A Mile a Minute: The World of Mrs. Saditty

Unsung

One of the most interesting programs that I've seen on the tube lately has to be the TV One series "Unsung". These one hour shows spotlight artists who really didn't get their fair amount of respect in the music world. So far, I've seen The Clark Sisters, DeBarge, Phyllis Hyman, Shalimar, Minnie Riperton, and a few others. All were equally as wonderful and for some reason they are real tearjerkers. This series reminds me of VH1's Behind the Music when good artists were spotlighted.

Well, one of the Unsung episodes featured Donnie Hathaway. Well, I guess I should tell you guys that out of all the shows, I found Phyllis Hyman's and Donnie's the HARDEST to watch. No, its not just the pregnancy hormones. Me and these artists go waaaaay back. I saw Phyllis for the first time at Jazz Fest when I was a little girl. As she stood on the stage, tall and majestic, I realized what music really was for the first time. Ever since that, I was hooked. Yes, I was the weird little girl loving jazz while my classmates rocked out to rap...lol. But seriously, when I heard of her death, I was crush and remained that way for quite some time. It was hard for me to listen to any of her music for quite some time but now? I'm okay with Phyllis and she remains one of my favorites.

Donnie? Well Donnie is another story. Donnie Hathaway reminds me of ...lets see...unrequited love? I know that sounds strange. The man had a voice, could sing. And never really got the stardom that he deserved. I guess I take it so hard because Donnie was mentally ill and simple medication and extensive therapy could've saved his life...ya'll know how I feel about mental illness and the stigma attached to it. It seems like such a waste...a genius. Still, Donnie's voice haunts me. I got into my husband's truck the other night to go to dinner and "A Song for You" was blasting out of the speakers. Ya'll, it just t.o.u.c.h.e.d me deep.

Well, one day I'll be able to listen to Donnie again without the deep emothions but the next best thing? I've always been a fan of his daughter Lalah and recently, I've noticed that his daughter Kenya sings backup on American Idol (which I barely watch). Well, I've been into Lalah's music before I realized who she was. Seriously! As I sat in a coffeehouse listening to her latest CD, I can't help but wonder why she hasn't had more success. Well, for jazz artist or artists with "jazz-like" voices, it is harder to break into the mainstream. But then I think about chicks like Keri Hilson who have decent voices and sing about....well, sing about nothing and of course I get mad. I know for a fact that Lalah is one of those artists who sings because she loves singing. She's never tried to ride on the coattails of her Dad and sings with conviction. It's possible that she'll "make it big" one day but until then, an old girl like me can really appreciate some sanging like hers!

Vicious Cycles and Generational Curses, Part 2

As you may know, I am fairly late jumping on the Facebook wagon and I must say, it's been pretty interesting catching up with people that I've lost touch with. Life has so many unexpected twists and turns...some people who were not expected to succeed are giving the world hell, so to speak. Others that you expected to conquer the world wound up taking a very basic path. Either way, life is good. But I digress...

I received a friend request out of the blue and it was a high school friend who went on to share a suite with me in college. I quickly accepted the request and we wasted no time catching up. She'd recently relocated from Houston to Atlanta and has a fabulous and cushy job at a Fortune 500 Company. Her FB albums are chockfull of pictures from her travels around the world plus, she seems to have criss-crossed the United States twice. I was really impressed with her pictures with celebrities but was quick to notice the lack of pictures of her kids. I finally got around to asking her and she informed me that one daughter was with her grandma (the child's great-grandma) here in Louisiana, the other daughter is with her father in Dallas, and her son is with his Dad somewhere else in Texas. ::::insert crickets and really blank looks here:::::

I guess she could tell that I was taken aback because she quickly advised me that because she travels so much and is so busy, it wouldn't be fair to drag her kids around all over the place.::::::insert more crickets and even uglier blank stares here:::::

What has me confused so much? This girl and I spent many a nights on the phone or sitting cross-legged on eachother's dorm room bed with me listening to how rejected she felt. She had a serious complex because her own mother had dropped her off to her parents at the tender age of 7 so that she could go to Chicago and find a better life. Needless to say, her Mom never sent for her and she reamined with her grandparents until she graduated from high school. Her Mom would breeze into town for the occassional visit but was too busy catching up with people to pay her any real attention. Her grandparents did a good jobof raising her although they lived on a fixed income and were burned out from raising her Mom and hellish aunts and uncles. Several of her aunts and uncles also had the habit of dumping their kids off from time to time.

So imagine the confusion I felt when she told me that her same Grandma (who must be close to 80) is raising one of her kids and the other two are being raised by their fathers. First of all, I would never willingly seperate my kids. Secondly, I too was a busy single Mom and my job wasn't half as great as hers. I can remember humble days when it was just me and Biggest...I would buy him a Happy Meal and then eat whatever portion of the meal that he didn't finish and then convince myself that I was full as I fell asleep with a rumbling tummy. Bottom line? I kept my child with me, paid daycare, kept clothes on his back, and kept the lights on without any help. It wasn't easy at all, but it was my duty as a parent. I know tons of parents who do a fabulous job with their kids without any complaints. And then you have the deadbeats...yep, that's what they are. Those who shirk responsibility and dump their kids off with relatives and sometimes strangers...sickening. And what made me the sickest about her? She knows firsthand how it felt to be dropped off so how could she repeat the cycle??

Needless to say, I really am feeling lukewarm towards my friend now that I know her situation. We hear soooo much about the deadbeat dads but what about the deadbeat moms out there? Disturbing I tell ya....