1. Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
This wild story of one of the biggest managers in music starts just like you would think it would – with a chance encounter with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin in a hotel pool. From there comes a life full of music, parties and Buddhism that’s sure to entertain anyone who ever wondered who invented what we know today as the era of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.
2. Kurt and Courtney
For anybody who leans more towards the obscure, and sometimes twisted, side of conspiracy theories, this one is for you. This BBC documentary takes a look into what might have happened the day Kurt Cobain was found dead, and who might have had a say in his fate. The parallel thread of the BBC’s struggle to produce the film is as equally frustrating as the investigation they are pursuing. Cobain may not be here today to see Nirvana’s legacy, but would he be if it wasn’t for his wife?
3. Muscle Shoals
Record labels are thriving all over the country, but hearing “Muscle Shoals, Alabama” probably doesn’t strike a chord for the average music fan. This documentary introduces audiences to the hometown of FAME studios, the birthplace of hits from Aretha Franklin, Etta James, The Allman Brothers and more. A little town with a big sound delivers more than meets the eye in this story of genuine love and dedication for the art of recording music.
4. CNN Sixties/Seventies Series
A great series as a whole, the Sixties and Seventies specials presented by CNN take some of the most influential movements in music and connect them to the culture they flourished in. Pay special attention to episodes 6 and 10 in the Sixties to see just how important the Beatles’ first performance on American television really was, and how that somehow faded into the punk and rock scene of the end of the decade. Episode 8 in the Seventies shows today’s audience how one of the most difficult political times of American history was supplemented with genres that are still thriving today.
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