SOUL, BLUES AND MORE FROM THE FILMS OF ROBERT MUGGE
May 15, 2005
GIW has exclusive rights to license footage from acclaimed
documentary filmmaker Robert Mugge, who has produced and
directed some of the most outstanding documentaries on
American music. This material includes the only recorded
footage of Al Green in his church, as well as performance
footage by Ruben Blades and Sun Ra and many other performers across
a number of genres such as Bluegrass, Cajun, and Zydeco. The footage includes
performances, exclusive interviews and lifestyles from
the many places visited in the films. A brief list of the films follows.
GOSPEL ACCORDING TO AL GREEN (1984) - a 94-minute portrait of soul singer and gospel preacher Al Green filmed at a concert in Washington, D.C. and a church service in Memphis, TN.
RHYTHM 'N' BAYOUS: A Road Map to Louisiana Music (2000) - a 2-hour film exploring the music of north and south Louisiana with performances by Kermit Ruffins, Hackberry Ramblers, Rosie Ledet, Dale Hawkins, Henry Butler, Claude King, Nathan Williams, Sister Pearlee Tolliver, Jambalaya Cajun Band, Henry Gray, Rod Bernard, Lil' Brian, Dale & Grace, Po' Henry & Tookie, La Famille Viator, Rev. Gerald Lewis, Ever Ready Gospel Singers, Easter Rock Church, Lil' Alfred, Warren Storm, Buddy Flett and Kenny Bill Stinson.
IGUANAS IN THE HOUSE (1996) - a 27-minute film about New Orleans band the Iguanas as they record one of their Tex-Mex/R&B/roots rock albums in a New Orleans recording studio.
TRUE BELIEVERS: The Musical Family of Rounder Records (1994) - an 86-minute portrait of music label Rounder Records featuring performances by Alison Krauss, Bill Morrissey, Steve Riley, Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Beau Jocque, Tish Hinojosa, Jimmy King, Bruce Daigrepont & the Johnson Mountain Boys filmed in Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
THE KINGDOM OF ZYDECO (1994) - a 71-minute film on the Southwest Louisiana zydeco scene featuring Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque, John Delafose and Nathan Williams.
GATHER AT THE RIVER: A Bluegrass Celebration (1994) - a 101-minute film shot at the 1993 World of Bluegrass events in Owensboro, Kentucky and featuring performances by Del McCoury, Peter Rowan, Doc Watson, Ralph Stanley, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Johnson Mountain Boys, Tim O'Brien, Hazel Dickens, California, Mac Wiseman, Nakashima Family, Kukuruza, Pete Wernick, Jerry Douglas and Michael Cleveland.
PRIDE AND JOY: The Story of Alligator Records (1992) - an 87-minute portrait of Chicago blues label Alligator Records featuring performances by Koko Taylor, Elvin Bishop, Lonnie Brooks, Katie Webster, and Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials filmed during the label's 20th anniversary tour.
KUMU HULA: Keepers of a Culture (1989) - an 85-minute film examining Hawaiian dance traditions since 500AD and including colorful performances by numerous hula halau as filmed on all six major Hawaiian islands.
ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS (1988) - a 90-minute video documentary about entertainers who supported Allied war efforts during World War II featuring rare 1940s performance footage, a reunion of Bob Hope with members of his WWII troupe, and interviews with Dorothy Lamour, Frances Langford, Mel Blanc, and Maxine Andrews of the Andrews Sisters.
HAWAIIAN RAINBOW (1987) - an 85-minute film on Hawaiian music featuring Auntie Genoa Keawe, Raymond & Elodia Kane, Sam Bernard Trio, Vicky Holt Takamine & Pua Ali'i 'Ilima, Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau, Andy Cummings, Ho'opi'i Brothers, Jerry Santos & Haunani Apoliona, Violet Pahu Liliko'i, Billy Hew Lin, Michael Kahikina, and Puanani Burgess.
SAXOPHONE COLOSSUS (1986) - a 101-minute portrait of jazz great Sonny Rollins featuring an ensemble performance in upstate New York and an orchestral world premiere in Tokyo, Japan.
THE RETURN OF RUBEN BLADES (1985) - an 82-minute portrait of actor, lawyer and salsa artist Rubén Blades filmed in his native Panama, at his Harvard Law School graduation, at a club in New York City, and with Linda Ronstadt in a Los Angeles recording studio.
BLACK WAX (1982) - a 79-minute portrait of poet-singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron filmed at the Wax Museum Nightclub, at national monuments, and in local neighborhoods of Washington, D.C.
SUN RA: A Joyful Noise (1980) - a 60-minute portrait of visionary artist Sun Ra and his avant- garde jazz Arkestra filmed in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. in 1978 and 1980.
LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES (2003) - a documentary about blues and juke joints featuring music by Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bobby Rush, and Chris Thomas King, including interviews and on-location footage telling the journey of the last few blues bars throughout the state of Mississippi. In Clarksdale, actor Morgan Freeman has established the Ground Zero Blues Club in the style of a traditional juke joint. In Jackson, the Subway Lounge struggles to survive in the Summers Hotel, which is scheduled for demolition.
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