the story of an American icon.

Note: This title comes on two discs.

UNSUNG STAX - Vol. 1 & 2 on DVD

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