B.B. King The Life of Riley A Film by Jon Brewer (MVD)
It’s more than just
the story of Riley “B.B.” King. It’s a study in blues music. Narrated
by none other than (blues fan and owner of Ground Zero blues club) Morgan Freeman, and with the whole epic kicked off by a few words from Bill Cosby, this outstanding film follows King on his tour bus as he visits his place of birth in Mississippi. Great footage and photos of B.B. telling his life story, sup- plemented by video interviews with family and friends, along with comments from fellow music stars Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt, Bono, Ringo Starr, Santana, Bruce Willis, Bobby Bland, Buddy Guy, Bill Wyman, Dr. John, Leon Rus- sell, Joe Walsh, John Mayall and many oth- ers. This is the story of how an oppressed and
orphaned boy, raised in the deep South by various Aunts and other relatives, overcame the extreme prejudice and segregation around him to rise to the top of his game as a singer and guitarist known the world over as the “King of the Blues.” No matter what his situa- tion was in life, King’s spirit got him through, and still does. The film features rare and archival footage
of King, on loan and with full cooperation from the B.B. King Museum, a facility British filmmaker Jon Brewer called, “vaults and archives so precious and immense, that sev- eral trips had to be made to America to revisit the collection and partake of its many gems.” So much of that classic film footage and audio is packed into this documentary, it grabs your attention and you are locked in for the next two hours.
his piers in the industry. To a fault, every one of them, be it Carlos Santana or Keith Richards or Eric Clapton, they all praise him and hold him in the highest regard. As a side note, I must admit, I was pleased
to see the footage (from the film Rattle and Hum) of King and U2 rehearsing and subse- quently performing “When Love Comes to Town.” Always a favorite. Jon Brewer has created at once a very in-
formative and entertaining film, but also a downright beautiful and captivating film that I for one am proud to have in the “favorites” section of my personal music DVD’s collection.
- Michael Buffalo Smith
All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman (Rounder)
Back on January 10,
2014, an outstanding group of musicians de- scended upon the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for an amazing all-star performance to pay trib- ute to the life and music of Gregg Allman, and is now available in this multimedia package. All My Friends features a DVD as well as two CDs of the four-hour live show. The concert features a scoping array of
high-profile Allman admirers paying tribute to the Midnight Rider. Under the musical di- rection by famed producer/musician Don Was, several of the guest performers are drawn from the Allman Brothers Band's ex- tended musical family, including current ABB guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, and Gregg's son Devon All- man. Also joining in on the fun are Jackson
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DVD REVIEWS The real tribute to B. B. King comes from
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