The link to TV One's Unsung episode of The Ohio Players !

[Randy Holmes]

Here is the link to TV One's Unsung episode of The Ohio Players ! O-H-I-O !
Enjoy !

http://www.tvoneonline.com/video/b_player.php?dynCategory=0&dynLocation=unsung_ep404_remix.flv [[http://www.tvoneonline.com/video/b_player.php?dynCategory=0&dynLocation=unsung_ep404_remix.flv)

[smooth]

Randy Holmes
Thanks for the link to the Ohio Players TV One Unsung Episode.
I saw them live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Great group with an exciting stage presence.
I always remember how cool and confident Sugarfoot was on stage and the hair was outrageous!!!
Let's be honest ...Who didn't like those album covers!!!!!
Definitely a genuine part of Soul and Funk history.

Smooth

[timmyfunk]

Randy Holmes
Thanks for the link to the Ohio Players TV One Unsung Episode.
I saw them live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Great group with an exciting stage presence.
I always remember how cool and confident Sugarfoot was on stage and the hair was outrageous!!!
Let's be honest ...Who didn't like those album covers!!!!!
Definitely a genuine part of Soul and Funk history.

Smooth

What year did you see them at Radio City? I have an ad for the 2/13/75 show.

[Randy Holmes]

Randy Holmes
Thanks for the link to the Ohio Players TV One Unsung Episode.
I saw them live at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Great group with an exciting stage presence.
I always remember how cool and confident Sugarfoot was on stage and the hair was outrageous!!!
Let's be honest ...Who didn't like those album covers!!!!!
Definitely a genuine part of Soul and Funk history.

Smooth

Hey Smooth ! ..... You're very welcome ! :-) .... Those album covers were/are "eye candy" in every sense of the word ;-)

RH

[smooth]

Hi Randy Holmes
I went back into the envelope that has my old ticket stubs and I attended the Sunday February 16,1975 Show.[[Orchestra Section,Row NN,Seat 203)
Ticket price $8.50 including the Tax!!!!!Now don't that make you want to laugh.
Thanks for the Sweet Soulful Memories.

Smooth

[Randy Holmes]

Hi Randy Holmes
I went back into the envelope that has my old ticket stubs and I attended the Sunday February 16,1975 Show.[[Orchestra Section,Row NN,Seat 203)
Ticket price $8.50 including the Tax!!!!!Now don't that make you want to laugh.
Thanks for the Sweet Soulful Memories.

Smooth

Well that's alright ! I wish I had kept my ticket stub when I went to see EWF here at Madison Square Garden, October 5th, 1979 ... BEST CONCERT EVER !!

[GeeTee(HPK)]

It was great seeing Pat "Running Bear" Evans,the bald model that appeared on the Westbound era album covers.

I'm glad they showed the Soul Train clip with Junie Morrison. It just goes to show what's in the Soul Train vault,that they're holding out on. :mad:

[Randy Holmes]

It was great seeing Pat "Running Bear" Evans,the bald model that appeared on the Westbound era album covers.

I'm glad they showed the Soul Train clip with Junie Morrison. It just goes to show what's in the Soul Train vault,that they're holding out on. :mad:

I never knew what her name was, until watching this program ..... but I remember NOT being turned on by her because of her bald head, and skinny body. She just didn't for me at the time :-[[ .... Hey, I was a kid, I didn't know any better :-[[..... but as I got older, I saw the beauty in her.

Now the models on the Honey & Fire album covers ? They were hung up on my walls !! ;-) ....... Until my mother took them down :-[[ .... LOL !

[tsull1]

Thanks for the link! One of my favorite groups, I'll be watching this tomorrow.

As for the album covers, I look at them as art, not dirty pictures ... at least that's what I like to tell myself to justify my drooling. :cool:

[splanky]

I'm going to have to make time to watch this for sure. I already know most of the story
of this group but you can always find out something that has eluded you somehow.
Thanks for the link, Randy....

[timmyfunk]

It was really nice to see the woman that appeared on the cover of the Westbound-era albums.

[Randy Holmes]

You're welcome Tsull1 and splanky !

[tsull1]

I'm about a 1/4 the way through, so far I'm loving it! Thanks so much to Unsung for putting these great shows on.

I didn't know the origins of this band, so even as a fairly big Ohio Players fan, it was interesting to me. I noticed as with most groups, they ran into the lead singer/main man ego problem. The dude would just walk off the stage and leave them hanging, amazing. They wisely moved on.

One thing I've always liked about the group is their massive talent. Just tremendous musicians. I like how they went into the studio with no songs [[telling Mercury they had 40) and jammed for 9 days and created what I think is a masterpiece in the "Skin Tight" album.

Still more to go for me, I'm glad Unsung fixed some of the technical issues that plagued the Spinners episode, though I still had a couple of glitches. Maybe it was my computer. But these are really great shows. So glad The Ohio Players are getting their due, what an unreal group, my favorite funk group of all time.

* Amazed the talent the city of Dayton has cranked out: Ohio Players, Slave, and Lakeside, among others. Wow!

[Kamasu_Jr]

I'm about a 1/4 the way through, so far I'm loving it! Thanks so much to Unsung for putting these great shows on.

'I didn't know the origins of this band, so even as a fairly big Ohio Players fan, it was interesting to me. I noticed as with most groups, they ran into the lead singer/main man ego problem. The dude would just walk off the stage and leave them hanging, amazing. They wisely moved on.

One thing I've always liked about the group is their massive talent. Just tremendous musicians. I like how they went into the studio with no songs [[telling Mercury they had 40) and jammed for 9 days and created what I think is a masterpiece in the "Skin Tight" album.

Still more to go for me, I'm glad Unsung fixed some of the technical issues that plagued the Spinners episode, though I still had a couple of glitches. Maybe it was my computer. But these are really great shows. So glad The Ohio Players are getting their due, what an unreal group, my favorite funk group of all time.

* Amazed the talent the city of Dayton has cranked out: Ohio Players, Slave, and Lakeside, among others. Wow!

My dad introduced me to Billy Beck last summer when we went back to Youngstown, Ohio to atttend a relative's funeral. He's doing some good work with youths of the city, who really need guidance. A lot of talented musicians also came from Youngstown too including Beck, bassists Chuck Rainey, & Robert "Kool' Bell.,

[marv2]

It was so good to hear just that little bit of "Pain"! It was so very popular with us when it was out, they even created a dance for it!

[tsull1]

Really enjoyed this show, just finished it. Very sad endings. Many of these groups fall to drugs, bad health, and mismanaged finances ... stuff that can often be prevented. Nevetheless, their legacy is unreal.

[splanky]

Dang, I enjoyed the mess outta that even if some of it almost made me wanna cry. We were all so into the music back
in the day we had no idea what the Players were about to start facing in their own lives. The photos and footage of Junie's era were great too, I love to see him at the keyboards singing with a finger in one ear! And I finally learned the Westbound
models name and got to see her talk about her work. Well done on this one, Unsung was! Thanks again, Randy...

[stephanie]

I wish they had played a little of Ecstasy but hearing Pain was a joy! I love love the era with Junie Morrison its too bad they didnt have him there. What I found interesting was I had never heard about Satch taking the money and all of these other things. At least they stayed together and wanted things equally which a lot of bands dont. Good show.

[tsull1]

Satch was such a good musician, it's sad he couldn't manage his personal life. His former wife really, really comes across well in this show. She takes the high road when it would've been understandable if she didn't. I think interviewing the wives on these shows adds a good perspective, like the interview with Pervis Jackson's wife on the Spinners episode.

[stephanie]

Maybe I am a whiner and complainer and as much as I like these episodes and I hope to see more I am tired of seeing people like Nelson George and the DJs talking about these people. More time could be spend as tsull1 said talking to the wives, relatives, producers and people who knew them. We dont need a pop culture perspective on these people that is why we watch the show to find out how they got started and what ended up happening. Nelson George is one of the few people I can tolerate and I love his books but we really dont need to see him and other DJs there unless they were involved with the group. Satch and Diamond along with Junie were my favorite members of the Players although Sugarfoot did well as the frontman. Diamond is one of the best soul drummers I have ever heard in my life and he looks like he has taken good care of himself.

[paladin]

I caught all the shows this afternoon, it was hot as blazes outside and I saw Deniece Williams, Spinners, Ohio Players, Alex & Cherrelle and even parts of Big Daddy Kane. I could have listened to Bootsy a bit more......ditto for Satch's & Pervis's wife, it was also good to see John Edwards. GC Cameron refuses to age....dam......

[tsull1]

Agree with Stephanie. I didn't mind hearing from the Atlantic Records president on the Spinners show, he was interesting. I liked Pervis' wife, too, as well as Satch's. [[Pervis' wife had the classic line about the female fans, "I call them groupies and GROPIES"... ha!)

There was one guy on The Spinners show commenting on Sadie whom they didn't even name. Who the heck was he? All these DJ's ... huh? How about more Thom Bell or perhaps how about interviewing Bruce Hawes? The little info bubbles also threw me off and they often would go way off topic.

As for The Ohio Players, I could've heard more from the musicians, perhaps even more concert clips, I was loving those. I was totally getting into "Fire" and they cut it off for more yapping.

Nevertheless, hats off to Unsung for doing these shows and recognizing the classic soul and funk groups.

[tamla617]

smooth and randy

i saw them in london then the next day in dunstable june 1976,it was the week contradiction was released here.
the london ticket cost £1.75 roughly 1 dollar the other one was no more than 2 pounds

the link below shows the quality we used to get in dunstable,check out the acts that came all the way just about every weekend.i forgot how good it was.i lived about 50 miles from this place and made it at least twice a month.
this place wasnt in the middle of a town/city in less that 400 yards you were in the countryside!amazing

http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/gigs-1976.htm
http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/gigs-1975.htm
http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/gigs-1974.htm

[chidrummer]

An interesting asside from Sugarfoot that EWF stole their sound. There's an argument for that if you listen to Mighty Mighty or Sun Goddess. I think that after '74 or so EWF found their own voice and from then on the two bands developed very different approaches to Funk.

[marv2]

An interesting asside from Sugarfoot that EWF stole their sound. There's an argument for that if you listen to Mighty Mighty or Sun Goddess. I think that after '74 or so EWF found their own voice and from then on the two bands developed very different approaches to Funk.

Looking back, I tend to agree with Sugarfoot on that one. I remember when "Mighty,Mighty" and "Ecstacy" were out at the same time and it seemed like music from the same group!

[stephanie]

As I was watching the program I was thinking hmmm it seems like EWF took some of their sound and then they said it!

[tamla617]

ew+ f's build your nest too

and on ramsey lewis/ew+f collaboration salango and dont it feel good lp's

and the commodores.....young girls are my weakness,slippery when its wet
cameo....tracks on the 1st two lps cardiac arrest and we all know who we are.
wild cherry........play that funky music,what in the funk do you see

and a few others dipped their toes in the ohio players "wierd vocals". as blues and soul called it back then

[Kamasu_Jr]

ew+ f's build your nest too

and on ramsey lewis/ew+f collaboration salango and dont it feel good lp's

and the commodores.....young girls are my weakness,slippery when its wet
cameo....tracks on the 1st two lps cardiac arrest and we all know who we are.
wild cherry........play that funky music,what in the funk do you see

and a few others dipped their toes in the ohio players "wierd vocals". as blues and soul called it back then

What '70s and '80s funk bands didn't the Bar Kays borrow from?

I liked the Unsung episode on Evelyn Champage King. I didn't know a lot of her personal backstory and her episode ended positively. It avoided the usual cliches and it included perspectives from Flo Jenkins, former editor of Right On! magazine. Jenkins had not been seen in years. Apparently, King didn't fall prey to drugs or craziness. She's still out there working, even if she does not have a major deal.

TVOne says more Unsung episodes are coming soon on Billy Preston [[should be interesting if it tells the WHOLE truth); The Sylvers, Bobby Womack, Freddie Jackson [[UGH!) and Mary Wells, who is long overdue in my opinion.

[tamla617]

i havent seen any "unsungs" yet.i tried to watch the ohio p's on the link in this thread and it was jerkin around.i dont know if its my laptop because other people have watched it and not commented on the quality being bad.
i d like to see the bill preston,bobby womack and the sylvers progs.....freddie jackson seems an odd choice imo

[pshark]

Now here's something that wasn't mentioned on Unsung. The woman who's the subject of the song VAREE IS LOVE is pictured to the left of photo below via "Fan photos from Sugarfoot's Ohio Players " from Sugarfoots facebook page
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/189825_1303953215709_1736855511_520094_1066269_n.j pg [[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1303953215709&set=o.169735916381237&type=1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OpRSrHVyRYg



And check out what Marshall says about her
Marshall Jones wrote:

Did u know Varee Shot Sugar-Foot in the groin ?? Stay tune for my forth comming book "InThe Line Of Fire"
The Bang Bang Honeychild?!!:[[
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/155509_171576766205391_100000592072151_481073_5790 093_n.jpg
There's talks of making an Ohio Players movie based on Marshall's book
************************************************** ************************************************** **********************
Notice that Satch name checks Diamond on INTRODUCING THE PLAYERS from the RATTLESNAKE lp. I asked Diamond on his FB what was his first recording with OP. He responded more than a wk later saying that
Ecstasy was his first album. The strange thing is, I was listening to that cd when I read his response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoHzkmybDug&feature=player_embedded
_________________
If you missed the episode, here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w2Y-UYWJrg&feature=player_embedded

[pshark]

An interesting asside from Sugarfoot that EWF stole their sound. There's an argument for that if you listen to Mighty Mighty or Sun Goddess. I think that after '74 or so EWF found their own voice and from then on the two bands developed very different approaches to Funk.It was actually Lester Troutman that made that statement. Even Louis Johnson thinks that EWF copped that "Wowww Wowww". Check out the SDF's very own Funk-O-Not interview with LJ

http://www.myspace.com/soulfiles/music/songs/louis-johnson-speaks-24077933

I was just listening to Something Special by Black Heat and it sounds and it really reminds me of TOGETHER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWgpM87x49w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIFltkuRUDI

[soulster]

I saw them back in '78, after their heyday, and they played hard, but were probably a bit miffed at the time from playing such a small venue when they were used to stadiums at that point.

[pshark]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FpXqjKVUB0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3XcewNIHTc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_OEnZfpAVw

[pshark]

Ohio Players on the Brady Bunch Hour was strange. Redd Foxx introduces them around 6:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSfC3DSr-BQ

[P-Shark: The Revenge]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wipeZxxBi4c
The one and only Christmas song from the OP

[P-Shark: The Revenge]

Bringing this thread back up