Son House on stage

Son House

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New Documentary Traces Search For Blues Legends And Civil Rights Murders

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New doc explores how the search for blues icons Skip James and Son House culminated on the same day as the Mississippi Burning murders
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Oct 19, 2017 - 12:20 pm

A new documentary called Two Trains Runnin' examines the alignment of three separate events that took place on June 21, 1964.

First, three young civil rights workers were murdered Ku Klux Klan members in Neshoba County, Miss., while participating in the Freedom Summer voter initiative. The brutal murders surrounding the Freedom Summer initiative marked a crucial moment in the civil rights movement, making national news and providing motivation for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

On this same day, three young men drove through Mississippi looking for the man they'd heard on a select few 78s recorded in 1931, Skip James. The trio found James in a hospital in Tunica.

Finally, and remarkably, three other men were searching that same day for another lost blues legend, Son House, who they tracked down at his home in Rochester. House had recorded what would become highly influential Delta blues music during the 1930s.

Neither James nor House were aware that their music had found new audiences, and both ended up at the Newport Folk Festival the following month, which helped relaunch their careers.

Two Trains Runnin' details these two searches as they sync with the tragic events of what came to be known as the Mississippi Burning murders. This remarkable yet daunting subject matter presented a challenge for the filmmakers, writer Benjamin Hedin (In Search Of The Movement: The Struggle For Civil Rights Then And Now) and director Sam Pollard (4 Little Girls, The Rise And Fall of Jim Crow).

"I was initially hesitant to try and tackle this," Pollard told Rolling Stone. " I thought that telling the story of the search for Son House and Skip James would be hard, but telling the story of Freedom Summer would be double-y or even triple-y hard. But I said, 'OK, let's tackle it.' It took us on a journey."

The journey began to gel with the inclusion of GRAMMY-winning artists. The film was narrated by its executive producer, Common, and with commentary from the likes of Buddy Guy, Lucinda Williams and Gary Clark Jr., Two Trains A Runnin' promises to provide a meaningful look into a crucial moment in our musical and cultural history.

Exclusive Interview: Gary Clark Jr. Riffs On Eric Clapton, Hip-Hop & Fatherhood

60th GRAMMY Awards Best Music Film Roundup

(L-R) One More Time With Feeling, Two Trains Runnin', Soundbreaking, Long Strange Trip, The Defiant Ones

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2018 GRAMMY Nominations: Best Music Film Roundup

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Celebrating the year's finest visual art and storytelling in music, take an in-depth look at the 60th GRAMMY nominees up for Best Music Film, who broke the mold for what audiences have come to expect from music on screen
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 14, 2017 - 4:07 pm

In a year rife with quality music documentaries and series, the bar has been set high for the Best Music Film category for the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Furthermore, today's entertainment landscape is rife with myriad on-demand streaming options boasting instant online access to deep catalogs and a slew of new original series. Through all of the competition for our time and attention, five films have risen above the noise to receive GRAMMY nominations.

Nominated projects include fascinating deep dives into some of the most seminal moments and movements in music history, as well as some of today's most powerful industry players and most personal transformations. But at the core of these five nominated projects are two inalienable elements: music and storytelling.

Let's take a closer look at the stories being told by this year's GRAMMY nominees for Best Music Film.

One More Time With Feeling, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Andrew Dominik, video director; Dulcie Kellett & James Wilson, video producers

In a stark portrayal of a musical and poetic genius in a compound state of creativity and grief, One More Time With Feeling chronicles the bittersweet efforts in the making of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' latest album, Skeleton Tree. The tragic death of Cave's 15-year-old son is the dark backdrop of the album — and the film — lending a spiritual gravity to this candid look at its recording process. Director and longtime friend of Cave's, Andrew Dominik, captures the scene and story in striking black-and-white 3-D, intensifying this look inside one of music's most super-human talents and some of his most human moments.

Long Strange Trip (The Grateful Dead)
Amir Bar-Lev, video director; Alex Blavatnik, Ken Dornstein, Eric Eisner, Nick Koskoff & Justin Kreutzmann, video producers

This documentary from Amazon Films takes a creative approach to capturing the circus that was and is the Grateful Dead. From their hyper-communal beginnings, to infamous drug experiments, to building a traveling society. Long Strange Trip feels like a Dead show itself, with lifts, drops and swirls transporting the viewer into the momentary euphoria of a better place where the music has the power to make you feel part of something bigger.

The film also portrays the pressure, sadness and confinement success can bring, especially as it was thrust upon Jerry Garcia, the Dead's greatest and most tragic hero. Through rare, never-before-seen footage, living-room-floor interviews and inventive visual storytelling, Long Strange Trip captures the inevitable come-down of life's greatest party without dampening the spirit of the Dead as it was then and as it lives on today.

The Defiant Ones (Various Artists)
Allen Hughes, video director; Sarah Anthony, Fritzi Horstman, Broderick Johnson, Gene Kirkwood, Andrew Kosove, Laura Lancaster, Michael Lombardo, Jerry Longarzo, Doug Pray & Steven Williams, video producers

This story of an unlikely duo taking the music business by storm seems better suited for fantastical pages of a comic book, but for engineer-turned-mogul Jimmy Iovine and super-producer Dr. Dre, it's all truth. The Defiant Ones recounts their histories, their tribulations and their wild success. These include first-hand accounts from those who were there in Iovine's early days, such as Bruce Springsteen and U2's Bono, as well as those on board when Dre and Iovine joined forces, such as Snoop Dogg and Eminem.

The four-part documentary is a must-see for aspiring music business professionals looking for inspiration to overcome obstacles, external and internal.

"Fear is a powerful thing. It's got a lot of firepower," says Iovine in the film's trailer, reflecting on teaming up with Dre. "It was the beginning of making fear a tail wind instead of a head wind."

Soundbreaking (Various Artists)
Maro Chermayeff & Jeff Dupre, video directors; Joshua Bennett, Julia Marchesi, Sam Pollard, Sally Rosenthal, Amy Schewel & Warren Zanes, video producers

The scope of PBS' Soundbreaking documentary is staggering, with an artist list spanning six decades that reads like a wall in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The eight-part series takes a high energy approach to regaling, as they aptly put it, "Stories from the cutting edge of recorded music." With more than 150 original interviews, Soundbreaking leaves no stone unturned in exploring the impact recordings have made on music, people and culture. Most importantly, the series reverently weaves the stories of engineers and producers who crafted the sounds of the future with the artists who launched their generation into it.

Two Trains Runnin' (Various Artists)
Sam Pollard, video director; Benjamin Hedin, video producer

Some moments in history seem so pivotal, it's hard to imagine them not happening. Such is the case with not one or two, but three events that coincided on June 21, 1964. Two Trains Runnin' is the story of these three defining moments.

Narrated by Common, who also served as executive producer, the film tells the story of three young civil rights workers who were murdered by Ku Klux Klan members in Neshoba County, Miss., while participating in the Freedom Summer voter initiative. The tragedy made national headlines and marked a crucial moment in the civil rights movement. On the same day, two sets of men began searches for lost Delta bluesmasters Son House and Skip James in Rochester, N.Y., and Tunica, Miss., respectively. Two Trains Runnin' incorporates all three stories into one remarkable film.

"I was initially hesitant to try and tackle this," director Sam Pollard told Rolling Stone. "I thought that telling the story of the search for Son House and Skip James would be hard, but telling the story of Freedom Summer would be double-y or even triple-y hard. But I said, 'OK, let's tackle it.' It took us on a journey."

New Year's 2018
Poll

What's Your New Year's Music Resolution?

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The New Year means a new you — how will you let music deeper into your life in 2018?
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 1, 2018 - 12:05 am

Each new year, millions of people make resolutions to be their best selves, put their past bad habits behind them and improve their lives. But why not make your resolution a musical one?

When the holiday parties are over, the confetti is swept up, and school and work resume, it's time to get back to work and make the most of 2018. The good news? Music can help!

From mastering an instrument to learning more about the craft and history of music, to supporting musicians through live shows, we want to know: What's your New Year's music resolution for 2018?

Polls

What's your New Year's music resolution for 2018?

Andy Williams at the 15th GRAMMY Awards

Andy Williams, 15th GRAMMY Awards host

Photo: CBS via Getty Images

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Johnny Cash To Roberta Flack: 7 Things To Know About The 15th GRAMMY Awards

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Take a look back at the GRAMMY Awards' 15th anniversary celebration and see who made headlines
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 27, 2017 - 5:40 pm

The GRAMMY Awards gained more and more steam going into the 1970s, and by the time the 15th anniversary came around in 1973, the train was at full speed and headed for Music City U.S.A. — Nashville, Tenn.

From the show's arrival in Nashville to memorable speeches by Johnny Cash and Helen Reddy, landmark GRAMMY wins by Roberta Flack and George Harrison, and a few firsts, the 15th Annual GRAMMY Awards was both a testament to the place the awards had earned in the heart and soul of the recording industry and a taste of how widespread and influential Music's Biggest Night would grow to become.

Let's take a look back at how this historic night in 1973 played out, focusing on how the show had grown, who made the headlines, who broke the mold, and who took home the trophies.

1. Nashville's Only GRAMMY Broadcast

For the 15th GRAMMY Awards, the show traveled to the heart and soul of country music, Nashville, Tenn. Though prior awards ceremonies had been hosted across various cities, including Nashville from 1965–1970, since the first live GRAMMY telecast in 1971, the show had taken to parking itself in one city at a time. The 15th GRAMMYs was Nashville's turn. For the occasion, Tennessee Theatre served as the venue while Andy Williams played the role of host. It's the only time in the history of the live telecast that Nashville has hosted Music's Biggest Night — in fact, it's the only time the telecast has been broadcast from a city other than New York or Los Angeles.

2. Harrison And Shankar Change The World

George Harrison accomplished something special when he opened his heart and his rolodex to create The Concert For Bangladesh. The former Beatle teamed with GRAMMY-winning sitarist Ravi Shankar and they took over New York's Madison Square Garden for two back-to-back shows, enlisting a remarkable roster of friends such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Ringo Starr, and more to raise awareness and funds for efforts to help refugees from the war-torn country. The concert was a massive success in paving the way for future humanitarian projects such as Live Aid, and the resulting triple-LP won the coveted GRAMMY Award for Album Of The Year, showing that musicians have the power to truly make a difference.

3. Helen Reddy Brings Female Empowerment

The GRAMMY Awards have always been on the forward edge of equality politics, such as marrying LGBTQ couples on the GRAMMY stage in 2014 to the soundtrack of Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert singing "Same Love." But this through-line arguably goes back to the 15th GRAMMYs, thanks to Helen Reddy.

The Australian singer/songwriter won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Performance, Female for her anthem, "I Am Woman," which brought feminism front and center on the GRAMMY stage.

A moment that surely still resonates today, Reddy brought empowerment for women further into the foreground when she declared during her acceptance speech, "And I would like to thank God because she makes everything possible."

4. The First Time Ever I … Won A GRAMMY.

Soulful songstress Roberta Flack won the first two of her four GRAMMYs at the 15th GRAMMY Awards, most notably Record Of The Year for her smash "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." The song also pulled in a GRAMMY for its songwriter, Ewan MacColl, for Song Of The Year.

Flack also won GRAMMY gold that night for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus for "Where Is The Love," her duet with Donny Hathaway. The following year, she would go on to win two more GRAMMY Awards for her classic "Killing Me Softly With His Song."

5. Nilsson And Starr Steal The Show

In addition to landing big time nominations for Album Of The Year for Nilsson Schmilsson and Record Of The Year for "Without You," singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson won the second GRAMMY of his career, this time for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for his faithful rendition of "Without You," a song popularized by British rockers Badfinger.

Nilsson's charisma matched his talent step for step, just as he matched his good friend Ringo Starr while presenting an award at the 15th GRAMMY Awards where both men read their lines in near perfect unison.

Want More GRAMMY History? Pick Up A Copy Of And The GRAMMY Goes To…

6. George Carlin Wins First GRAMMY

Comedian George Carlin never pulled any punches, and his delightfully irreverent style turned out well for him — he won a total of five career GRAMMYs. But it all started for the "Seven Dirty Words" comic at the 15th GRAMMY Awards when he took home his first GRAMMY —  Best Comedy Recording for FM And AM, his third album.

Carlin went on to earn three Best Spoken Comedy Album GRAMMYs and one Best Comedy Album GRAMMY for his final 2008 album, It's Bad For Ya.

7. Johnny Cash Weighs In

One of the night's most memorable moments came in the form of praise for the Recording Academy from the Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash. During an award presentation, Cash described the organization as "fast-moving, creative and exciting like the recording industry itself. I'm Johnny Cash and I'm proud to be a part of it."

Nearly 45 years later, the Recording Academy continues its tireless work to support and celebrate the great artists of our time. Thanks, Mr. Cash.

5th Dimension To Elvis Presley: 7 Things To Know About The 10th GRAMMY Awards

Adele holding GRAMMY Awards

Adele

Photo: Robyn Beck/Getty Images

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What's The Difference? GRAMMY Record Of The Year Vs. Song Of The Year

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Ever wondered what distinguishes these two GRAMMY categories? Find out once and for all here
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 26, 2017 - 10:41 am

Since the dawn of time, or at least since the 1st Annual GRAMMY Awards, casual music fans and uninitiated industry professionals alike have seemingly pondered the same GRAMMY question: What is the difference between Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year categories?

Adele wins Record Of The Year GRAMMY

If you've wondered this yourself, fear not, for you have arrived at the answer.

Simply put, Record Of The Year deals with a specific recording of a song and recognizes the artists, producers and engineers who contribute to that recording, while Song Of The Year deals with the composition of a song and recognizes the songwriters who wrote the song. That's it in a nutshell!

To dig a little deeper, let's look at the definition of each category, who it includes, and some recent examples.

Record Of The Year, Explained

The Record Of The Year GRAMMY goes to the artist(s), producer(s), and engineer(s) involved in crafting the specific recording (hence "record") of a song. For example, the winner at the 57th GRAMMY Awards for Record Of The Year was "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" by Sam Smith. As the primary artist, Sam Smith received a GRAMMY, as did the three producers (including Rodney Jerkins a.k.a. "Darkchild) and the four engineers who worked on the recording, including those properly credited for recording, mixing, and mastering the record.

Song Of The Year, Explained

The Song Of The Year award, on the other hand, goes to the songwriter(s) (hence "song) of new material (not including sampled or interpolated material) of a song. For example, at the 44th GRAMMY Awards, the winner of Song Of The Year was "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys, and as the sole writer of the song, Keys received the GRAMMY. For this reason, Song Of The Year is referred to as a songwriter's award, one of several across the 84 categories that recognize the songwriter.

Does that clear things up a bit? Hopefully, it does.

The Recording Academy strives to award excellence in many facets of the music creation process, thus necessitating the distinction between the year's best recording and its best song composition.

For bonus points, let's look at one more example from the 59th GRAMMY Awards. The GRAMMY for Record Of The Year went to "Hello" by Adele, earning GRAMMY gold for Adele as the artist as well as producer Greg Kurstin and the eight engineers who worked on the record. The GRAMMY for Song Of The Year also went to "Hello" — however, only the songwriters, Adele and Greg Kurstin, received the Song Of The Year GRAMMY.

So now, when you're watching the 60th GRAMMY Awards live on CBS Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT, you'll be able to dazzle your friends with your insider knowledge. For a rundown of this year's nominees in both of these major categories, check out our Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year roundups.