R&B Confidential

[TripleX]

What's the most shocking of all the R&B tragedies? What's the most referenced? What would make the best biopic?

The Temptations and David Ruffin?
The Supremes and Florence Ballard?
The death of Sam Cooke?
The death of Otis Redding?
The murder of Marvin Gaye?
The murder of Roger Troutman?
Teddy Pendergrass Vs. Harold Melvin and the car accident?
Aaliyah's death?
R Kelly's allegations and trial?
Michael Jackson?
Houston ripping out his eye?
Ike and Tina Turner?
Minnie Ripperton?
Tammi Terrell?
Phyllis Hyman?
Donny Hathaway?
Curtis Mayfield's accident?
Whitney and Bobby?
Something I missed?

I apologize for the negativity of this thread. I have a theory about what could be a great biopic and want to see if it's correct.

[Marvelous]

Tupoc and Biggie?

[Reginald Hudlin]

Measuring the misery of others is horrible.  So many of these stories make me heartsick, like Roger Troutman's murder by his brother, who committed suicide;  the ongoing tragedy of the Jackson family;  Aaliayah's senseless death over luggage;  Curtis Mayfield's injury;  Donny Hathaway's death; Marvin....wow, all of them.

[bluezulu]

I agree with the others, however a good thread because it makes you think about why is it RnB music have all of these tragedies. Remember there is so much still that we never got the full scope of either.

[Vic Vega]

Man, I'm not even sure how to go about answering this.

Certain personalities in music are more outsized than others. They became real life larger than life characters, so to speak.

The stories of these personalities the stories that would be the most compelling because we can't get them out of our heads.

Stories such Marvin Gaye's death at the hands of his own father and Donnie Hathaway's decent into madness and sucide have these characteristics.



 

[TripleX]

Tupac and Biggie aren't R&B.

The list is a downer, it was depressing just typing it. I'm sorry for the families and fans. So much good music has been lost to us. At least we have the memories to keep what they created alive.

I didn't list what in my opinion is the absolute worst. I'm sure other forms of music have tragedies equally as bad...but I can't think of any.

[Vic Vega]

Tupac and Biggie aren't R&B.

The list is a downer, it was depressing just typing it. I'm sorry for the families and fans. So much good music has been lost to us. At least we have the memories to keep what they created alive.

I didn't list what in my opinion is the absolute worst. I'm sure other forms of music have tragedies equally as bad...but I can't think of any.

Neither can I.

Pop, Rock and Metal all have their share of plane crashes and O.D.s, but R&B seems to have cornered the market on death by homocide.

[bluezulu]

I thought Phylis Hyman has a heart attack?

[jefferson L.O.B. sergeant]

I thought Phylis Hyman has a heart attack?

She commited suicide.

I would have to say Sam Cooke.

People always talked about how great he was but they never mentioned how he died. When I saw the documentary on Rock and Roll and they mentioned how he was killed by a prostitute, I realized why.

To go from being a superstar gospel singer, to superstar soul singer, to ultimately death in a roadside motel is an incredibly tragic arc.

[Reginald Hudlin]

And that he was an innovative businessman who had his own label when few artists did; to have gospel and soul acts and to cross the artists and songs from one to the other; his political involvement, etc.

[bluezulu]

Read the wiki. Even as a young man I understood the sexiness and class of phyliss. Look at the amount of hiphop acts who shout her out. What was her pull on the young brothers? I remember her scene in school daze. Hot. That is the hollywood biopic I would love to see.

[Hypestyle]

i'd like to see well-made biopics about all the artists..

if i had to vote for a "modest budget" film ala "Ray" for someone, I'd pick Sam Cooke.. get Usher to play him..

[stanleyballard]

Phyllis Hyman's story would be epic....the sister with the natural gift to sing who was picked by Clive Davis to be a major superstar and how she clashed with him over business decisions and was ultimately fired when he went on to promote other artists like a then teen aged Whitney Houston, who also auditioned to play Shug Avery (a part which would have allowed her to utilize her natural jazz voice live) in The Color Purple but could not take direction from Steven Speilberg and had a memorable outburst in front of Danny Glover and Whoppi Goldberg amongst others during her audition; and then clashed with James Mtume & Reginald Lucas over her most commercially viable hit album and single "You Know How To Love Me" when she told the media it was "formulaic" and she preferred to do more traditional jazz music especially after Nancy Wilson voiced her support of Hyman.  And then her clash with Bill Cosby who wanted to connect her with business people in Las Vegas - another move which would have solidified her success as a popular live act commanding top dollar.  Her illness, her drug abuse, her ex-husband, her talent all provide material for one of the best biopics.

[jefferson L.O.B. sergeant]

I agree totally that Phyllis Hyman's story must be told.

I saw an interview with her on Youtube, I believe one of her final ones, and she is absolutely captivating.

Incredibly beautiful, stylish, strong willed and sadly troubled for most of her life.

I just hear bits and pieces about this incredible woman but there doesn't seem to be a definitive story of her life.

[moor]

There was a stage play about ten years back done by the Whispers, who were slated to perform with Hyman the night she died that celebrated her life, and gave some insight as to what happenned on the night of her death.  I don't know if it was ever taped to video or if even still available, but it's worth checking out.