Sidemen: Long Road to Glory

Sidemen Long Road to Glory tells the history of the music called the Blues. Pinetop Perkins, Willie Big Eyes Smith and Hubert Sumlin are a trio of musicians who help craft the Blues to lead to Rock and Rock. Well done. Worth Watching see this movie when it comes to a movie house near You.

I was fortunate enough to have seen one of the first screenings of Sidemen: Long Road to Glory. The film impressed upon me the significance of the documentary, not only in honor of these men and their contributions to popular culture, but also as a long overdue historical narrative that is - in equal parts - pure satisfaction for music buffs, Black historians, and of course, any lover of the classic American Dream; however long that may take to achieve.

Personally speaking, I've always been a fan of classic rock, but as far as the Blues, I've only ever been familiar the with names of B.B. King and Muddy Waters. I honestly had no idea how influential Blues music really was until I watched Sidemen.

With that said, I can find no memorable comparison to any other time - whatsoever - where I experienced "goosebumps" as frequently as during this screening. Endless world-renowned artists share intimate memories of their personal experiences with Pinetop Perkins, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, and Hubert Sumlin. If ever you were curious about the man behind the legend, this is the underdog story you've been waiting for - times three.

But that's not all.

When you witness these three musical masters perform with such proficiency and passion, you can't help but feel it deep in your heart.

Everyone that has listened to any blues at all knows of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. But unfortunately not many know of the sidemen, the musicians that contributed heavily to those two & often huge influences to their sound. Presented are three, guitarist Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf), pianist Pinetop Perkins (Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters) & drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith (Muddy Waters) sidemen that meet that definition.

I am a huge fan of all three but especially Hubert Sumlin who I was fortunate to meet a few times and Pinetop Perkins once. Influenced me as a musician and as you can learn from this documentary, never put themselves or egos above the music.

A lot of this documentary is of the three as well as other musicians talking about their lives and careers. We find out they had respect for those like Muddy and Wolf they worked with. As well as the respect others have for them. They were and are huge influences to musicians even to this day. Hubert's guitar playing can still be heard the thru recent guitarists in Rock & Jazz, not just blues.

There are a number of those that were sidemen (or sidewomen like Peggy "Lady Bo" Jones) that were important to the sound of bands and influenced many other musicians. This is on three most important ones.

Our family along with all the families of young musicians attending the Pinetop Perkins Foundation 2016 Masterclass workshop where invited to a private screening of the film last evening, we were told that it would make us laugh and cry with a roller-coaster of emotion. They were right, we laughed and we cried, being in the Mississippi Delta, particularly Clarksdale, MS seeing where these incredible musicians lived and worked, the stories they told and the legacy they have left behind made the screening even more special, and the the musicians, the writers, the producers and everyone involved in the production of this film, Thank You. Thank You for helping keep the Blues Alive, Thank you for telling the story of these fine musicians, Thank you for putting this on film, so we can share this with our children. Thank You.

Personally, I've seen this documentary twice. For me, that says a lot. I've interviewed the Director, Scott Rosenbaum, who is a very humble man, and was very enthusiastic about this project, and the long term significance of it. Please remember, these 3 men were instrumental in starting and/or contributing to the genre known to be the blues of both Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. They were not only Sidemen, they conveyed a struggle, and a love of the blues (which is a condition and a feeling to begin with)that transcended anything we could possibly be involved with or repeated in this day and age.