Three musicians who helped shape the sound of the Chicago blues - Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith - are still fighting for recognition six years after their deaths.
With narration by Marc Maron and testimonials from Gregg Allman, Johnny Winter, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Scott Sharrard and others, the recently made film Sidemen: Long Road to Glory shines a light on their often overlooked contributions to the music that influenced the giants of rock and roll.
But even the film itself is facing challenges getting these underappreciated musicians in front of a wider audience. Because the music they made has become incredibly popular, the film faces north of $175,000 fees in clearing the rights to the music and archival footage used.
Director Scott Rosenbaum has been working on getting these musicians the recognition they deserve for more than eight years. The film has already been to more than twenty film festivals, earning critical acclaim and positive responses from audiences wherever it’s been shown.
Clearing the music and archival footage is the final hurdle in getting this story in front of a wider audience. With other funding sources exhausted, the production team is now relying on music-lovers who understand how important it is for this story to be told to help raise money.
A Kickstarter campaign is under way, with over $40,000 already committed. It ends at the end of February, with an all-or-nothing goal of raising $225,000.
To learn more and support the push to get this film the theatrical release and audience it deserves, click here to visit the film’s Kickstarter page and pledge.
Pinetop, Willie and Hubert lent their talents one step outside the limelight, as sidemen for Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. While their respective frontmen may have received more attention, the feel - the fills, the riffs, the beats - that defined mid-century blues was all theirs.
Getting their due was a lifelong struggle. Sidemen ensures that this generation and those to come will understand and appreciate where the roots of so much of what we hear today came from.