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All Episodes of The Blues

Browse all episodes of The Blues

The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes,...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Select Season:

Season 1

  • Feel Like Going Home
    7.3/10463 votes
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    Feel Like Going Home

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/28/2003

    Director Martin Scorsese pays homage to the Delta blues. Musician Corey Harris travels through Mississippi and on to West Africa, exploring the roots of the music. The film celebrates the early Delta bluesmen through original performances (including Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner, and Ali Farka Toure) and rare archival footage (featuring Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker).

    Director: Martin Scorsese

    Writer: Peter Guralnick

  • Soul of a Man
    7.6/10225 votes
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    Soul of a Man

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/29/2003

    The film explores the musical careers of blues musicians Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.

    Director: Wim Wenders

    Writer: Wim Wenders

  • The Road To Memphis
    7.1/10178 votes
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    The Road To Memphis

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/2003

    The film follows the career of Blues musician B.B. King. It features performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.

    Director: Richard Pearce

    Writer: Robert Gordon

  • Warming by the Devil's Fire
    7.0/10212 votes
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    Warming by the Devil's Fire

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/2003

    Director Charles Burnett presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in the 1950s, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues.

    Director: Charles Burnett

    Writer: Charles Burnett

  • Godfathers and Sons
    7.1/10158 votes
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    Godfathers and Sons

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/2/2003

    Director Marc Levin travels to Chicago with hip-hop legend Chuck D (of Public Enemy) and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess and heir to the Chess Records legacy) to explore the heyday of Chicago blues as they unite to produce an album that seeks to bring veteran blues players together with contemporary hip hop musicians. Along with never-before-seen archival footage of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, are original performances by Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Magic Slim, Ike Turner, and Sam Lay.

    Director: Marc Levin

    Writer: N/A

  • Red, White and Blues
    7.2/10186 votes
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    Red, White and Blues

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/3/2003

    Director Mike Figgis joins musicians such as Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Tom Jones, performing and talking about the music of the early sixties British invasion that reintroduced the blues sound to America.

    Director: Mike Figgis

    Writer: N/A

  • Piano Blues
    7.3/10324 votes
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    Piano Blues

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/4/2003

    The film features interviews and live performances of piano players Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Dr. John and Marcia Ball. Eastwood interviews artists as Ray Charles, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Jay McShann, Henry Gray and shows archival performances of Fats Domino, Otis Spann, Art Tatum, Albert Simmons, Pete Johnson, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Nat King Cole, Martha Davis, Professor Longhair, Charles Brown and Duke Ellington. Remarkable are two early performances of the Chess Records houseband with Otis Spann, Willie Dixon and, probably, Fred Below.

    Director: Clint Eastwood

    Writer: Peter Guralnick