Video: Doc Watson & Earl Scruggs Perform “John Hardy” at Doc’s home
Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, and their sons perform the Appalachian ballad John Hardy at Doc’s home. — On January 19, 1894, the Wheeling Daily Register published the following story: “John … Continue reading
Video: Willie King performs “It Takes a Good Woman”
This is legendary bluesman Willie King’s tribute to his mother, a very powerful performance about his upbringing in Prairie Point, a community in Noxubee County, Mississippi near the Alabama border.
Video: Building a Cello
This meditative documentary directed by Laura Vidal takes us through the creation of a cello in the Barcelona workshop of master luthier Xavier Vidal i Roca. (To watch with English … Continue reading
Video: Bill Monroe sings “The Wayfaring Stranger”
The legendary Bill Monroe sings “The Wayfaring Stranger,” a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. … Continue reading
Video: Delta Bluesman Willie King performs “Spoonful” (rare footage)
In this rough-shot video, bluesman Willie King plays before a small dancing audience in a juke joint in Mississippi circa 2007. This is deep-rooted delta blues, rarely seen anymore.
Video: Pulp Fiction and the Birth of the Cool
Matt Zoller Seitz and his colleagues at Indiewire’s Press Play have created a series of 10 -12 minute video essays (collectively called “On the Q.T.”) that explore individual Tarantino films and … Continue reading
Audio: “Boplicity” by Miles Davis
No single figure has influenced the evolution of American jazz more than trumpeter Miles Davis. A member of the music scene of his native St. Louis from the young age … Continue reading
Video: Willie King at Bettie’s Place
For a real blues experience nothing beats going to a juke joint in the deep South. There aren’t many left, but if you’re willing to go off the beaten track, … Continue reading
Doug Anderson: Eulogy
When I was nineteen and the drummer in the show band that backed you, you took me to your bed. I had been speechless in your presence: your honey whiskey … Continue reading
Video: “Crossroads” by Robert Johnson
Set to the blues song “Crossroads”, this animated video, produced by Gretchen Brennison, Richard Alcock, Chris Lenz, and Adam Block, tells the story of Robert Johnson’s deal with the devil. Johnson died in 1938, … Continue reading
Video: Masters of Photography — Andre Kertesz
— André Kertész (2 July 1894 – 28 September 1985), born Kertész Andor, was a Hungarian-born photographer known for his groundbreaking contributions to photographic composition and the photo essay. In … Continue reading
Video: Willie King and the Liberators perform “Terrorized”
Willie King (March 18, 1943 – March 8, 2009) was an American blues guitarist and singer, known for shunning fame and playing at a local bar in Mississippi. In this … Continue reading
Video: Masters of Photography — Imogen Cunningham
Imogen Cunningham was born on April 12, 1883, in Portland, Oregon. She began taking photographs in 1901, when she enrolled in a correspondence course in photography while she was a … Continue reading
Video: Prehistoric Music of Ireland
This video shows a sample of Irish musical instruments from the Bronze Age to the early Medieval period.
