"Too Black" or "Not Black Enough": W. Kamau Bell on the Politics of Black Identity
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The Untold Stories of the Sylvers, Teddy Pendergrass, the DeBarges, The LeVerts, Soul Train Dancers and Other Legendary Black Music Artist Stories For Black History Month

The Untold Stories of the Sylvers, Teddy Pendergrass, the DeBarges, The LeVerts, Soul Train Dancers and Other Legendary Black Music Artist Stories For Black History Month

Here's a roundup of untold music stories from The Root to celebrate Black History Month.

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Image for article titled The Untold Stories of the Sylvers, Teddy Pendergrass, the DeBarges, The LeVerts, Soul Train Dancers and Other Legendary Black Music Artist Stories For Black History Month
Graphic: Images: Michael Ochs Archives, Michael Ochs Archives, Paul Natkin, Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 10: The R and B group The Sylvers performs on American Bandstand on July 10, 1976 in Los Angeles, California.
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 10: The R and B group The Sylvers performs on American Bandstand on July 10, 1976 in Los Angeles, California.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives (Getty Images)

If you were asked to name some of the most talented musical families in history, the Jacksons, the DeBarges and The Isley Brothers might be the first that come to mind. But don’t sleep on The Sylvers, a group of nine singing siblings from Watts, California, that entertained fans for decades. — Angela Johnson

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Image for article titled The Untold Stories of the Sylvers, Teddy Pendergrass, the DeBarges, The LeVerts, Soul Train Dancers and Other Legendary Black Music Artist Stories For Black History Month
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives (Getty Images)

Teddy Pendergrass dominated R&B music in the 1970s and 80s. He got his start as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and quickly established himself as a sexy solo artist known to drive the ladies crazy with his smooth baritone voice. — Angela Johnson

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Group portrait of the American music group DeBarge as they pose at the Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, Illinois, January 12, 1984.
Group portrait of the American music group DeBarge as they pose at the Arie Crown Theater, Chicago, Illinois, January 12, 1984.
Photo: Paul Natkin (Getty Images)

If you were around in the 1970s and 1980s, you already know that the DeBarge family dominated R&B music along with The Sylvers and The Jacksons. The siblings, who grew up in Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan, found music as a way to cope with the physical abuse they suffered at the hands of their father, a white Army veteran and the bullying they experienced as biracial children in the 1960s and 70s. — Angela Johnson

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK—NOVEMBER 10: R & B group LeVert appear in a portrait taken on November 10, 1990 at Rckerfeller Center in New York City. (l to r: Marc Gordon; Gerald Levert; Sean Levert).
NEW YORK, NEW YORK—NOVEMBER 10: R & B group LeVert appear in a portrait taken on November 10, 1990 at Rckerfeller Center in New York City. (l to r: Marc Gordon; Gerald Levert; Sean Levert).
Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives (Getty Images)

In the 1960s and 70s, Eddie Levert Sr. was known as one-third of the popular R&B group The O’Jays. His sons Gerald and Sean grew up watching their father perform the group’s hit songs in front of large crowds and decided they wanted to follow in his footsteps. With the help of a family friend, Marc Gordon, they started the group LeVert and ushered in a new generation of R&B music that attracted a new generation of fans. But like so many successful music groups, the pressure of fame took hold and led to tragedies that impacted the group and the Levert family. — Angela Johnson

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Soul Train Dancers Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel dance down the Soul Train Line in episode 185, aired 8/21/1976.
Soul Train Dancers Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel dance down the Soul Train Line in episode 185, aired 8/21/1976.
Photo: Soul Train via Getty Images (Getty Images)

Since the Grammys and Black History are bringing in February, we thought we’d do something to complement both. From 1971 to 2006, “Soul Train” was the place to see some of the hottest Black musical artists on television. But viewers didn’t just tune in for the music, they came back week after week to watch a talented and super fly group of young people showing off their style and their best dance moves. If you ever seen a “Soul Train” line, you already know what we’re talking about. — Angela Johnson

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Image for article titled The Untold Stories of the Sylvers, Teddy Pendergrass, the DeBarges, The LeVerts, Soul Train Dancers and Other Legendary Black Music Artist Stories For Black History Month
Image: kpa/United Archives via Getty Images (Getty Images)

Joni, Kim, Debbie and Kathy Sledge were taught how to sing by their grandmother Viola Williams, a former lyric soprano opera singer and protégée of civil rights leader Mary McLeod Bethune, the sisters recounted in various interviews. — Emell Adolphus

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