We know within the first 10 minutes of this documentary/valentine that Clifford Antone (1939-2006)—who moved from steamy Port Arthur, Texas (also the hometown of Janis Joplin) to Austin to open his own blues club—was a tireless proponent of the blues, as well as a friend and patron to musicians both great and small; a dude who stayed the course whether the musical genre was in fashion or not. That's all good. So is the list of bluesmen (and women) who have appeared onstage at Antone's, ranging from B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, and Muddy Waters to lesser knowns such as Eddie Taylor and Jimmy Rogers and up-and-comers like brothers Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan. But while we're promised performances by these and many others here, the actual clips are annoyingly brief (not to mention wildly varying in technical quality). Some of the stories here are amusing, especially those involving Muddy and Stevie Ray, and Antone clearly deserved the respect and affection of every musician who appeared on his stage, but Dan Karlok's Antone's Home of the Blues ultimately doesn't offer much in the way of shape or style, and considering that there's a whole lot of great footage of most of these musicians available elsewhere, this is strictly an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)
Antone's Home of the Blues
(2004) 99 min. DVD: $19.98. Koch Vision (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 1-4172-2913-6. Volume 21, Issue 5
Antone's Home of the Blues
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