The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues. The series originally aired on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) in the United States.[1]
| Feel Like Going Home | |
| Director: | Martin Scorsese |
| Producer: | Sam Pollard / Daphne McWilliams |
| Starring: | Ali Farka Touré Corey Harris Salif Keita Son House Taj Mahal John Lee Hooker Keb' Mo' Willie King |
| Cinematography: | Arthur Jafa |
| Editing: | David Tedeschi |
Director Martin Scorsese pays tribute to the Delta blues, tracing the roots of the music by traveling through the state of Mississippi with the musician Corey Harris and then traveling to West Africa. Willie King, Taj Mahal, Othar Turner and Ali Farka Touré give performances of early Delta blues songs, along with rare archival film of Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker.
| The Soul of a Man | |
| Director: | Wim Wenders |
| Producer: | Alex Gibney |
| Narrator: | Laurence Fishburne |
| Music: | Skip James Blind Willie Johnson J. B. Lenoir |
| Cinematography: | Lisa Rinzler |
| Editing: | Mathilde Bonnefoy |
See main article: The Soul of a Man. Written and directed by Wim Wenders, the film explores the musical careers of blues musicians Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.
| The Road to Memphis | |
| Director: | Richard Pearce |
| Producer: | Robert Kenner |
| Starring: | B. B. King Bobby Rush Rosco Gordon Ike Turner |
| Cinematography: | Richard Pearce |
| Editing: | Charlton McMillan |
See main article: The Road to Memphis. Directed by Richard Pearce, this episode focuses on the Beale Street music scene, particularly three Memphis blues musicians with different levels of acclaim: B. B. King, Rosco Gordon and Bobby Rush.[2]
| Warming by the Devil's Fire | |
| Director: | Charles Burnett |
| Producer: | Margaret Bodde Alex Gibney / Daphne McWilliams |
| Starring: | Tommy Hicks Nathaniel Lee Jr. |
| Music: | Stephen James Taylor |
| Cinematography: | John N. Demps |
| Editing: | Edwin Santiago |
Written and directed by Charles Burnett, this film presents the tale of a young boy traveling to Mississippi to visit relatives. He is caught between the pressures of his religious mother and gospel music, and the eagerness of his blues-loving uncle. The film includes performance by
See main article: The Blues: Godfathers and Sons.
| Godfathers and Sons | |
| Director: | Marc Levin |
| Producer: | Daphne Pinkerson Marc Levin |
| Starring: | Marshall Chess Chuck D |
| Cinematography: | Mark Benjamin |
| Editing: | Bob Eisenhardt |
Director Marc Levin follows Marshall Chess as he remembers his father's contribution to Chicago blues history as the co-founder of Chess Records and his own production of the controversial album Electric Mud. He organizes a reunion of the musicians that made Electric Mud to record new versions of Muddy Waters's blues standard "Mannish Boy", with contributions by hip hop artists, including Chuck D of Public Enemy, Common & Kyle Jason.
| Red, White and Blues | |
| Director: | Mike Figgis |
| Producer: | Louise Hammar Shirani Sabratnam |
| Cinematography: | Barry Ackroyd Mike Eley John Lynch Stephen Standen |
| Editing: | David Martin Nigel Karikari |
Directed by Mike Figgis, this episode is dedicated to blues culture in Britain and to the effect of the British Invasion on American blues culture. It contains footage from a jam session and interviews with the musicians Jeff Beck, Van Morrison and others.
| Piano Blues | |
| Director: | Clint Eastwood |
| Producer: | Clint Eastwood Bruce Ricker |
| Starring: | Marcia Ball Dave Brubeck Ray Charles Pinetop Perkins,... |
| Cinematography: | Vic Losick |
| Editing: | Joel Cox, Gary Roach |
See main article: Piano Blues (film). Directed by Clint Eastwood, this episode is dedicated to blues music played on the piano. Eastwood, a piano player and accomplished composer, interviews such key figures as Dr. John, Ray Charles, Jay McShann (shown on the DVD cover), and Pinetop Perkins.