Topic: Son House Definitive Documentary

[StoogeKebab]

Thank you all for your replies, your information has been taken into consideration and as many people recommended as possible have been contacted, with a few more writing to me requesting to be in the film. The business plan and budget have been prepared and sent to Mr. Waterman for review and I am currently awaiting his response, and, as they say, we'll go from there.

[wreid75]

If you need any volunteers give a shout!  I work very cheaply............................oh wait I'm free.

[StoogeKebab]

Woody Mann has finally received communication and has returned a positive response 

[StoogeKebab]

Okay, now organised a rather long list of people to interview, missing a few common suggestions, wondering if anyone could help me out in terms of putting me in contact with a relevant party on behalf of those listed below:

Buddy Guy
Bonnie Raitt
B. B. King
Ron Mix
Anna Lomax Wood

Any information regarding managers, related people by place of business or the individuals would be greatly appreciated. Right now just awaiting Mr. Waterman's final go ahead and some photos for the website, more information to be released shortly following that.

[wreid75]

BB King uses William Morris Booking Agency and management is B.B. KING ROAD SHOWS, LLC Management Agency

Buddy Guy gooking is through www.montereyinternational.net and management is GBG Enterprises/ GBG Artist Management

Bonnie Rait http://shorefire.com/clients/braitt/, and booking is through Richard De La Font Agency.

All three were found in less than five minuets from each persons websites

[StoogeKebab]

BB King uses William Morris Booking Agency and management is B.B. KING ROAD SHOWS, LLC Management Agency

Buddy Guy gooking is through www.montereyinternational.net and management is GBG Enterprises/ GBG Artist Management

Bonnie Rait http://shorefire.com/clients/braitt/, and booking is through Richard De La Font Agency.

All three were found in less than five minuets from each persons websites

Thank you for your help, but my issue is that I am unable to find contact for B. B. King's management, simply the company name, same with Buddy Guy, however your information of Bonnie Raitt's booking coming from Richard De La Font Agency is very useful, thank you, as the shorefire.com link simply redirects to the home page.

[bnemerov]

Hi Stooge,
Pollstar publishes directories with contact info.
I don't know where you are, but go to this WorldCat link and type in your zip code to find the libraries nearest you to contact.
Reference librarians can be very helpful.
best,
Bruce





https://www.worldcat.org/title/pollstar-artist-management-rosters/oclc/35905429&referer=brief_results

[StoogeKebab]

Hi Stooge,
Pollstar publishes directories with contact info.
I don't know where you are, but go to this WorldCat link and type in your zip code to find the libraries nearest you to contact.
Reference librarians can be very helpful.
best,
Bruce





https://www.worldcat.org/title/pollstar-artist-management-rosters/oclc/35905429&referer=brief_results

Thanks Bruce, I have definitely faced some communication problems due to my location (Australia), but its clear benefit is that I am entitled to a whole bunch of arts grants, and have the ability to apply for huge grants through one of our government programs. Unfortunately this means I am unable to attend libraries in the US in person, but will definitely try giving them a call or contacting via web (the cost of international calling here is at meal-skipping rates) as I do have library cards to a wide variety of libraries across Australia, the US and the UK, perhaps one will help this process along.

[Kokomo O]

Hey, Stooge, I'll bet librarians will Skype with you just like anyone else will. There shouldn't be any need to pay for a transoceanic phone call in this day and age.

[StoogeKebab]

Hey, Stooge, I'll bet librarians will Skype with you just like anyone else will. There shouldn't be any need to pay for a transoceanic phone call in this day and age.

Hi Kokomo, thanks for the idea, having had to use the phone to call managers and agencies I didn't even think of Skype for the different type of environment of libraries. I'll look into it 

[bnemerov]

Stooge,
Most (all) libraries routinely handle reference requests via e-mail.
I gather (am I wrong?) that all you want is a scan of the relevant page(s) from Pollstar Management Directory.
For a small fee they will scan and attach a pdf to a return e-mail.
No need for phone calls or skype.
best,
bruce

[Johnm]

Hi all,
I was wondering if this movie ever ended up being released.  Any information would be appreciated.
All best,
Johnm

[StoogeKebab]

Hi John,

Glad to hear that someone remembers it! There were a few reasons nothing never eventuated.

I had a lot of planning, contacts, footage, sound, the works, but ran into a massive roadblock when Sony were charging $150,000 for the use of recordings. Weirdly, they believed that Sony, and not Dick Waterman, had publishing rights. They then tried to prevent me from seeking out alternatives (i.e. Bob West's live recordings, he was of great help and I really miss him and his guidance) to the Sony Recordings and essentially I hit a wall from which the project never recovered.

Additionally, I ran out of methods for sourcing the 1974 documentary. I initially had contact with an associate of Ron Mix (no easy feat after a name change), but then lost it along with all leads. I was able to get a draft of their film, but in poor quality, VHS from a black and white broadcast tape that was directly filmed off some sort of monitor (which I think I have seen on YouTube). This really wasn't usable, especially considering the fact that Ron Mix's son had said on a forum that the original 16mm film was in existence. When trying to contact Mix himself, I got no response from a phone message left with him, or one with the current 'Reel Image inc.' in Rochester, or emails/forum PMs to his son.

Sadly, after that, as they say, life got in the way.

In all, I sunk a lot of hours into the project, and was really glad to meet everyone that I met and learn everything that I could, but I just couldn't get it together in the end.

If given the chance, I would love to complete it. If I had the Mix documentary (or their original negatives, which have also shown signs of existing), I would gladly scan (or pay to have it scanned rather), restore, and edit it along with everything else I have into a coherent narrative. I have amassed hours of concert and interview recordings (some released, some unreleased) and have sources and/or leads on a whole heap of footage (including a bunch of unused Newport footage, though that was directly from the late Murray Lerner, so I don't know what I'd do about that now). Ideally I'd hoped to conduct new interviews with quite a few people, and I certainly couldn't fund that, but really, the Ron Mix film is the missing link and now is the best time I'll ever have to dedicate the hours to an unpaid creative project.

[Johnm]

Thanks for the update, StoogeKebab.  I'm sorry to hear that you became stymied in your efforts to obtain the necessary footage and rights.  Once you get into the realm of trying to lease the use of works of art owned by mega-entertainment entities like Sony, you really need deep pockets.  It's a shame, too, because it's not as though they're going to do anything with what they own, apart from charging exorbitant prices for its use.

[StoogeKebab]

Once you get into the realm of trying to lease the use of works of art owned by mega-entertainment entities like Sony, you really need deep pockets.

It was a tough thing to face, but of course I was also a legally powerless fifteen year old when this was all happening, and generally felt lucky that anyone was listening/treating it seriously. I tried to seek an 'alternative' channel of communication through someone my father put me in touch with that had licensed from Sony for an Australian Defence Force project and was sadly met with "$10,000 per 30 seconds is pretty standard"

As I said, if I had Ron Mix's film, I would pay for its transfer in a heartbeat and devote even minute of my upcoming semester break to editing as good a documentary as I can, even without Sony's approval (which I wouldn't need, per se, to make some kind of film, I just wouldn't be able to have any music in it  ). It's just a shame that that particular roadblock really does seem like a dead end at this point.