Twenty Feet from Stardom
American music documentary directed by Morgan Neville
Starring Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer,
and Bruce Springsteen
and Bruce Springsteen
Released 2013
by Live Music Head
“meet the unsung heroes
behind the greatest music of our time”
behind the greatest music of our time”
Merry Clayton
aspired to be a Raelette
after seeing Ray Charles perform.
And so she was.
Merry Clayton was also the singer who got a phone call
from The Rolling Stones asking her to come to the studio
and help record the opening track
on their yet-to-be-released album,
Let it Bleed.
Pregnant at the time,
Clayton showed up with curlers in her hair.
When Clayton and Mick Jagger are shown
in this new documentary,
Twenty Feet From Stardom,
listening to her isolated vocal track on Gimme Shelter,
the hair rose on the back of my neck.
“War, children, it's just a shot away,
it's just a shot away!
Rape, murder! It's just a shot away,
it's just a shot away!!”
A little horrified at first by the lyrics,
she sang her guts out.
Merry Clayton:
"I felt like if I just gave my heart to what I was doing,
I would automatically be a star.”
Clayton also sang (reluctantly at first)
on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama.
She talks about that,
and other interesting things in this doc;
a doc about the backup singer
and the important role they play
behind every star in music.
Particularly the female backup singer
(although Bruce Springsteen does tell the story
of visiting David Bowie in studio
when he was recording Young Americans
and meeting Luther Vandross,
a male backup singer on the record).
This film also documents
the incredible talents of Lisa Fischer,
who I first saw performing with The Rolling Stones
on the 1989 Steel Wheels tour.
She’s held the lead backup role on every Stones tour since.
That’s two ladies who put the gospel soul in rock and roll,
and two very good reasons to see this film.
But it’s Darlene Love’s story
that pulled at my heart strings the most.
We’ve all heard her singing with The Blossoms
on records like:
Sinatra’s That’s Life,
Bobby Pickett’s The Monster Mash,
and The Crystal’s Da Doo Ron Ron,
to name only three.
Love is also the lead vocal on The Crystal’s He’s a Rebel,
but no one knew it for the longest time because
Love was under the control of a maniac record producer
who didn’t credit her.
Show some respect for Love
by seeing this film.
The Boss showed his.
He gets down on his knees and bows to her.
Hearing Darlene Love sing only ten seconds
of Bill Withers’ Lean On Me
and you’ll understand why.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also showed their respect,
finally,
by inducting Love in 2011,
with the great Bette Midler presenting.
Now showing at
after seeing Ray Charles perform.
And so she was.
Merry Clayton was also the singer who got a phone call
from The Rolling Stones asking her to come to the studio
and help record the opening track
on their yet-to-be-released album,
Let it Bleed.
Pregnant at the time,
Clayton showed up with curlers in her hair.
When Clayton and Mick Jagger are shown
in this new documentary,
Twenty Feet From Stardom,
listening to her isolated vocal track on Gimme Shelter,
the hair rose on the back of my neck.
“War, children, it's just a shot away,
it's just a shot away!
Rape, murder! It's just a shot away,
it's just a shot away!!”
A little horrified at first by the lyrics,
she sang her guts out.
Merry Clayton:
"I felt like if I just gave my heart to what I was doing,
I would automatically be a star.”
Clayton also sang (reluctantly at first)
on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama.
She talks about that,
and other interesting things in this doc;
a doc about the backup singer
and the important role they play
behind every star in music.
Particularly the female backup singer
(although Bruce Springsteen does tell the story
of visiting David Bowie in studio
when he was recording Young Americans
and meeting Luther Vandross,
a male backup singer on the record).
This film also documents
the incredible talents of Lisa Fischer,
who I first saw performing with The Rolling Stones
on the 1989 Steel Wheels tour.
She’s held the lead backup role on every Stones tour since.
That’s two ladies who put the gospel soul in rock and roll,
and two very good reasons to see this film.
But it’s Darlene Love’s story
that pulled at my heart strings the most.
We’ve all heard her singing with The Blossoms
on records like:
Sinatra’s That’s Life,
Bobby Pickett’s The Monster Mash,
and The Crystal’s Da Doo Ron Ron,
to name only three.
Love is also the lead vocal on The Crystal’s He’s a Rebel,
but no one knew it for the longest time because
Love was under the control of a maniac record producer
who didn’t credit her.
Show some respect for Love
by seeing this film.
The Boss showed his.
He gets down on his knees and bows to her.
Hearing Darlene Love sing only ten seconds
of Bill Withers’ Lean On Me
and you’ll understand why.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also showed their respect,
finally,
by inducting Love in 2011,
with the great Bette Midler presenting.
Now showing at
Toronto’s Bloor Hotdocs Cinema until July 18,
this is the trailer...
this is the trailer...
