Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads

Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads is a British documentary film, released in 1991, and made by music critic and author Robert Palmer and documentary film maker Robert Mugge, in collaboration with David A. Stewart and his brother John J. Stewart. The film provided insight into the location, cast and characteristics of Delta blues and North Mississippi hill country blues. Filming took place in 1990 in Memphis, Tennessee, and various North Mississippi counties.[1] Theatrical release was in 1991 and home video release in the United Kingdom, the next year, as was a soundtrack album. A United States consumer edition came in 2000.[2]

Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads
Directed byRobert Mugge
Written byRobert Palmer
Starring
CinematographyErich Roland
Edited byRobert Mugge
Distributed byTara Releasing
Release date
  • 1 April 1992 (1992-04-01)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Stewart initiated and financed the project, inspired by Palmer's 1981 book of the same name. Palmer provided many of the insights into the background and history of the blues, as a guide to Stewart and the film narrator.[1][3]

Musicians

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Musicians appearing in the film are:[1] Roosevelt Barnes, R. L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill (with Napoleon Strickland and Abe Young), Big Jack Johnson, Junior Kimbrough (with Little Joe Ayers and Calvin Jackson), Booker T. Laury, Jack Owens, Lonnie Pitchford, Bud Spires and Wade Walton,[1][4][5] The film revitalized the recording career of some of the musicians.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Halverson, Mark (2000). "Deep Blues review - the movie (DVD)". Blues on Stage.
  2. ^ a b Bradley Bambarger (2000-01-08). "WinStar brings back 'Deep Blues'". Billboard – via Google Books.
  3. ^ John Sinclair (1993). "Robert Palmer: Site-Specific Music". Johnsinclair.us. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ^ Steve Cheseborough (2008). Blues Traveling: The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 92. ISBN 978-1-60473-328-0.
  5. ^ Deep Blues at IMDb
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