Documentaries About The Blues

Here are some of the documentaries about the blues which we recommend to our readers.

Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey

Blues Britannia – Can Blues Men Sing The Whites

Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgimage To The Crossroads (1991)

also see Deep Blues by Robert Palmer in our Recommended Books

Blues America, Part 1 of 2, Woke Up This Morning

Blues America, Part 2 of 2, Bright Lights Big City

Sweet Home Chicago

Alan Lomax – The Land Where The Blues Began

Fresh Live Cream (1993)

Roll Over Beethoven – Chess Records Story (2010)

Led Zeppelin Story, which emphasizes the influence of the blues on British music

Here’s a 1993 BBC video about Big Bill Broonzy visiting Britain in the 1950’s.

Here’s a very good video of major blues artists performing in Britain between 1963 and 1966. Performers include Sonny Boy Williamson (4:49), Muddy Waters (5:00-8:35), Lonnie Johnson (8:35-13:40), Big Joe Williams (13:52-16:48), Sonny Boy Williamson (16:55-25:24) Lightnin’ Hopkins (25:41-33:44), Howlin’ Wolf (40:00-49:30), Big Joe Turner (49:34-53:20), Junior Wells (53:42-58:00)

This is another video of some major blues musicians performing in the U.K., 1962-1966. Much of this video appears in the video above.

Here’s a video about Blind Willie McTell

Rhythm Club Fire in Natchez, Mississippi in April 1940. The Mississippi Department of Archives & History has placed a marker at the Rhythm Club Fire site. This documentary was made in 2013.

Here’s a three part documentary series called A History of the Blues, made in 1999:

Part 2 of A History of the Blues, made in 1999:

Part 3 of A History of the Blues, made in 1999:

You See Me Laughin’: the Last of the Hill Country Bluesmen – (2002)

Here is a documentary about Eric Burdon & The Animals, who introduced several blues songs to a wider audience in the 1960’s:

Fender vs. Gibson

We came across a documentary post on YouTube called How Britain Got The Blues, which examines how the blues became popular in Britain in the 1950s and through the 1960s.

Here are the YouTube posts:

Part 1