1. Toot Blues
In the late 1980s, Tim Duffy, a penniless North Carolina musicology student, became deeply involved in Winston-Salem's drinkhouse music scene, an off-the-grid hotbed of gritty traditional blues. He began the foundation after observing and living with the deep poverty of the Southern blues artists he befriended and championed.The foundation now helps hundreds of older Southern musicians with everything from financial assistance to tour support. The film travels back to the early artists that were the inspiration for Music Maker, and forward to the current artists carrying on the Southern roots tradition. The film features performances, archival and contemporary, of Music Maker artists on tour and in the studio, as well as interviews with the artists and Duffy on the foundation, music and the blues.
2. Two Trains Runnin'
The search of several young, white men for blues singers who have been missing for decades coincides with the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi in the 1960s.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
3. America's Blues
America's Blues takes a new angle on the Blues, focusing on, not only the musical impact it has had on all forms of Popular American Music, but also the influence it has had on art, fashion, language, film and racial equality.
It has an average vote of 8.3 on TMDB.
4. Blues Road Movie
This film traces the road of the Blues and takes us on a journey to mythical places: From the banks of the Niger to New Orleans, going up the Mississippi through Memphis to the skyscrapers of Chicago. It tells the story of this culture which faced the worst barriers and shows that Humanity can overcome barbarity.
5. Blues Story
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 with 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.
It has an average vote of 4 on TMDB.
6. Me & Stella
Geri Ashur’s Me & Stella traces the life of blues musician, folk singer, and composer Elizabeth Cotten—and her guitar, Stella—who is best known for writing the folk standard “Freight Train.” After spending her early teenage years writing songs and playing the guitar, Cotten put her musical career on hold for three decades. Encouraged by the very musical Seeger family, for whom she worked as a maid, Cotten started recording and became a star in the 1960s burgeoning folk revival at an age when most people are contemplating retirement.
7. All Day and All Night: Memories from Beale Street Musicians
Blues legends B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, plus Evelyn Young, Gatemouth Moore, Fred Ford, Honeymoon Garner, Booker T. Laury, and others play jam sessions & tell stories about Memphis' Beale Street. Filmed in Memphis in the late 80's, the award-winning documentary has been lovingly remastered and restored from the original 16mm film and audio tape. A personal look at a neighborhood where the music lasted "all day and all night". It's a must-see for any music fan.
8. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars
An unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life and work of guitarist Eric Clapton told through his own words and songs.
It has an average vote of 7.4 on TMDB.
9. See You in Hell, Blind Boy
A travelogue through the Mississippi delta searching for the heart and the spirit of the blues.
10. Shake 'Em On Down
Shake ‘Em On Down is a one-hour documentary film which aims to tell the story of Fred McDowell, who was first recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959, traveled to Europe with the Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s, mentored Bonnie Raitt, and served as the cornerstone of the unique and enduring North Mississippi- style of blues music.
11. Danny Adler: Trespassin' at King Records - The Last Session on Brewster
Danny fulfilled his great ambition to play and record in his native Cincinnati's King Records studio. On this unique video, he illegally enters the derelict King building in order to commune with the spirits of the great King Records artists from the past -- and, in so doing, becomes the last musician to ever record at the original studio on Brewster Avenue in Cincinnati's Evanston neighborhood. Video ncludes tracks written by Danny and others that were inspired by his King heroes such as "Cincinnati' Fatback"
12. Eric Clapton: Sessions for Robert J
Live, intimate, and raw, Sessions For Robert J is the essential audio/video companion to Eric Clapton's 2004 gold, Top 10 Me And Mr. Johnson, tribute to blues legend Robert Johnson. Filmed during tour rehearsals in London and Dallas plus a Los Angeles hotel room and the Dallas warehouse where Johnson made some of his final recordings, Sessions for Robert J finds Clapton performing all Robert Johnson songs with his touring band, acoustically with Doyle Bramhall II and solo-as well as discussing Johnson and his influence. A performance/documentary DVD with 14 tracks , Sessions for Robert J is blues heaven.
It has an average vote of 7.4 on TMDB.
13. Rhythm 'n' Bayous: A Road Map to Louisiana Music
Documentary which celebrates the music of Louisiana.
14. What Happened, Miss Simone?
The film chronicles Nina Simone's journey from child piano prodigy to iconic musician and passionate activist, told in her own words.
It has an average vote of 7.425 on TMDB.
15. John Mayer: Someday I'll Fly
John Mayer: Someday I'll Fly chronicles the musical evolution of one of the most influential solo artists of his generation. Featuring rare demos, interviews and live performances; it is told in it's entirety from Mayer's perspective. Centered mostly on his career and professional accomplishments, Someday I'll Fly strips away the typical gossip surrounding Mayer to provide an intimate look at the life and career of a lauded musician.
It has an average vote of 9.5 on TMDB.
16. My Name is Ottilie
Soul singer Dana Masters traces the story of Ottilie Patterson, who for a dazzling few years in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a pioneer of British jazz and blues music and inspiration to later groups such as The Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things.
17. Albert Collins and the Icebreakers - Live Montreal 1983
Albert Collins was a blues guitarist, singer and African-American musician. He had many nicknames, such as "The Ice Man", "The Master of the Telecaster" and "The Razor Blade". The film features Albert Collins on a Quebec Radio production for Canadian TV in 1983.
18. Further on Down the Road - Live Concert
The music of legendary blues-based guitarists Albert Collins, Lonnie Mack and Roy Buchanan are featured in this film highlighting their historic December 6, 1985 concert at Carnegie Hall. Included are personality profiles on each musician and the story of what brought these three innovative bluesmen together in one live performance. Released by Barznton Productions in 1986, the video has a running time of 90 minutes.
19. The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969, Vol. 3
Taken from the European tours organised for American blues musicians between 1962 and 1969, this release features performances by several popular blues artists, including: Big Mama Thornton, Roosevelt Sykes, Buddy Guy, Dr. Isaiah Ross, Big Joe Turner, Skip James, Bukka White, Son House, Hound Dog Taylor and Little Walter, Koko Taylor and Little Walter, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Helen Humes, Earl Hooker, and Muddy Waters.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
20. The Land Where the Blues Began
An exploration of the musical and social origins of the blues, shot on location in Mississippi in 1978 by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long in association with the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television and broadcast on PBS in 1980. This re-release in 2009 includes two hours of additional music.
