Stephen Gammond Movies
- 2008
Few artists in the history of rock and roll have been more groundbreaking and influential than Bob Dylan, whose songwriting brought a new degree of literacy and intellect to popular music. But Dylan's music didn't emerge from a vacuum -- his work was informed by a wide range of musical and literary sources, ranging from activist folk and country blues to beat-era writers and French symbolist poets. Filmmaker Steve Gammond offers a look at the artists and creative movements that helped form Bob Dylan's creative vision in the documentary Down The Tracks: The Music That Influenced Bob Dylan, in which musical historians and fellow artists talk about the work that shaped Dylan's creative consciousness. Down The Tracks includes vintage footage of Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly and Mississippi John Hurt, as well as new performances from Martin Carthy, The Handsome Family, Po' Girl and Jolie Holland. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Few music lovers would argue that Led Zeppelin paved the road for some of the best hard rock and heavy metal bands ever, but are they really as original as some fervent fans claim? In this release, filmmakers explore how the Led Zeppelin sound may have never come to be if it weren't for the powerful influence of such respected blues musicians as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Son House, Davey Graham, and Bukka White. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This documentary revisits the events that led up to the April 29th, 1967 concert that featured sets by some of the most relevant musical acts of the time including the Syd Barrett-led Pink Floyd, and The Pretty Things. With its combination of social relevance and artistic achievement, some consider this concert to be something like a British Woodstock. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Woody Guthrie was a singer and songwriter who came of age in Oklahoma as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression all but destroyed the homes and lives of many of those around him. A natural wordsmith who loved music, Guthrie turned the stories he saw all around him into songs -- some funny, some deadly serious, and nearly all dealing with his vision of a better and more just America. Guthrie roamed the country much of his life, performing with the left-wing Almanac Singers, writing a column for the Daily Worker, publishing a wildly entertaining autobiography called Bound for Glory, working as merchant seaman, and raising a family in between. A handful of the 3,000 songs Guthrie wrote have become standards (most notably "This Land Is Your Land," "Pastures of Plenty," "Deportees," and "Grand Coulee Dam"), and it's all but impossible to imagine the work of Bob Dylan or the rebirth of folk music in the '50s and '60s without his guiding influence. Woody Guthrie: This Machine Kills Fascists is a documentary which offers an honest and unblinking look at Guthrie's life and career, featuring interviews with friends, fans, and historians who offer insight into his music and the man behind it. Billy Bragg narrates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bragg, Arlo Guthrie, (more)
