The Blues (film series)

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

Feel Like Going Home
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Written by	Peter Guralnick
Produced by	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
Edited by	David Tedeschi
Release date	September 28, 2003 (2003-09-28)

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

The Soul of a Man
Directed by	Wim Wenders
Written by	Wim Wenders
Produced by	Alex Gibney
Narrated by	Laurence Fishburne
Cinematography	Lisa Rinzler
Edited by	Mathilde Bonnefoy
Music by	Skip James Blind Willie Johnson J. B. Lenoir
Release date	September 29, 2003 (2003-09-29)

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

The Road to Memphis
Directed by	Richard Pearce
Written by	Robert Gordon
Produced by	Robert Kenner
Starring	B. B. King Bobby Rush Rosco Gordon Ike Turner
Cinematography	Richard Pearce
Edited by	Charlton McMillan
Release date	September 30, 2003 (2003-09-30)

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

Warming by the Devil's Fire
Directed by	Charles Burnett
Written by	Charles Burnett
Produced by	Margaret Bodde Alex Gibney / Daphne McWilliams
Starring	Tommy Hicks Nathaniel Lee Jr.
Cinematography	John N. Demps
Edited by	Edwin Santiago
Music by	Stephen James Taylor
Release date	October 1, 2003 (2003-10-01)

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

• Big Bill Broonzy
• Elizabeth Cotten
• Reverend Gary Davis
• Ida Cox
• Willie Dixon
• Jesse Fuller
• John Lee Hooker
• Lightnin' Hopkins
• Son House
• Mississippi John Hurt
• Vasti Jackson
• Bessie Smith
• Mamie Smith
• Victoria Spivey
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe
• Dinah Washington
• Muddy Waters
• Sonny Boy Williamson

Godfathers and Sons

Main article: The Blues: Godfathers and Sons

Godfathers and Sons
Directed by	Marc Levin
Produced by	Daphne Pinkerson Marc Levin
Starring	Marshall Chess Chuck D
Cinematography	Mark Benjamin
Edited by	Bob Eisenhardt
Release date	October 2, 2003 (2003-10-02)

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

Red, White and Blues
Directed by	Mike Figgis
Produced by	Louise Hammar Shirani Sabratnam
Cinematography	Barry Ackroyd Mike Eley John Lynch Stephen Standen
Edited by	David Martin Nigel Karikari
Release date	October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03)

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

Piano Blues
Directed by	Clint Eastwood
Written by	Peter Guralnick
Produced by	Clint Eastwood Bruce Ricker
Starring	Marcia Ball Dave Brubeck Ray Charles Pinetop Perkins,...
Cinematography	Vic Losick
Edited by	Joel Cox, Gary Roach
Release date	October 4, 2003 (2003-10-04)

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.