( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) The Decades Four-Part Special to Premiere Sunday, February 27 on TV One
On Friday, February 25, TV One announced the premiere date of its four-part documentary special, Unsung Presents: The Decades, an examination of the music and social consciousness of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Following the success of TV One’s Music and the Movement special, these four The Decades episodes put a spotlight on songs that were chart hits and explore how they became signifiers for what was going on in the wider culture of Black America in politics to fashion to business. Unsung Presents: The Decades kicks off a night of back-to-back episodes on Sunday, February 27 starting at 9 p.m. Central, beginning with the 1970s and immediately followed by the 1980s episode at 10 p.m. Central.
The Decades special tells the chronological story of the evolution of music, from Motown and disco in the 1970s and 1980s, to the revolutionary sound and style of Hip Hop in the 1990s and 2000s, showcasing the music and artists that provided the soundtrack of Black America. The Decades provides social commentary on cultural events such as the Vietnam War, the crack cocaine and AIDS epidemic, and police brutality in American society and the role music played in it all.
Unsung, an NAACP Image Award-winning series, is one of the network’s longest-running series, highlighting and exploring the careers and personal lives of some of the most talented, versatile and influential Black musical artists. The Decades spotlights Edwin Starr, The Floaters, Brick, Carl Carlton, Dazz Band, Jermaine Stewart, Rockwell, Teddy Riley, Public Enemy, All 4 One, Az Yet, Lisa Fischer, Jade, Digital Underground, Tweet and Keak Da Sneak.
Airdates of TV One’s upcoming new episodes of Unsung Presents: The Decades are detailed below:
- 1970s and 1980s premieres Sunday, February 27
- 1990s premieres Sunday, April 17
- 2000s premieres Sunday, April 24
A tapestry of history and song from a fresh perspective, The Decades displays both the trials and triumphs of the times and how music influenced the Black experience.
For more information on Unsung, visit TV One’s YouTube Channel and check out exclusive, behind-the-scenes content on http://www.tvone.tv. Viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on TV One’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@tvonetv). Be sure to follow Unsung on Facebook using the hashtag #UNSUNG on Facebook and Instagram.
Unsung Presents: The Decades is narrated by actor Gary Anthony Williams and is executive produced by Arthur Smith and Frank Sinton of A. Smith & Co. Productions. Mark Rowland also serves as Executive Producer along with Co-Executive Producers Kysha Mounia and P. Frank Williams. For TV One, Jason Ryan is Executive Producer in Charge of Production, and Donyell Kennedy-McCullough is Senior Director of Talent & Casting.
ABOUT TV ONE NETWORKS
TV One Networks is the hub of black culture and entertainment with a broad offering of original programming and classic series, serving diverse audiences for both TV One and CLEO TV. Launched in January 2004, TV One currently serves 49 million households and CLEO TV, launched in January 2019, is the sister network available in 44 million households. Each network has a unique audience that serves viewers with fan favorites from TV One such as Life Therapy, Unsung, Uncensored, Fatal Attraction, ATL Homicide, When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, Don’t Waste Your Pretty, and Urban One Honors. Both networks are solely owned by Urban One, Inc., formerly known as Radio One, Inc., the largest African American-owned and operated multi-media company.
ABOUT A. SMITH & CO. PRODUCTIONS
A. Smith & Co. Productions creates some of the most innovative, highly-rated, and high-quality programming for the domestic and international television marketplace. Founded by Chairman Arthur Smith, an unscripted TV pioneer who was inducted into the Realscreen Awards Hall of Fame and named Broadcasting & Cable’s “Producer of the Year,” the company has produced over 5,000 hours of award-winning programming, more than 200 shows, for more than 50 networks and platforms, with formats sold to well over 120 territories. For two decades, A. Smith & Co. has been a global leader in non-fiction television for productions, including Hell’s Kitchen (FOX), American Ninja Warrior (NBC), Profiled: The Black Man (discovery+/OWN), Unsung (TV One), Welcome to Plathville (TLC), American Ninja Warrior Junior (Peacock), the NFL’s Pro Bowl Skills Showdown (ESPN), The Titan Games (NBC), Mental Samurai (FOX), Ellen’s Next Great Designer (HBO Max), Voices of Fire (Netflix), American Gangster: Trap Queens (BET+), season two of Floor is Lava (Netflix), and more. For more information, visit https://www.asmithco.com/.
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