Not “what,” but “who’s” on your chronically underappreciated list?

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

As the year draws to a close, I’m thinking about people who gave us so much, and haven’t been recognized enough for the gifts they gave.

Laura Nyro, born in the Bronx, NY, self-taught in piano, composed her first songs at age eight.

She wrote monster hits in the 1960’s and sang her own songs, but had greater commercial success with the following artists:

“Wedding Bell Blues,” “Stone Soul Picnic,” “Sweet Blindness,” and the potent anti-war song, “Save The Country,” which was inspired by the death of Bobby Kennedy.

She wrote, “Stoney End” for Barbara Streisand, which reached number two on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.

“And When I Die” was a smash with Blood, Sweat, & Tears in 1967, which was number one in Canada and New Zealand, and number two in the US.

Then there was Three Dog Night’s, “Eli’s Coming,” which went to number four in Canada, and was a top-ten hit in the States.

Sadly, Laura left us too soon and died at the age of 49 from ovarian cancer.

In a world riddled with conflict and division, we could use a little more Laura in our lives right now. From “Save The Country” :

Come on, people! Come on, children!
Come on down to the glory river
Gonna wash you up, and wash you down
Gonna lay the devil down, gonna lay that devil down
Come on, people! Come on, children!
There's a king at the glory river
And the precious king, he loved the people to sing,
Babes in the blinkin' sun, sang "We shall overcome"
And I got fury in my soul
Fury's gonna take me to the glory goal
In my mind, I can't study war, no more
Save the people! Save the children! Save the country, save the country now!

Thank you, Laura, wherever you are…

Who’s on your list?

Duracuir1 · Dec 31, 2022

@Alpha

lillatroll · Dec 31, 2022

Doctors, Teachers, Police officers, Military Personnel, Refuse collectors, Social Workers....the millions of people who go about their business every day and help their communities. These are the people who deserve all the plaudits but more often than not, get none.

But if we are talking about artists or sports people then Les Darcy, an Australian boxer and Albert Shrubb a British runner who ended up living in Canada are definitely worthy candidates considering the hurdles they jumped through to pursue their dreams for the sports they loved.

Tony C. · Dec 31, 2022

Along the lines of the above post, I would like to highlight hospice workers. They are typically outstanding, and anyone who has watched them interact with a dying friend or relative knows that their value is immense.

X350 XJR · Dec 31, 2022

lillatroll
Doctors, Teachers, Police officers, Military Personnel, Refuse collectors, Social Workers....the millions of people who go about their business every day and help their communities. These are the people who deserve all the plaudits but more often than not, get none.

This.

X350 XJR · Dec 31, 2022

Tony C.
Along the lines of the above post, I would like to highlight hospice workers. They are typically outstanding, and anyone who has watched them interact with a dying friend or relative knows that their value is immense.

May I add to that along similar lines, grief counselors and therapists.

janice&fred · Dec 31, 2022

The average "Joe" and "Jane" who go to work every day, pay their taxes, provide for their family and don't expect/feel entitled to get anything handed to them for nothing. They are the everyday unsung heroes-the salt of the earth that keep the world turning.

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

janice&fred
The average "Joe" and "Jane" who go to work every day, pay their taxes, provide for their family and don't expect/feel entitled to get anything handed to them for nothing. They are the everyday unsung heroes-the salt of the earth that keep the world turning.

Yes, for sure, including all the workers mentioned above.

I should have done a better job of narrowing the field to people in the public eye (politics, sports, the arts, literature, entertainment, etc.) who you feel have either had a positive influence on you, or given you a lot of pleasure or enjoyment, that maybe not everyone is aware of, or adequately appreciates.

SC1 · Dec 31, 2022

lillatroll
Doctors...

As the husband to one, you forgot a big one - a huge one - a monumental one...

Registered Nurses.

Hospitals ~ worthless without them, Doctors and Surgeons ~ nothing without them, Patients ~ dead without them.

janice&fred · Dec 31, 2022

M'Bob
Yes, for sure, including all the workers mentioned above.

I should have done a better job of narrowing the field to people in the public eye (politics, sports, the arts, literature, entertainment, etc.) who you feel have either had a positive influence on you, or given you a lot of pleasure or enjoyment, that maybe not everyone is aware of, or adequately appreciates.

People in the public eye would be a good narrowing of the field 👍

Your Laura Nyro is an excellent example of both underrated/appreciated talent and what one can do to themselves to ruin their career. She was a massive talent but stuck it to David Geffen and essentially brought about her own marginalization in the music industry, despite her claims of wanting to get out of the limelight. She tried to get back numerous times but it wasn't going to happen.

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

janice&fred
People in the public eye would be a good narrowing of the field 👍

Your Laura Nyro is an excellent example of both underrated/appreciated talent and what one can do to themselves to ruin their career. She was a massive talent but stuck it to David Geffen and essentially brought about her own marginalization in the music industry, despite her claims of wanting to get out of the limelight. She tried to get back numerous times but it wasn't going to happen.

Her betrayal of Geffen was not her finest moment, for sure. And an important reminder that the people we admire are often very flawed, like all the rest of us.

But, despite that: her shining moments were very, very bright…

Larry S · Dec 31, 2022

Last night, drilled deep into the Album ( I’ve had it since HS ) . My buddy agreed, under appreciated band. Yes, there was whiskey and herbal filtering but WOW. Here’s to all the under appreciated bands from flyover country that filled stadiums, made money but were dissed by coastal critics.

janice&fred · Dec 31, 2022

An example along the lines of M'Bob's Laura Nyro is David Allen Coe. The original Rhinestone Cowboy and the first "Outlaw Country" artist, the one who brought about the genre.

He is now based here in Florida and still performing. Back in his heyday he was THE go-to guy for country performers looking for a hit song. He wrote too many to list. His original following were bikers, and of those it's the outlaw bikers and that whole subculture that brought him into the limelight and eventually the mainstream country/rock scene.

My uncle who has been working in the music industry for many decades (and gave me his views on Laura Nyro and others) said he seemed almost determined to ruin his own career. In his down time, he cut some very off-beat albums consisting of blatantly racist songs, along with some XXX rated porn songs that might have been the delight of the biker bar crowd but alienated many in the music industry.

However, his biggest mistake was joining the "Outlaws", an outlaw motorcycle club who were/are the arch enemy of the "Red and White"-the Hells Angels.

Coe wearing his colors

This pretty much sealed his fate in the country music industry. To keep working, he had to hand over many of his songs to Hells Angels affiliated artists. The biggest hit of Coe's was the song "Take This Job and Shove It", which went to Johhny Paycheck, a Hells Angels promoted artist. Coe was also shunned from his original and now popular outlaw country scene that included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash.

Here is a real cool documentary on David Allen Coe made back in the mid 70's. It's worth watching as he is in his prime with his backup band "The Tennessee Hat Band", whose members are still performing. "Diamond Jim" Richmond on pedal steel guitar and mandolin still is a huge talent.

BlackTalon · Dec 31, 2022

Trey Parker and Matt Stone -- the creators of South Park.

That show has a pile of episodes dealing with politicians, celebrities, social issues, etc. NOTHING is taboo to them. And the show largely gets ignored/ pooh-poohed by anyone over 25 because it's a cartoon full of little kids that cuss. Their episode on bin Laden just a few days after 9/11 was a great piece of work, written and produced in almost no time.

I'd let me son watch a lot more of it, but he doesn't understand a lot of the grown-up issues they discuss and just walks around saying the cuss words. So mom says 'no!' 😁

josiahg52 · Dec 31, 2022

I can only think of some of few YouTube channels I subscribe to and watch regularly. Not sure if they meet the requirements here. Be glad to share them here if people want to know about them.

Foo2rama · Dec 31, 2022

Janel Monae

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

Foo2rama
Janel Monae

Tell us more…

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

janice&fred
An example along the lines of M'Bob's Laura Nyro is David Allen Coe. The original Rhinestone Cowboy and the first "Outlaw Country" artist, the one who brought about the genre.

He is now based here in Florida and still performing. Back in his heyday he was THE go-to guy for country performers looking for a hit song. He wrote too many to list. His original following were bikers, and of those it's the outlaw bikers and that whole subculture that brought him into the limelight and eventually the mainstream country/rock scene.

My uncle who has been working in the music industry for many decades (and gave me his views on Laura Nyro and others) said he seemed almost determined to ruin his own career. In his down time, he cut some very off-beat albums consisting of blatantly racist songs, along with some XXX rated porn songs that might have been the delight of the biker bar crowd but alienated many in the music industry.

However, his biggest mistake was joining the "Outlaws", an outlaw motorcycle club who were/are the arch enemy of the "Red and White"-the Hells Angels.

Coe wearing his colors

This pretty much sealed his fate in the country music industry. To keep working, he had to hand over many of his songs to Hells Angels affiliated artists. The biggest hit of Coe's was the song "Take This Job and Shove It", which went to Johhny Paycheck, a Hells Angels promoted artist. Coe was also shunned from his original and now popular outlaw country scene that included Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash.

Here is a real cool documentary on David Allen Coe made back in the mid 70's. It's worth watching as he is in his prime with his backup band "The Tennessee Hat Band", whose members are still performing. "Diamond Jim" Richmond on pedal steel guitar and mandolin still is a huge talent.

Very interesting, never knew about him.

M'Bob · Dec 31, 2022

More Laura: lyrics written at age 17:

I'm not scared of dying
And I don't really care
If it's peace you find in dying
Well, then let the time be near
If it's peace you find in dying
And if dying time is near
Just bundle up my coffin cause
It's cold way down there
I hear that's it's cold way down there
Yeah, crazy cold way down there
And when I die and when I'm gone
There'll be one child born
In this world, carry on, to carry on

Foo2rama · Dec 31, 2022

M'Bob
Tell us more…

Well, you may know her from the movies Glass Onion, or Hidden Figures.

I knew her from her music, which I admit is not a genre I am even a fan of.

Also a Futurist, and a damn good writer.

Not “what,” but “who’s” on your chronically underappreciated list?

M'Bob

Duracuir1

lillatroll

Tony C.

X350 XJR

X350 XJR

janice&fred

M'Bob

SC1

janice&fred

M'Bob

Larry S

janice&fred

BlackTalon

josiahg52

Foo2rama

M'Bob

M'Bob

M'Bob

Foo2rama

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