Photo: Chris Robison and DAvid Johansen with Andy Warhol, Max’s Kanas City, 1975. Photo by Bob Gruen.
They don’t make episodes of “Unsung” for the unknown, for the artists who were on the verge of success but never broke through. To reach the cusp, and then to fall; it’s a story of failure that goes unspoken, unknown. These histories haven’t been written—until now.
Also: Secret Histories | Anton Perich: Electric Photography
Gloria Jones, Los Angeles, 1973. Photo by Jim Britt.
As Blush explains, “Don’t confuse lost rockers with one-hit wonders, obscurities, or D-list rock stars. They were not fleeting shooting stars; they were hardworking individuals whose considerable talents served as grist for the mill, and they received little appreciation or compensation. They willingly partook of the industry ‘machine’ but they never profited from it. They harbor deep emotional scars, and little to show for their efforts.”
That said, the little Blush gives goes a long way. Consider Betty Davis, whose modeling career kicked into high gear when she appeared on the cover of Miles Davis’ 1968 album Filles de Kilimanjaro, which included a song he dedicated to her. That was the beginning of a love affair that resulted in a marriage that lasted a year. At 23, Betty was half Miles’ age, and she was hip as all get out, introducing her husband to Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Betty developed a steamy funk style in the early 1970s that was so far ahead of the times, folks are finally catching up—in 2016.
Betty Davis, They Say I”m Different photo shoot, Just Sunshine Records, 1974. Photo by Mel Dixon. Courtesy of Light in the Attic Records.
On the verge of worldwide stardom, Betty Davis vanished from the public eye. No reason was ever publicly given as to why. Blush drops a dime, letting it be known that her early retirement was, “…due to revenge by a cuckolded ex-husband. Moles was a powerful and notoriously vengeful character, and she allegedly hurt him bad.” Blush also reveals that the NAACP blacklisted Betty, finding her style unbefitting to the cause. Betty didn’t mince words: “Bourgeois blacks find me very offensive. They’ve been programmed to think that black women who shake their asses are whore-y. The NAACP called up the record company. They’re trying to stop me from making a living. They stopped all my airplay in Detroit.”
This is just one of the many ways careers have been crushed. Lost Rockers is vindication and justice for the artists who didn’t get their due the first time around.
Steven Blush will host a book launch party (TONIGHT, May 6th) for Lost Rockers at Exile Above 2A (New York) from 8-10pm with performances by Gass Wild, Chris Robison, and Marge Raymond.
All photos: From Lost Rockers: Broken Dreams and Crashed Careers by Steven Blush, published by powerHouse Books.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
