I Am the Blues

Veteran blues performers talk about their challenging, if also creatively rewarding, lives in Daniel Cross's open-hearted documentary. Cross concentrates on African-American musicians in the Mississippi Delta who during the film play music in clubs, living rooms, and on front porches. Many are little known outside of their hometowns, but some have national name recognition, such as Texas singer and guitarist Barbara Lynn and Mississippi singer Bobby Rush. Eighty-one-year-old Rush, who also serves as onscreen host, recalls his early days playing Chicago clubs for hamburgers, while 72-year-old Lynn talks about a unique guitar style in which "I let my thumb do my bass." Other artists include Lazy Lester, Little Freddie King, and Lil' Buck Sinegal, who organizes a Louisiana jamboree at which many of the players gather to eat crawfish, reminisce about the old days, and sing a few songs. Even a man of the cloth, Reverend John Wilkins, gets in on the action, playing a fine acoustic rendition of "That's No Way to Get Along." Carol Fran, the film's only other female performer, also remembers playing concerts with Guitar Slim and Joe Tex. Viewers looking for a history of the blues won't find it here, although there are stories about Howlin' Wolf and other significant players; instead, the film's message is that the blues tradition—exemplified by those who feel it in their bones—continues today. Extras include bonus footage with additional interviews. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)