DAVE STEWART
SIGNS ON AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF
FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY
‘THE BLUES HOUSE’
NOW IN POST-PRODUCTION AND
EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED IN EARLY 2015
DIRECTED BY SAM POLLARD AND PRODUCED BY BENJAMIN HEDIN
ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE BY GARY CLARK JR.
DAVE STEWART–best known as the founder of Eurythmics with Annie Lennox and for his collaborations with Mick Jagger and Stevie Nicks–has signed on as executive producer for The Blues House, a feature length documentary about the searches that went on in the 1960’s for legendary blues singers who had recorded during the Depression before being driven into retirement. Now in post-production, the film is expected to be completed in early 2015. The film is being directed by Sam Pollard and produced by Benjamin Hedin. Stewart, an expert bluesman himself, also appears as an interviewee in the film, which will feature original music scored by recording artist and guitarist Gary Clark Jr. Dave Stewart Entertainment is assisting in the final stages of production, financing, and distribution of the film and will be overseen by David Jacobson on behalf of the company.
The Blues House fascinatingly explores the stories behind the searches for Skip James and Son House. It was not known if they were dead or alive, if alive, where they resided, or even what they looked like. And the searches for them were more than chancy: they were dangerous, since they were carried out in Mississippi during a climactic and violent stretch of the civil rights movement.
With previous experience as the Executive Producer of the acclaimed documentary Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroad, Dave Stewart adds his expertise to THE BLUES HOUSE along with producer Benjamin Hedin who began researching the story of THE BLUES HOUSE in 2009. The film’s director Sam Pollard has produced and edited dozens of movies, including the Spike Lee documentaries When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, and Four Little Girls–all for HBO–as well as the feature films Inside Man, Girl 6, Clockers, Jungle Fever and Mo’ Better Blues. THE BLUES HOUSE will feature original music scored by Warner Bros. artist, Gary Clark Jr., whose roots in blues music are well documented on his album Blak and Blu (2012) which peaked in the top 10 in the United States.
More information on THE BLUES HOUSE can be found here:
http://blueshouse.com/
About Sam Pollard (Director): Sam Pollard has produced and edited dozens of movies, including the Spike Lee documentaries When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise, and Four Little Girls–all for HBO–as well as the feature films Inside Man, Girl 6, Clockers, Jungle Fever and Mo’ Better Blues. Pollard also edited the documentaries Joe Papp in 5 Acts, shown at the Tribeca Festival, By the People: The Election of Barack Obama, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, and Feel Like Going Home, part of The Blues series presented by Martin Scorsese. Pollard directed the widely acclaimed documentary Slavery by Another Name, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and subsequently aired on PBS. He has directed four episodes of American Masters for PBS as well as two installments of the groundbreaking series Eyes on the Prize. Since 1994 Pollard has served on the faculty of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
About Benjamin Hedin (Producer, Writer): Benjamin Hedin has written for a number of publications, including The New Yorker, Slate, The Nation, and the Chicago Tribune. His nonfiction chronicle, In Search of the Movement: The Struggle for Civil Rights Then and Now, will be published by City Lights Books in 2015. He has taught at New York University and The New School and is also the editor of Studio A: The Bob Dylan Reader (W.W. Norton), widely regarded as one of the finest collections of music writing. Hedin began researching the story of The Blues House in 2009. He has compiled hours of interview testimony and a large collection of unpublished documents and photographs that will be used in the film.
About Gary Clark Jr. (Composer): With his debut album Blak And Blu he has just become the first artist ever recognized by the Recording Academy with Grammy Award nominations in both the rock and R&B categories for the same album in the same year, winning the latter: Best Traditional R&B Performance”–“Please Come Home” (from the album Blak And Blu). And the day after claiming those honors he provided one of the highlights of the highlights-filled “The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles,” with sparks flying as he dueled with Joe Walsh on an incendiary “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” Dave Grohl behind them pounding the drums. But that barely scratches the surface. The album’s a rocket ride from the Mississippi Delta of a century ago to multiple points still out beyond the horizon. Rock and R&B sure, but blues, soul, pop, psychedelia, punk and hip-hop are also in Clark’s expansive musical embrace and insatiable hunger for inspiration, which he’s internalized into music all his own. And his two acoustic blues performances on the soundtrack album for the acclaimed movie 12 Years a Slave show the distinct talent and personality he brings to his music.
About DAVE STEWART (Executive Producer):
Multi-media entrepreneur Dave Stewart is recognized as one of the most respected and accomplished talents in the music industry today. Stewart’s music career spans three decades and more than 100 million album sales, highlighted by his collaboration with Annie Lennox in the groundbreaking pop-rock duo Eurythmics (“Sweet Dreams [Are Made of This],” “Here Comes The Rain Again,” “Would I Lie to You?”). Behind the scenes, he has produced albums and co-written songs for Bono, Bryan Ferry, Gwen Stefani, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, Katy Perry, Mick Jagger, Sinead O’Connor, Joss Stone, and many more, garnering numerous Producer, Songwriter, Golden Globe and Grammy Awards along the way. Beyond his creative work as a musician, Stewart is a renowned producer, author, director, photographer, filmmaker, and philanthropist. Stewart has scored films for several directors, including Robert Altman, Paul Verhoven, and Ted Demme, and has written and produced the title songs for many hit movies. Together with Mick Jagger, he wrote and produced the score for “Alfie,” starring Jude Law, which won the pair a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
“An explosive musician, deft guitar player, innately recognizes the genius in other people and puts it into play without being manipulative.”–Bob Dylan
“Jack of All Trades Master of All of Them”–The Sunday Times
“He’s the musician’s musician.”–Rolling Stone
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