In the spellbinding documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” Lisa Cortes delves into the influence of Mama Thornton on the queer rock icon and the broader landscape of early popular music. “STAX: Soulsville U.S.A.” is another notable addition to the history of influential Black musicians. Jamila Wignot’s remarkable documentary tells the story of a collective group of musical geniuses and visionaries who overcame unimaginable adversity, leaving a lasting impact on the R&B genre. Stax Records reflects Memphis’ complicated racial history, much like Mama Thornton and Little Richard embody the black and queer roots of rock and roll. I highly recommend both documentaries currently streaming on Max.
Thank you Robin! "I Am Everything" is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. Lisa Cortes captured the complexity of Little Richard's queerness and his indelible legacy with such a loving touch. I've got the STAX doc on my list to see but thanks for the reminder!
Love the video element, Jami! Nice! It'll be interesting to see not only who inducts Thornton into the Hall in October, but who plays the traditional tribute songs/performances! Any guesses/hopes? One guess and hope for me would be Bonnie Raitt!
"I smell a RAT, baby!"
In the spellbinding documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything,” Lisa Cortes delves into the influence of Mama Thornton on the queer rock icon and the broader landscape of early popular music. “STAX: Soulsville U.S.A.” is another notable addition to the history of influential Black musicians. Jamila Wignot’s remarkable documentary tells the story of a collective group of musical geniuses and visionaries who overcame unimaginable adversity, leaving a lasting impact on the R&B genre. Stax Records reflects Memphis’ complicated racial history, much like Mama Thornton and Little Richard embody the black and queer roots of rock and roll. I highly recommend both documentaries currently streaming on Max.
Thank you Robin! "I Am Everything" is one of my favorite documentaries of all time. Lisa Cortes captured the complexity of Little Richard's queerness and his indelible legacy with such a loving touch. I've got the STAX doc on my list to see but thanks for the reminder!
listening...learning
So appreciate your ear Jill, thank you for taking the time.
so appreciate these tunes framed in new ways
listening...learning
Love the video element, Jami! Nice! It'll be interesting to see not only who inducts Thornton into the Hall in October, but who plays the traditional tribute songs/performances! Any guesses/hopes? One guess and hope for me would be Bonnie Raitt!