I’ve spent a lot of time on this site raving about the TVOne docu-series UnSung, a show that has brought forth renewed interest in a bevy of R&B and rap acts from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
One artist who practically defines the term “unsung” (and probably isn’t high-profile enough to be covered by the show’s producers) is Betty Davis. Betty never sold a lot of records, never had a radio hit in any format, and has mostly disappeared from view since her string of albums ended in the late Seventies. However, her fusion of funk and rock was unusual for its time (hell, it’s even more unusual today), and broke ground for female artists. Erykah Badu, Beyonce, Macy Gray, Joi…it’s very likely that none of these artists would be doing what they do today without the influence of Betty Davis.
She was powerful enough to draw the attention of Miles Davis (who she was briefly married to) and talented enough to collaborate with members of Sly & The Family Stone, The Pointer Sisters and Sylvester. Her albums were out of print for many years until Light In The Attic reissued them a decade or so ago. They are raw, sensual, funky and hold up better than most forty year old albums today.
We are in a golden era of music biopics right now. Iconic ladies like Amy Winehouse and Nina Simone have served as the topics for some of 2015’s best films, and a team of filmmakers is looking to give Betty the same treatment…with the artist’s actual assistance (something that sadly couldn’t be afforded Amy or Nina.) An IndieGoGo campaign was launched just a few days ago (with a modest financial goal). Check out the trailer below and contribute if you can!