A few of the Chess Records greats. From left to right: co-founder Phil Chess, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley. (Image via blog.ponderosastomp.com)
If you've already plowed through our first batch of free music docs on YouTube – congratulations! You're officially a music nerd. (We mean that as a compliment, of course.) And, as if your newfound enlightenment weren't enough, we're offering you a prize in honor of your accomplishment: five more stellar films to check out, free of charge!
This second round is even more varied than the first; Bowie, hip-hop, blues, and country are all in the mix. We recommend adding them all to a playlist and binge-watching at your earliest convenience.
1. Roll Over Beethoven: The Chess Records Saga
Chicago-based Chess Records is regarded as the most important American blues label of all time, and this BBC doc details its short-lived but impactful run – from its founding by two Polish immigrant brothers to its sale in 1969 for nearly seven million dollars. Its core roster is now legendary – artists like like Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy remain synonymous with the imprint, and are credited not only with ushering blues into the mainstream, but also laying the foundation for rock 'n' roll. Chess Records also worked with various doo-wop and soul artists (maybe Etta James rings a bell?), and its session band included Maurice White and Louis Satterfield, who later went on to form Earth, Wind & Fire.
2. David Bowie: Sound and Vision
This 2002 A&E Biography doc reiterates over and over that David Bowie broke all the rules – and this is absolutely true. His perpetual experimentation and reinventions did not only change the course of music, but the whole of popular culture. The interviews featured are a testament to his decade-spanning influence: Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Trent Reznor, and Moby are among those included. There's also insight provided by artists he worked with, like longtime backup singer Robin Clark; band member Carlos Alomar; his wife, Iman; and of course, the icon himself.
3. Rhythm Country & Blues
This PBS special is a bit of an oldie – it first aired in '94 – but remains a singular, unique chronicle of the intersection of blues and country music. Centering on Nashville and Memphis, two seemingly disparate hubs for either genre, Rhythm Country & Blues offers more than a chronology of the music. It's actually the making of an eponymous album of duets by heavy-hitters like George Jones, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Vince Gill, Natalie Cole, Little Richard, and loads more. In pairing the artists and the two cities together, however, another dimension is added: a long overdue (and still very relevant) conversation about race.
4. Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes
Violence, sexism, and homophobia are issues that have long plagued hip-hop, and filmmaker Byron Hurt confronts them all. Russell Simmons, Fat Joe, Mos Def, Jadakiss, and Chuck D are among the high-profile artists interviewed, sometimes with uncomfortable results. Hurt also speaks to fans and fledgling rappers about the role of the same subjects – sexuality, gender, class, and more. Released in 2006, the film was one of the first to open such a dialog. Watching it now is particularly interesting; hip-hop may be in its most progressive phase yet, but many of the problems Hurt tackles nearly 10 years ago still exist.
5. StreetPunk: The Movie
Not so much a film as it is a compilation of footage, StreetPunk is an appropriately chaotic series of live shows of bands like UK Subs, One Way System, Menace, and the Varukers interspersed with candid and sometimes chats with London punks in the late '90s outside a Sex Pistols reunion show, a picnic gathering, and the Morecambe leg of the Holidays in the Sun festival. While its lack of storytelling mostly disqualifies it from being considered a documentary, StreetPunk earns its place in the archives for capturing, honestly and without pretense, the essence of a certain place and time in the genre's history.
Hungry for more music documentaries? Check out five more must-see films that are streaming on Netflix!
Jhoni Jackson is an Atlanta-bred music journalist currently based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she juggles owning a venue called Club 77, freelance writing and, of course, going to the beach as often as possible.
