Blues Story
by Jay Levey
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DVD Cover Information
Director: Jay LeveyBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-09-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Shout Factory
Movie Reviews of Blues Story
Movie Review: When The Blues Was Dues, And Then Some
Summary: 5 Stars
I have written by now seemingly countless reviews of old time acoustic and electric blues artists, male and female alike. I have "toured" the Delta, the Texas Panhandle, the streets of small town Southern cities, Memphis and the "Mecca", Chicago, to give my take on the blues story. I have "been" on the plantation Saturday night, the "juke joints", the blues clubs, Chicago's Maxwell Street and on any street corner where a blues artist could set up shop. My thumbs are sore from giving thumbs up and down to the various blue artists that I have known about since my teenage years a long time ago. All of the above is by way of saying if you want to do some one- stop shopping for what the blues was, is and will be this is your destination. A better primer, especially for the novice complete with some great blues riffs, done in a couple of hours would be hard to find.
All the traditional blues "hot spots" like Memphis and Chicago are given due time. All the blues greats get at least a passing nod from Charley Patton and Robert Johnson in the old days to Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and B.B. King in the modern age. In fact that is what is most impressive about this production. The producers have seemingly gathered, at the time of production, every still living blues artist who could still hold an instrument and speak a few words to talk about their work and those that they knew who "taught" them the blues. Why is this important? The likes of Ruth Brown, Honeyboy Williams, Gatesmouth Moore, Gatesmouth Brown, Buddy Guy and a host of others showcased here are the transmission belt from the older tradition of Charley Patton, Son House, Blind Blake, Ma Rainey and the others who created the sounds of the blues. Ruth Brown said it best- the young (and here I think she was including me-thanks Ms. Brown) don't need to learn the blues; they need to learn about the blues. Yes, ma'am. So to answer one of the questions posed in and by the documentary; will the blues ever die? Never.
Summary of Blues Story
A little over a hundred years ago in the Mississippi Delta, America gave birth to the music which would become the cornerstone of all popular American music: the Blues.Blues Story presents an impressionistic history of one of the most lasting art forms America has ever produced, as told for the first time through the eyes of the artists who lived it. Combining exclusive interview and performance footage from vintage clips and the music of many Blues legends long gone, the history of this richly felt music is illuminated—from its African roots to its American urban expression—along with its profound place in our cultural heritage. The result is a rare first-hand glimpse into the lives of these vanishing artists, and a moving, insightful and informative look into a music that continues to be loved by millions throughout the world.
? Features Bobby "Blue" Bland, Charles Brown, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Ruth Brown, R.L. Burnside, Honeyboy Edwards, Willie Foster, Lowell Fulson, Buddy Guy, John Jackson, B.B. King, Willie King and the Liberators, Robert Lockwood, Magic Slim and the Teardrops, Little Milton, Pinetop Perkins, Snooky Pryor, Philadelphia Jerry Ricks, Hubert Sumlin, Koko Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Henry Townend, and Othar Turner and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band. ? Brings together for the first time the living legends of the Blues, featuring remarkable and exclusive interviews and performances. ? Includes the entire PBS program, plus an additional hour of footage and performances. ? Over 30 minutes of musical performances by Blues Story artists as DVD extras.
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