BBC4 Soul Night inc. Betty Davis 4th October

[Seano]

Just seen that BBC4 have a programme devoted to 'Betty Davis, Godmother of Funk' tonight at 10.30. It is preceded by 'Stevie Wonder, A Musical History' at 9.30 and followed by 'The Story of Funk, One Nation Under a Groove' at 11.25. Those 2 have been screened on BBC4 before but the Betty Davis one looks to be new, from 2017 apparently.

[Mike]

nice pass on
looks like has had a name change (again) but seems to be this one..

 

[Winsford Soul]

Watched the documentary last night. More questions than answers.  What a enigma Betty  Davis is. Did she have a breakdown ? Did she just have enough and walk away? She was certainly a beautiful if somewhat  troubled talented lady. There seemed to be some contact with her in the later parts of the film suggesting there's more to come ? 

[Mike]

if you missed it bbc iplayer has it for 28 days

Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She 'was the first', as former husband Miles Davis said. 'Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince'. 

An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the 70s scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles – startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named 'Bitches Brew'. She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself. 

Betty was a feminist pioneer, inspiring and intimidating in a manner like no woman before. Then suddenly - she just vanished. Betty Mabry Davis is a global icon whose mysterious life story has until now, never been told. Creatively blending documentary and animation, this movie traces the path of Betty’s life, how she grew from humble upbringings to become a fully self-realized black female pioneer the world failed to understand or appreciate, revealing the mystery of her 35-year disappearance and her battle with mental illness and poverty. After years of trying, the elusive Betty finally allowed the film-makers to creatively tell her story based on their conversations. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0008zbz/betty-davis-godmother-of-funk