Twenty Feet from Stardom

With a family friend paying a Christmas visit soon,I decided to search around for a music documentary that he see during the holiday period.Picking up an old copy of a UK film magazine called Empire,I spotted a review for what sounded like a fab tune of a documentary,which led to me getting ready to meet the people 20 feet away from stardom. Outline of the documentary: Starting off in the early days of popular music,the film shows artists to largely play everything safe in their live performances,with the singers & their back-up singers (both groups of which were mostly Caucasian) giving stiled,reserved performances.As the 60's arrived,the civil rights movement in America began to make its voice heard loud and clear,with Motown and other record labels giving African-American singers the chance to unleash their voice.Whilst the singers find themselves delighted over giving dozens of soon-to-be classic songs their winning hook and fiery sass,they each soon discover how hard it is to reach the front stage. View on the documentary: Focusing a large section of the documentary on 60s Girl Groups, some of director Morgan Neville's interviewees sadly decide to take the opportunity to "re-write history", (or to put it in a more honest manner,lie!) with singer Darlene Love (whose comments in the interview led to Neville paying the rights for songs that Love did not perform on!) claiming that she performed on songs such as Da Doo Ron Ron & songs by The Crystals,with Love's Crystal "vocals" actually being those of Dolores La La Brooks. Along with some of the interviews being a bit dodgy,Neville also takes an unexpectedly restrained approach to going into the full behind the scenes details into the making of the songs.Neville keeps away from revealing the business side of the music industry, (with the nearest that the film gets being 2 of the women saying that they had to get a second job,thanks to backing-vocal work drying up) and also avoiding any mention of the excesses displayed in the 60's/70's Rock scene. Spreading an amazing soundtrack across the films 90 minute running time,Neville allows the music to shine bright like a diamond,as the soundtrack goes from pounding hard Rock to soaring melodies,with Neville displaying an amazing skill in tracking down rare solo recording of backing singers bringing now- famous songs bursting to life,with Ava Cherry, Robin Clark and Luther Vandross ripping the plastic from David Bowie's plastic Soul,and the still-pretty Merry Clayton giving a breath taking performance,which puts all of the unsung backing singers at the front of the stage.

This is the second documentary I've watched about the music business within the last week. I was really looking forward to seeing it, but by the time it ended I was so glad that it was finally over. This film seems like nothing more than a promotion for the handful of singers who are featured - apparently the people who made the movie felt that these women (and one or two men) were the only background singers of note. Add to that the fact that almost without exception, these singers wanted (or want) to be front and center and the doc feels like a marketing tool. It became incredibly tiresome after a while. Don't get me wrong - these women can "sang" (often better than the people they are backing) and I can appreciate and respect the amount of talent they have. They added so much to the songs they did vocals on and the songs wouldn't have the same without what they contributed. I found, though, that I burnt out quickly on the "poor, poor pitiful me" undertone and the whining about "I should have been a huge star" or "I got screwed". I would have thought that these folks would have been grateful for the opportunities they had - making money doing something they love, doing it exceedingly well, having a job that many people would sell their souls to do and being in the successful elite who were lucky enough to make it in an exceeding tough and competitive business. Finally, if you consider that apparently the doc isn't entirely truthful (see other reviews for information on that), the film really isn't worth a watch. Maybe if I had watched "TWENTY FEET" first instead of "THE WRECKING CREW" (which I loved), I wouldn't feel like I'd just watched a very long and desperate promo reel.

I watched this documentary, because it was nominated for an Oscar and was the favorite to win (which it eventually did). So I thought I'd give it a shot. To be honest, I was rather disappointed. I was hoping to see a documentary about unknown background singers, who try to earn enough money, so that they can feed their families, who barely get jobs and live near poverty. It turns out to be about the successful background singers that have made it and have worked with very successful singers. Unfortunately, I did not really care for their "problem" that they are not the lead singer and do not get the fame. When watching a documentary, I want one of two things (ideally both): 1) That the movie makes an impression on me. 2) That I learn something new that is interesting. This documentary failed to do both (at least for me). In conclusion, that is why I do not think that it deserved an Oscar nomination, let alone a win.

This movie, simply just shows us how to live life. I am so happy to live in a time where the forgotten can be not only remembered, but celebrated and heard once again. A metaphor for all of us... We have to share our gifts, keep getting up when knocked down, and remember we can live until we are dead... I cannot wait to see what these ladies do with the rest of their lives and their careers. I am so happy to hear that some of them will have their catalogues re-released and even a sound track from the movie is going to be available soon. Glad to see The Weinstein company helping so that this Documentary can also be celebrated for the Oscar it is going to win next winter. Lisa Fisher and Darlene Love along with Tata Vega and Merry Clayton all carry this movie and then the very current struggle of the DIVA Currently struggling out of the back of the pack, Judith HIll are amazing.

This documentary is another in a recent cycle that looks at those from the music industry who have been neglected in some way. In 'A Band Called Death' we learn about an innovative proto-punk band who never even got a chance to record an album and were only rediscovered over 35 years after recording their demo tapes, in 'Anvil: the Story of Anvil' we follow a band who have maintained a very mediocre level of success over a very long time and in' Searching for Sugarman' we are given the incredible story about a musician who released a couple of records that no one bought and who vanished without a trace for quarter of a century. The angle that '20 Feet from Stardom' is coming from is very similar but with a twist – this is the story of neglected musicians who are in actual fact the voices of the sounds that have been in ours heads our whole lives. It centres on a selection of classy African American female backup singers who recorded vocal accompaniments for a series of stars from the 60's to the present day. While they were essentially voices for hire, often it was their vocals that made the songs so good – listen to David Bowie's 'Young Americans' and tell me that it's the backing vocals that aren't the best part. But the story has a sadness, as these incredible singers rarely got beyond the backup part of the act. Sometimes they tried and their career stalled. This was because being a successful solo artist requires so many variables such as songs, charisma and determination. While it also needs the marketing powers of the record label. All these ingredients are not necessarily a given for someone with a beautiful voice. However, in some cases actual exploitation seems to have occurred as in the case of Darlene Love, who was used by producer Phil Spector as the voice that the girl group The Crystals claimed as their own but even more unforgivably, Spector got Love to record a track promising it was going to go out under her name only to surreptitiously give it to The Crystals again. The film uses a talking heads format, with contributions from a variety of stars that used backup singers such as Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and Sting. There is also priceless archive footage of the likes of Ray Charles and, best of all, Ike and Tina Turner. Sometimes we even get to deconstruct a famous song to hone in on the backup vocals, such as in the case of the track 'Gimme Shelter' which is very possibly the best song the Rolling Stones ever recorded. We hear the backup vocal in all its isolated glory and it becomes very obvious that without it, this song would simply be nowhere near as powerful. So, let's hear it for those unheralded women who have filled our heads with such beautiful sounds all these years. This is their moment of recognition and they deserve it.

There are some people who toil anonymously in the music business: session musicians, recording engineers, producers and so on. And then there are the backup singers. Many of those, probably most dream of being out front, becoming a star, and gaining worldwide fame, applause, respect. For most, it doesn't happen. Once in a while somebody breaks through: Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Barry Manilow, Sheryl Crowe, Phil Collins. More often, it's a day job, and they are called for sessions, sing their part and go home. Sometimes they will be a permanent part of the act, like the Raylettes with Ray Charles, but they don't get the big rewards the upfront star does. Such is the story of "20 Feet From Stardom", where we meet a half dozen or more who have had a career in the back light, occasionally getting the break to record their own album, and then ... nothing. Darlene Love was the voice of the Crystals, except Phil Spector kept slapping somebody else's name on her recordings and she got nothing. (She ended up cleaning houses for a living. But two years ago, in much belated recognition, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.) Merry Clayton is another; she's the haunting female lead on the Stones "Gimme Shelter", but as a solo artist she just never took off. It's a well constructed film, and if a bit indulgent here or there, it's just a matter of choice in the editing booth, not a failure of the director to deliver. If you have any interest in the music industry, or have ever thought of a career as a singer, this is a great lesson on the realities of that business. (This would also apply to acting, where "That Guy" did a similar riff on that equally competitive business. Of course it's worth noting that while there are lots of people "20 Feet from Stardom", there are legions more who never even get that close, and who wind up singing in saloons, street corners, and even subway stops. It's a tough world out there. "20 Feet From Stardom" picks a point closer to the pinnacle, but not quite, and that's what makes it interesting.

I had never heard of the performers, but have apparently enjoyed their contributions thousands of times. Praise to the producer and director for their headliner contributors. I saw the film at the Minneapolis - St Paul film festival. Merry Clayton came to the screening and sang for us after the showing. That girl still has the pipes. The story about her audition with the Rollings Stones was a hoot. The soundtrack is wonderful. Lisa Fischer has an amazing voice - blew my socks off. Hope the movie comes to a theater near me, so I can hear it again. I thought the director did a wonderful job of balancing the contributions of the headliners with the life stories of the singers. It was a treat to hear them do their thing out in the spotlight.

This movie is not well researched. Straight to the point, Darlene Love did not sing the Da Doo Ron Ron nor did she sing background on it. She did not sing background for any Crystal song. Her credits are "He's A Rebel" and "He's Sure The Boy I Love". That is it. La La Brooks is the one and only original singer of the DDRR. La La's management contacted Morgan Neville and informed him of this. Morgan Neville apologized to La La Brooks. He feels Darlene pulled one on him and is further annoyed that he had to pay for the rights to the DDRR. Phil Spector has stated twice in 2012 and 2013 that Darlene had nothing to do with the DDRR. At the time of the DDRR being produced, Darlene Love was at home tending to her first born son. The background singers to the DDRR are Cher, Fanita James and Gracia Nitzsche. I forgot to mention that Darlene Love and The Blossoms take credit for singing background on the Shoop, Shoop Song in this movie. This is not true. The hit song, SSS, was sung by Betty Everett and The Opals were the background singers. The record was produced by VJ Records of Chicago. The Blossoms sang background on Merry Clayton's version of the SSS, and this record was a flop. The Blossoms sang background on Aretha Franklin's cover of the SSS on Shindig. No record was produced for this. Further the name of the group - is The Blossoms. It is not Darlene Love and The Blossoms. The Blossoms were created by Fanita (Edwards) James in 1954. Darlene didn't come along until the year 1958.

This is a documentary of the background singers we've been listening to for decades. People whose singing we actually sing or hum to without ever knowing who they are. They work in the studios and live on stage with The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Sting, and many, many others. That magic that works in the studio or on stage as background singers is undeniable but may not necessarily be there for them when they try to branch out on their own as a lead singer. They are talented for sure and many songs wouldn't sound anything like they do without back up singers. The documentary is good however, something is missing. Who actually calls the singers for a gig? Who actually pays them? How are they paid? By the hour? By the session? How did they get started? Where was their first gig? None of this spoken of and there is a sense that perhaps the interviewers were told that they shouldn't dig too, too deep. Not bad but left me wanting more.

Greetings again from the darkness. "And the colored girls go do doo doo, do doo ...". The controversial lyrics from Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" kick off this exceptional documentary about the oft-ignored back-up singers who have played (and continue to play) a huge role in some of the biggest songs of all-time. You may not know their names, but you have undoubtedly sung along with them while driving or taking a shower. Director Morgan Neville has a credit list filled with music shorts and documentaries. One of my personal favorites of his is The American Masters on Muddy Waters. I recalled that while watching this one because Neville does a nice job of connecting the dots from Gospel, Blues and Soul to the roots of Rock and Roll. The main women featured here all admit to being daughters of preachers, and fine-tuning their ability to harmonize during their youth while singing in the church choir. Most of the interview time and insight comes from Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer, and Merry Clayton. You may not recognize the names or faces, but you will surely recognize the voices. Ms. Love has been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and may be best known thanks to her annual appearance on the David Letterman Show at Christmas. Ms. Fischer is the most frequent worker today of the three as she tours with Chris Botti, Sting and The Rolling Stones. However, the heart-stopping climax of the film belongs to Merry Clayton, as we are treated to her isolated vocals from the master on her infamous performance on the single "Gimme Shelter". Hearing her raw voice blast out "Rape. Murder. It's just a shot away" is both exhilarating and gut-wrenching. To hear her tell the story is mesmerizing. One of my favorite movie moments ever. While we see and hear the personal stories filled with frustration and regrets, we also see an inherent love of music and the appreciation for their particular gift. We also hear from Tata Vega, Dr. Mabel John (a former Raelette for Ray Charles), and Claudia Lennear. With many similar stories of their quest for solo careers, we get the contemporary version with Judith Hill, a twenty-something working back-up today as she strives for a solo career. The parallels are obvious with her older peers. Another excellent feature of the film comes in the form of interviews from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Lou Adler, Chris Botti, and Mick Jagger. We also see some studio shots featuring Phil Spector (once the hottest music producer, now incarcerated), and concert footage of Talking Heads, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, and the Concert for Bangladesh. It's especially fitting to see Luther Vandross as a back-up singer to David Bowie's "Young Americans", and to hear from Sheryl Crow, who worked as Michael Jackson's back-up/lead female. These are the examples of the back-ups who successfully made the walk. My only minor quibble with the film is structural, not content. Neville has an over-whelming task of addressing each of the individual stories, while also relating it to the nasty and unfair music business, the Civil Rights movement, the development of Rock and Roll, and the role that "talent" plays in what Springsteen terms the "complicated" walk from back-up to lead singer (the titular 20 feet). The segment focusing on Merry Clayton's role in Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is especially poignant. Overall this film is fascinating and entertaining, and makes a great companion piece to Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) and Muscle Shoals (2013).