The Blues (2003)
The Blues (2003) is a seven-part documentary series produced by Martin Scorsese that explores the history and influence of blues music. Each episode, directed by a different filmmaker, traces a unique aspect of the genre’s evolution—from its African roots to its global impact. Originally airing on PBS, the series includes Scorsese’s Feel Like Going Home, Wim Wenders’ The Soul of a Man, Richard Pearce’s The Road to Memphis, Charles Burnett’s Warming by the Devil’s Fire, Marc Levin’s Godfathers and Sons, Mike Figgis’ Red, White and Blues, and Clint Eastwood’s Piano Blues.
📺 Seasons & Episodes
Specials35 episodes
1. Trailer
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
2. Interview with Martin Scorsese
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
3. Taj Mahal & Corey Harris - Sittin' On Top Of The World
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
4. Willie King & The Liberators - Spoonful
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
5. Keb' Mo' & Corey Harris - Sweet Home Chicago
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
6. Otha Turner & Corey Harris - Sittin' On Top Of The World
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
7. Salif Keita - Folon
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
8. Corey Harris - Honeysuckle
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
9. Interview with Wim Wenders
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
10. Outtake
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
11. Lou Reed - See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
12. Cassandra Wilson - Slow Down
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
13. Alvin Youngblood Hart - Mama Talk To Your Daughter
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
14. Marc Ribot - Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground (electric)
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
15. Chris Thomas King - Revelations
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
16. Interview with Richard Pearce & Robert Kenner
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
17. B. B. King - Blues Boys Tune
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
18. B. B. King -Key To The Highway
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
19. Hubert Sumlin and David Johansen - Smokestack Lightning
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
20. Interview with Charles Burnett
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
21. Willie Dixon - Nervous
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
22. Interview with Marc Levin
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
23. The ElectriK Mud Kats (aka Electric Mud Band) with vocals by Chuck D, Common & Kyle Jason - Mannish Boy (Soundtrack Mix)
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
24. Lonnie Brooks - You're Using Me
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
25. Koko Taylor - Ernestine (Extended Version)
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
26. Otis Rush - So Many Roads, So Many Trains
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
27. Howlin' Wolf - Eval (Is Going On) (Extended Version)
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
28. Interview with Mike Figgis
⏱ 90 minNo description available.
29. Lulu with Jeff Beck - Cry Me A River
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
30. Pete King - Lush Life
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
31. Jeff Beck - Nadia
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
32. Jon Cleary - Piano Improvisation
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
33. Band Rehearsal - Blues Jam
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
34. Band Rehearsal - Who's Sorry Now (Instrumental)
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
35. Mike Figgis - Piano Jam
⏱ 90 minBonus Song
Season 17 episodes
1. Feel Like Going Home
⏱ 90 minDirector Martin Scorsese pays homage to the Delta blues. Musician Corey Harris travels through Mississippi and on to West Africa, exploring the roots of the music. The film celebrates the early Delta bluesmen through original performances (including Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner, and Ali Farka Toure) and rare archival footage (featuring Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker).
2. Soul of a Man
⏱ 90 minThe film explores the musical careers of blues musicians Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.
3. The Road To Memphis
⏱ 90 minThe film follows the career of Blues musician B.B. King. It features performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.
4. Warming by the Devil's Fire
⏱ 90 minDirector Charles Burnett presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in the 1950s, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues.
5. Godfathers and Sons
⏱ 90 minDirector Marc Levin travels to Chicago with hip-hop legend Chuck D (of Public Enemy) and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess and heir to the Chess Records legacy) to explore the heyday of Chicago blues as they unite to produce an album that seeks to bring veteran blues players together with contemporary hip hop musicians. Along with never-before-seen archival footage of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, are original performances by Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Magic Slim, Ike Turner, and Sam Lay.
6. Red, White and Blues
⏱ 90 minDirector Mike Figgis joins musicians such as Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Tom Jones, performing and talking about the music of the early sixties British invasion that reintroduced the blues sound to America.
7. Piano Blues
⏱ 90 minThe film features interviews and live performances of piano players Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Dr. John and Marcia Ball. Eastwood interviews artists as Ray Charles, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Jay McShann, Henry Gray and shows archival performances of Fats Domino, Otis Spann, Art Tatum, Albert Simmons, Pete Johnson, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Nat King Cole, Martha Davis, Professor Longhair, Charles Brown and Duke Ellington. Remarkable are two early performances of the Chess Records houseband with Otis Spann, Willie Dixon and, probably, Fred Below.
