Topic: Movies w/ Blues or Blues related content

[natterjack]

The Colour Purple starring Whoopi Goldberg features a juke joint scene with "real" blues musicians, I know Sonny Terry was the harmonica player but I can't remember who else was in it.

[Blind_Jim_G]

Phil Wiggins had a small role, a cameo really, in John Sayle's 'Matewan'. 

[Stuart]

Blood of Jesus, early 1940s, by independent black director Spencer Williams, is a weird and beautiful film. Lots of terrific downhome religious music. Some jazz. Only a little bit of blues but it's interesting stuff. The great jook-joint scene, and the crossroads scenes, make it a must-see for CB fans. Enjoy. Cheers, SC

Following Steve's recommendation, I located "Blood of Jesus" in the local library on DVD. It is part of "Movies of Color: Black Southern Cinema," which also contains Spencer Williams' "Go Down, Death." The title feature is very interesting and the two Williams' films are both fascinating. It is available through the usual web stores--here's the Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Movies-Color-Black-Southern-Cinema/dp/B00007KK1N

Thanks, Steve!

[Pan]

Natterjacks' mentioning of Sonny Terry just reminded me that the Steve Martin comedy "The Jerk" has Brownie McGhee and Terry.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079367/

Cheers

Pan

[Pan]

This reminds me of a story about McGhee and Terry I read somewhere. They appeared on a Broadway show ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", if I remember correctly ?) sometime in the 50's.
When they were asked to take part, they first refused saying: "We are no actors". However, when they were told how much they were going to get paid, to play a few songs and to be basically just themselves on a few scenes, Terry reportedly replied: "We're actors!" 

Pan

[Johnm]

I'm not sure, Pan, but I think that the show in question was "Finnian's Rainbow".
All best,
Johnm

[Stuart]

I can't recall the name of the show, either. However, when I met Sonny and Brownie in the early 70s, Brownie showed me his guitar (the D-18 with the crack in the top) and told me that it had been a gift from Andy Griffith when they appeared in a NYC play together (presumably on Broadway). Perhaps that might yield a lead as to the specific play that they were in.

[Pan]

I think Johnm must be right.

According to the Internet, Sonny Terry was in "Finnian's Rainbow" starting from 1946. It seems that they both had also a part in the Tennessee William play, but that was only in the mid 50's -by which time Terry obviously was no longer a stranger to the "acting business".

Pan

[banjochris]

If I remember right, on the Sonny and Brownie "Rainbow Quest" episode, Sonny prefaces their performance of "Whoopin' the Blues" with an anecdote about this, similar to Pan's.
Supposedly, they told Sonny that they needed him to play the same thing every night, and Sonny said no way he could do that, until they told him how much he'd be making. "Man, I'll play the same thing every night!" Also funny on that is the disgusted look on Brownie's face when Sonny wants to play that piece -- apparently he'd heard it enough.
Chris

[Bunker Hill]

I think Johnm must be right.

According to the Internet, Sonny Terry was in "Finnian's Rainbow" starting from 1946.

Hmm the date that's always cited for his taking on the role of Sunny is Friday 10 January 1947.

[Bunker Hill]

This reminds me of a story about McGhee and Terry I read somewhere. They appeared on a Broadway show ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", if I remember correctly ?) sometime in the 50's.

You do remember correctly. It was March and November 1957.

[Bunker Hill]

I can't recall the name of the show, either. However, when I met Sonny and Brownie in the early 70s, Brownie showed me his guitar (the D-18 with the crack in the top) and told me that it had been a gift from Andy Griffith when they appeared in a NYC play together (presumably on Broadway). Perhaps that might yield a lead as to the specific play that they were in.

It was the Elia Kazan 1957 film A Face In The Crowd. BMcG accompanied Griffith on one of the sound track songs, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. In 1958 Brownie actually recorded a song entitled Face In The Crowd for Folkways.

[Stuart]

It was the Elia Kazan 1957 film A Face In The Crowd. BMcG accompanied Griffith on one of the sound track songs, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. In 1958 Brownie actually recorded a song entitled Face In The Crowd for Folkways.

I'm going to hesitate a bit on this one, Bunker Hill. (I know the film, although its been decades since I've seen it.) I swear that Brownie said that they had worked together in the theater. I know that Andy Griffith was on Broadway as early as 1954 in "No Time For Sargents," and of course Brownie and Sonny had been in NYC and in the theater prior to that. So their paths may have crossed earlier in a play that just doesn't pop up via the usual search engines. In any event, I remember Brownie saying that they we still friends to this day ('72), which was IMHO the important thing, although the specifics of when they first worked together is intriguing for the sake of historical accuracy.

It has been a long time, and I just might not be remembering things as clearly as I think I am.

[Bunker Hill]

It has been a long time, and I just might not be remembering things as clearly as I think I am.

I'm as guilty of that as the next person. Here's a little diversion for you namely the Andy Griffiths "blues session" with Brownie. Scanned from Chris Smith's Terry/McGhee session discography "That's The Stuff" (p.84-5):

ANDY GRIFFITH
Andy Griffith, v/prob spoons-1; unknown, hca-2; unknown, tb-3; ?Moe?, p-4; Brownie McGhee, v-5/g; unknown, bj-5; unknown, b; unknown, d-6.

                                  prob Los Angeles, CA, early 1958

The House Of The Rising Sun -2, 6   Capitol T1105, Rhino RNLP70187 [LPs];
                                                Capitol Special Projects C298476-2 [CD]
How Long Blues -3, 4, 6               Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
The Crawdad Song -1                  Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
Good Morning Blues -2, 4, 6          Capitol T1105 [LP]
Police Department Blues -4, 6        Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
Careless Love -4, 6                      Capitol T1105 [LP]
I Want A Little Girl -3, 4, 6            Capitol T1105 [LP]
Pick A Bale Of Cotton -2, 4, 5, 6     Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]

The harmonica player on this session is certainly not Sonny Terry.

[Edit: Attempted to avoid the wrap-around of lines but failed miserably so it reproduces a mess]

[dj]

Yikes!  Andy Griffith singing "How Long", "Careless Love", and "I Want A Little Girl"?  Anyone have any idea what this sounds like?