Popular Music of the USA
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Documentaries
Popular Music 1900-1955
The Swing Thing
The Swing Thing is a 90-minute BBC 4 documentary that explores how swing evolved from 1920s jazz clubs into the world’s first global pop phenomenon. Narrated by Kenneth Cranham, it chronicles a youth culture revolution defined by teenage excess, dancing, and musical legends like Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra.
Les Paul - American Musical Hero
This Musical Kaleidoscope video is a compilation of clips showcasing the important guitarist and musical wisard Les Paul, including footage from Chasing Sound! from PBS, original early footage, and a clip with great guitarist Tommy Emmanuel,
Early Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll - The Early Days
Rock and Roll: The Early Days is a 1984 music history documentary directed and written by Patrick Montgomery and Pamela Page. The one-hour film chronicles the birth and evolution of rock and roll music, tracing its roots from the early 1950s up to the dawn of the British Invasion in the early 1960s.
Eddie Cochran - Cherished Memories
Eddie Cochran: Cherished Memories is a 2001 British television documentary produced by HTV West. The film explores the brief life, pioneering rock and roll sound, and tragic death of the 21-year-old music icon. It highlights his profound influence on subsequent generations of guitarists despite his early passing.
Buddy Holly
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The Sixties
Revolution
Revolution is a landmark 1968 counterculture documentary directed by Jack O’Connell that serves as a definitive visual time capsule of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district during the 1967 “Summer of Love”.
Fillmore - The Last Days
Fillmore: The Last Days (1972) is a legendary music documentary that chronicles the closing of San Francisco’s iconic Fillmore West auditorium. Directed by Richard T. Heffron and Peter Clifton, the film captures the five-night farewell concert series that ended on July 4, 1971.
Les Diggers de San francisco
Les Diggers de San Francisco (1998) is a documentary directed by Alice Gaillard and Céline Deransart. The film explores the 1966–1968 counterculture group that pioneered the “Everything is Free” philosophy, utilizing guerilla street theater and mutual aid to live entirely without money.
The Mamas and The Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a definitive American folk-rock vocal group that became a defining voice of the 1960s counterculture movement. Selling nearly 40 million records worldwide, they were one of the greatest vocal groups ever. With their intricate, four-part “wall-of-harmony” vocal arrangements, they embodied the sunny, free-spirited West Coast lifestyle.
Highway 61 Revisited
The BBC Arena film about Bob Dylan’s classic track, Highway 61 Revisited, originally aired in May 1993 as part of the Tales of Rock ‘N’ Roll series. The 60-minute documentary explores the song’s genesis, Dylan’s Minnesota roots, and the cultural history of the real American highway.
Bob Dylan - Don't Look Back
Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back (1967) is a groundbreaking documentary directed by D.A. Pennebaker. It follows a 24-year-old Bob Dylan on his 1965 acoustic concert tour of England. The film is celebrated as a landmark of cinéma vérité (or direct cinema), capturing raw, behind-the-scenes reality without narration or scripted interviews.
Good Vibrations
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