During the 1960s the UK was the location for a vibrant social revolution. The post-war traditional jazz and folk revival movements sowed the seeds--in fertile musical ground--for the roots of a new kind of blues music, entirely influenced by the authentic black blues of the USA.

Charles Burnett explores his own past as a young boy who was shuttled back and forth between Los Angeles and Mississippi, torn between an uncle who loved the blues and a mother who believed that the blues were the devil's music. Burnett's film boldly mixes fictional storytelling with documentary footage of a host of blues legends.

The lives, times and music of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Ethel Waters and other legendary women illustrate how the blues became a vital part of American culture. Wild Women Don't Have the Blues shows how the blues were born out of the economic and social transformation of African American life early in this century. It recaptures the lives and times of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Alberta Hunter, Ethel Waters and the other legendary women...

After Jake Blues is release from prison, he and brother Elwood go to visit the old home where they were raised by nuns. They learn the church is no longer supporting the institution and will sell the place to the education authority. The only way to keep the place open is if the $5000 tax on the property is paid within the next 11 days. The brothers want to help and decide to put their blues band back together and raise the the money by staging a...

Director Wim Wenders looks at the dramatic tension in the blues between the sacred and the profane by exploring the music and lives of three of his favorite blues artists: Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J.B. Lenoir.

Actor--and piano-player--Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues using a treasure trove of rare historical acts as well as interviews and performances by such living legends as Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Dr. John.