20 Feet from Stardom

Delightful on every level, and a must for music buffs
In "20 Feet From Stardom" (2013 release; 91 min.), director Morgan Neville brings a great look into the importance of the backup singers in rock and roll and R&B. There is an enjoyable mix of interviews of "big names" (the movie opens with insights from none other than Bruce Springsteen himself, later on Mick Jagger provides comments as well), along with archive footage, and then focusing on several famously un-famous backup singers both from the old days (Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, Tata Vega) and more recently (Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill). Did you know that one of those songers won a Grammy? If you wonder who, just watch! The best moment in the documentary comes when we see a discussion about the backup singers of Luther Vandross, only then to learn that Vandross himself started out as a back-up singer for David Bowie! Best of all, the documentary gives us archive footage of this (when Bowie went through his soul period on the "Young Americans" album). The person who comes out worst...

Entertainment from the greatest backup singers ever
So you never thought about those backup singers that make so many songs memorable? You will after you see this movie. The Stones, Beatles, David Bowie, Springstein, Elton, Bette Midler, Lynard Skynard, and other greats all used backup singers on their most famous songs, and as we learn here, they are blazing talents equal to Aretha who had to live in the shadows of the stars they sang behind.

When you hear these ladies unleash their unbelievable voices, you will wonder how they never made it to stardom. Their voices are beyond belief. So how is it possible that one was reduced to cleaning people's houses to survive?

This movie explores all the reasons these incredible ladies who sing never made it all the way to the stardom they deserved. They even were the actual voices of The Crystals in the 1960's, and watched as The Crystals were celebrated stars, while lip syncing and taking credit for their own voices.

You won't have a dull moment watching...

Rape, murder! It's just a shot away
I was totally unaware of this movie until a vocalist friend of mine asked me if I wanted to see it. Some friends in her all female singing group had seen it and raved about it. So, on an impulse I went to see it.

Behind every great star is a great singing talent backing them up. Sting, Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Lynyrd Skynrd, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Stevie wonder.

Twenty feet tells the story of backup singers who we are impressed by but have not necessarily given much thought to their story. However to see this movie is to become of aware of their story, their talent, and their struggles.

Thematically, it visits the theme explored in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, which explored the musician talent behind all the great Motown hits. Most of the great hits of Motown featured almost the exact same musicians creating the distinctive Motown sound, and that movie explored their story.

Although I loved that movie which I...

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