The Blues (New DVD 1993)RARE Bessie Smith Cox Broonzy Williamson Smith *FREEShip

Description: ***FREE Shipping! You are bidding on a Very RARE and Hard to Find Music Documentary, BRAND NEW & Factory Sealed, Storyville Films present, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Big Bill Broonzy,Mamie Smith, Sonny Boy Williamson in: Blues Legends: THE BLUES (DVD 2003 Full Screen; Original Compilation 1993; BRAND NEW and Factory Sealed) **Note: This is the Region 1 USA version of the video Blues Legends from 1929-1962, Captured on Film...THE BLUES Blues music has been woefully under-represented in motion pictures. This was particularly true in the era from 1929, when films had made the complete transition over to sound, up until the 1960's. All of the great blues artists from the early to mid 1920's went unfilmed, not such a great loss since the films would have been silent. But that was when the blues were enjoying its greatest heyday. Traveling Pullman cars carried a gypsy-like caravan of blues acts from town to town where they performed in TOBA circuit shows. Performers like Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith had devoted followings when they played in the black theaters all around the country. A Bessie Smith recording could reliably sell hundreds of thousands of copies, with occasional million sellers. But as the decade went on, blues sales dwindled. By the time of the depression, the blues craze was virtually over. Blues artists would be recorded for the next several decades, but significant sales did not occur until the 1960's when there was a blues renaissance. While there were not many appearances by blues artists in feature films and even fewer all blues shorts, there were some very interesting artists captured on film. The most legendary of these films is St. Louis Blues starring the Empress of the Blues: Bessie Smith. Filmed just at the end of her great period of success and right at the beginning of the sound era, it is a chilling and powerful document. The sight of Bessie singing with such a force makes it one of the great musical moments in film history. While many prints of this classic have circulated, they have usually been of inferior quality. Our source is an excellent 35mm nitrate. The dark shades of the film, so carefully photographed at the time, have been lost in the milky copies usually seen. Even more importantly, the sound is crystal clear. Two other great female singers from the 1920's also appear on this DVD: IDA COX and MAMIE SMITH. Both were enormously successful as recording and performing artists. But the announcers in these all black feature films almost apologetically introduce them as stars from an earlier era. Even though it is long past their commercial heyday, they still had a lot of spark and the performances here are of great historical interest. One rather curious item is the BIG BILL BROONZY Field Recordings. Shot with one camera, often times even capturing a complete number, the technical limitations cannot disguise the power of his singing and his playing. Broonzy was one of the greatest Mississippi players and these quick snatches of his style are fascinating. The program concludes with a great short film featuring the magnificent blues harmonica player SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON. Dressed in natty attire, this extremely relaxed session seems to have been filmed very late at night, with able support by some fine Swedish musicians. The blues has been under-filmed. But this program does give us a vivid picture of the various styles over the years and gives us precious glimpses of some of the finest practitioners. SAINT LOUIS BLUES (W.C. Handy) 1929 RKO-Radio PicturesStarring Bessie SmithApprox 15:08 (A Clip from the feature film) PARADISE IN HARLEM 1940 (excerpt) An International Roadshow ReleaseStarring Mamie Smith "Tell Me Mama" (XXX) and featuring Lucky Millinder and his OrchestraApprox 2:48 (A Clip from the feature film) WOMAN'S A FOOL 1947 (excerpt)Starring Ida Cox : "Kentucky Man Blues" (XXX) and "Fore Day Creep" (XXX) acc by Jesse Crump (piano)Approx 6:56 BIG BILL BROONZY approx 1936-1942 (Field Recordings)Featuring: Big Bill Broonzy: "John Henry," "Stump Blues," "Guitar Blues 1," "Guitar Blues 2."Approx 8:25 SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON 1962 Gazell Film Productions, Stockholm SwedenFeaturing Sonny Boy WIlliamson: "Tell Me Baby," "You're My Baby," "Goin' Back Home."Approx 11:00 FEATURES/SPECS:- Full Screen Presentation- Black & White- Language: English- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound- Dolby Digital Mono- Region 1 USA/Canada version (NTSC)- Not Rated- Approx 45 min Starring: Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Ida Cox, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Boy WIlliamson Out of Print and Very Hard to Find. A MUST if you are a Blues History Fan.BEAND NEW and Factory Sealed. *******FREE Shipping!! Online tracking and delivery confirmation will be provided for domestic packages at no charge. I ship every day the US Post Office is open. Items are shipped within 1 business day after payment clears. This item will ship at no cost to the winner. Please ask any questions before bidding.Many thanks, and good luck bidding. -mobypip

Price: 60 USD

Location: Flanders, New Jersey

End Time: 2024-12-21T20:01:46.000Z

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