Twenty Five Feet From Stardom - Background Singers Documentary

[brother_love]

Twenty Five Feet From Stardom follows a half dozen of the most powerful back-up singers in music history, each of whom has a story to tell and a remarkable history in the shadows of superstardom. They represent a range of styles, come from all eras of popular music, but each singer belongs to the first family of American voice. Their stories echo one another and build upon common themes: sacrifice..., triumph, humiliation, bold stabs at stardom, and, through it all, the thing that has kept them going: the glory of going after and achieving that perfect blend of harmony. The ”blend”, a human experience that each and every one of these unforgettable men and women describe in spiritual terms, as a transcendent moment of connection between people.
But alongside the stories of personal triumph and tribulation, these characters reveal the secret history of how American popular music has drawn its emotional strength and musical power from the black church. Through their stories and through their voices, we see how American music and, finally, American life have been touched, changed, and elevated by the voices of faith coming from the margins of our society. As if arriving in a Trojan Horse, and against all odds, the sacred song of black America came into the country’s living room and found a permanent place there. And it was the back-up singers who brought it.

These stories reflect the big ideas of the 20th century and after–the struggles of women, of African Americans, the expectations placed on gender and image, and the shifting sands of the music business. As popular music came to play an increasingly significant role in American life, these singers came to symbolize something that, until now, few have been able to put their finger on. Those voices back there, often cloaked in darkness but cutting powerfully through it, have for decades embodied some hope we hold for ourselves, that our voices, too, will emerge and matter.

Some of the singers that will be featured in this documentary are Darlene Love & The Blossoms, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Patti Austin, Tata Vega, David Lasley, Cissy Houston, Charlotte Crossley, Arnold MucCuller, Edna Wright, Gloria Jones and Claudia Lennear just to name a few.

Also interviewed were Mick Jagger, Sting, Bette Midler, Bruce Spingsteen, Sheryl Crow, Chris Botti, Judith Hill and Lou Adler.



http://tremoloproductions.com/twenty...ps-production/