I’ve always been fascinated by words and I can recall that, as a youngster, I even made up words that did not exist.
The word “unsung” was used back in the day, but it was used as in the term “unsung heroes.”
The Tuskegee Airmen were unsung African-American heroes because they fought for America but came home to a segregated existence.
It was as if someone had put the word “unsung” to rest until a few years ago. TV One produced a series on Sunday evenings called — what else? — “UnSung.”
All of us know someone who was on their way to greatness or rising to the top to become number one. But what makes them unsung is that something cuts them down, short-circuits and ends their dream before they get to the top.
A few of TV One’s unsung were:
Florence Ballard (the missing Supreme) who sang with Diana Ross but was kicked out of the group by Berry Gordy. Health problems ensued and Florence died in her early 30s.
R&B singer Minnie Riperton was on the verge of becoming the first Mariah Carey but cancer ended her life.
Donny Hathaway was unsung and hailed as a genius — on a level with Stevie Wonder. Hathaway's "The Ghetto, Part 1" and his "This Christmas" song are classics. Mental health issues claimed his life.
Roger Troutman was also one of the unsung featured by TV One. Roger was a genius musician — vocals and instrumentals — from Hamilton. I bought his first album from out of the trunk of his car at Douglass Park. Roger pioneered the voice box, not rapper T-Pain. Roger's music continues to be sampled and his legacy lives on — after he was cut down way too soon.
Perhaps, as youngsters, we did have the unsung heroes among us, but didn’t know it. I’ll never forget my junior year in high school. My friend Michael S. — number one in our class — did something we had not heard of before. Based upon his academic excellence and off-the-chart test scores, Michael was allowed to skip the 11th grade and was given a full academic scholarship to attend Morehouse College. We sat there in class, grumbling and mumbling, but Michael was gone to Atlanta.
Graduation time came for us in 1963. Now we had our turn to attend college. Then we received word that Michael S. — at the end of his sophomore college year — was dead from unknown causes. Unsung.
Incredibly, the number two guy in my senior class, Rob S., went to college with me at Wilberforce University. We were roommates, known as the “Miami boys.” Rob was one smart young man. I thought I was pretty good with the books but I couldn’t touch Rob. He was a math/science major.
I liked a little partying, but not Rob. When Rob studied comparative anatomy, he stayed up all night, memorizing the names and functions of each bone in a cat. Rob was on his way to becoming a doctor and transferred at the end of our sophomore year.
As we went our separate ways, I became an educator while my former roommate became a neurosurgeon. Rob opened up a neurosurgery clinic in Miami, Fla., and one in the Bahamas to reach out to people in his hometown and in the Caribbean. In later years, we lost Dr. Rob. He died of a heart problem at age 38.
Amazingly, many of these persons, whom we call “unsung,” have done more in life to make the world a better place than some blessed with a semblance of longevity. Unsung they may be as people, but they are not unappreciated.
Elmon W. Prier is a veteran educator and minister. His e-mail address is eprier@cinci.rr.com.