Shake ‘Em On Down: The Blues According to Fred McDowell

A Documentary Film by Joe York & Scott Barretta

Shake ‘Em On Down is a one-hour documentary film that tells the story of Fred McDowell, who was first recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959, mentored Bonnie Raitt, and served as the cornerstone of the unique and enduring North Mississippi- style of blues music.

Building on the longevity, success, and devoted audience of Highway 61 Radio, a production of the Southern Documentary Project, York and Barretta feel that a dedication to visual storytelling about the musical heritage of the South, with a primary focus on the Blues, will greatly enhance SouthDocs’ ability to meet its goals of documenting and educating the region. This film will be the first documentary produced under the Highway 61 Films banner, and will signal a new commitment to documenting the musical culture of the region.

[southdocs.org]

Premiere scheduled for February 2017.

Shake'em on Down teaser:

ooooowwww that looks interesting ..... Fanks



ROCKMAN

Awesome, thanks for sharing!

Great indeed, and.. a great song.
jeroen

Excellent to hear. Scott is an old friend from my schooldays. He used to edit Living Blues Magazine, and has been involved in documenting and preserving Mississippi's Roots Music for the last 25 years. I am sure this will be top-notch.

Looking forward to this one.

Speaking of Shake "Em On Down:

[www.youtube.com]

I'd like to hear the Stones get into this mode.

close up and personal
[www.youtube.com]


you gotta move, not so OT really
[www.youtube.com]
authentic



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-02-26 02:16 by hopkins.

Blues Maker (1969 Documentary About Mississippi Fred McDowell) (14 minutes)
[www.youtube.com]


def looking forward to this new documentary!

JAGGER,played this song on his solo blues album with red devils band he sounds great,got the bootleg.

I'm childhood friends with Scott. He is a great advocate of American Roots Music. He used to edit Living Blues Magazine and has been awarded by the state of Mississippi for his work in preserving it's Blues legacy.

This is top-shelf, and I hope you all can check it out. They are planning more of these docs on Mississippi's Blues greats.

Shake 'em On Down' is the story of Fred McDowell, the godfather of the North Mississippi style of blues. Through interviews and never-before-seen footage of Fred McDowell and other blues legends, the film tells the story of a Mississippi sharecropper who went on to influence the music of the Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt, RL Burnside, Taj Mahal and the North Mississipp All Stars.

[www.pbs.org]

FANKS Cristiano .....



ROCKMAN

The song Shake 'Em On Down also = the much-maligned Hats Off to (Roy) Harper on Led Zeppelin III. Great song in all its variations. Thanks for the info, bookmarked for future reference!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-03-06 09:48 by Aquamarine.

Wonderful watch ... always loved the racket the guy made ...
Good ta see some of that rare footage/photos... Fife footage..
$10,000 cheque Fred was cool ...shades /dress ....casket shot...style

And aint it great ta see a doco that doesn't have Bono as a talking head ...



ROCKMAN

Quote
Rockman
Wonderful watch ... always loved the racket the guy made ...
Good ta see some of that rare footage/photos... Fife footage..
$10,000 cheque Fred was cool ...shades /dress ....casket shot...style

And aint it great ta see a doco that doesn't have Bono as a talking head ...

Yes!!! ><

that was fantastic... time to go back and relearn a bunch of his material.

Quote
kish_stoned
JAGGER,played this song on his solo blues album with red devils band he sounds great,got the bootleg.

Yes, but Jagger's version of "Shake 'em On Down" is based on a recording by Doctor Ross, recorded 1952, released 1972: [www.youtube.com] Jagger closely follows Doctor Ross' version.

Thank You Cristiano

I just watched this doc last night and I think is a hell of a job.

Next time you talk with your friend Scott, please tell him how delightful this doc is and tell him I send him a huge thank you for making it, Javadave.

Thanks for posting this. Great stuff!

Story of blues master Mississippi Fred McDowell comes to life in new documentary

(...)

Since its premiere last year and a broadcast on PBS’s “Reel South,” Barretta and York have been taking the film around screening it at blues and film festivals. They’re currently in talks for a DVD or streaming service release — and may expand the running time, adding more footage for those platforms.

As Barretta notes, “that would allow us to put in some more performance stuff of Fred. And Fred performing is — like Alan Lomax said — perfect.”

[www.commercialappeal.com]

Thanks for the update Cristiano!

The link above (http://www.pbs.org/video/2365929363/) to pbs, still works as well! According to the site, Original broadcast: 03/02/17 Expires: 03/01/20 Apparently we'll be able to watch it there for a few more years anyway. Would love to see some more footage as well.

Peace,
Mr DJA