Take Me to the River

There are special places on this earth.

Places of origin.

The Mississippi Delta

is one of those places.

It saw the birth of more musical genres

than anywhere else on the planet.

An incredible number of musical artists

came from this region.

Countless award winners

who would influence

and inspire music around the world.

And at the center of it all

the city on the river.

You know there was something special brewing in Memphis.

Out of nowhere hits began to spring from this

integrated musical utopia.

And the sound that was brought forth

was heard throughout the entire world.

Music producer Martin Shore

and the director of this film

has gathered together a group

of legendary Memphians

to create a historic new album.

Sitting in the studio built my mentor,

legendary producer Jim Dickinson,

I had the inspiration for this project.

Together with my friend Cody Dickinson,

we would reintroduce the influential music of Memphis

by pairing legendary musicans

Everything we touched turned to gold,

and they couldn't figure out how.

With stars of today.

No matter what

it felt good to you, it touched the spirit.

All with roots from Memphis

to the Mississippi Delta.

To record new music

These sessions witnessed the legendary masters

mentoring and passing on their musical magic

to a new generation.

Booker T. and the M. G.'s was a completely

new phenomenon for the world, okay?

The music was different from anything that had

ever been played before.

We were an integrated band.

We couldn't just anywhere we wanted to.

We didn't play the black clubs,

we didn't play the white clubs together.

Not at first.

A lot of people thought that is was

a black band.

A lot of people thought it was a white band.

They didn't know what it was,

'cause we didn't have any photos out.

You guys want to go see the studio?

Yeah, let's do it.

Zebra Ranch, man.

You are listening to the sounds

of the North Mississippi Allstars

and Booker T.

I'm just your host.

They call me Al Kapone, Al Kapeezy.

Look, man. Hey!

Luther!

Nice to see you. Welcome.

How are you?

Thank you for coming here.

Oh, you're welcome.

I'm Luther Dickinson, and my brother and I

play in a band called the North Mississippi Allstars.

Products of the Memphis music scene, you know.

Our father was a huge guiding force for us

our whole lives.

He was a piano player, and a guitar player

and a record producer.

He was so happy to play with Bob Dylan

on the "Time out of Mind" record.

He had a wonderful career.

He was a true champion and hero of Memphis music.

And that's what it's all about, man.

Passing the tradition on.

Getting the great Memphis musical legends together

with the younger generation of artists and bands, you know?

We've been talking about this project for a few years

and I wish we'd done it then, man,

because we lost so many great people

even since we started talking about it.

It works though.

I want my legacy in music to be that

I was a Memphian that helped create

underground sound that hadn't even been

developed before, that was created from

dances like the Gangsta Walk

that evolved later into buckin' and jookin'

that didn't stay stuck in a box,

that transcended race.

Memphis music is often passed down in families.

Willie Mitchell founded Royal Studios,

home of Hi Records, and the Hi Rhythm Section.

Papa Willie is considered the architect

of the Memphis sound, and produced hit records

for some of the biggest stars in Memphis

including all of Al Green's classics.

One, two, three!

Willie Mitchell's Royal Studios.

So as young teenagers, we were brought over here

to sing background on something that was a country session.

And I remember Willie always said, you know,

Country music and R & B, he said, they're cousins.

If something was good and musical and caught him,

you know, it didn't matter if it was rap, country, gospel,

jazz, whatever.

He'd like it.

Next thing you know we're singing "Tired of Being Alone."

Fourteen number one.

Fourteen number one gold records in a row,

and it's just like, okay.

He'd see something he'd like,

he'd say, "God from Glory!"

"God From Glory!" That's it.

He'd go along like that, "God from Glory!"

He'd pop that' knee, you'd just send chills

out there like, okay, guess he likes that.

Now let's keep that up.

Willie was my man, and he was like

a father to me too, man.

And his son, Boo is like what Willie was the same way.

I'm sure if I needed something I could go to Boo and get it.

I'm sure I could.

We love Papa Willie.

He was our pops too,

and we'd like to say to him and to Memphis music

and all the people out here

Hey man.

Hey Mr. Otis Clay.

You look like somebody I should know.

You look like somebody I do know.

Ah, how you doing?

What's your name?

Lil' P-Nut.

What!

You're P-Nut? Yes, sir.

How you doin' P-nut?

Fine.

Yeah, great, man.

Been checking you out.

I don't know what we're gonna do,

but we're gonna do it well.

I didn't know who I was going to be working with,

but then I see P-Nut, you know, I said, okay.

This is gonna be fun.

You know?

There's not a generation gap.

It's a communication gap.

And when you take the time to communicate

then you find that there really is no difference.

Okay, let's do this.

From the top?

Yeah, from your top, from your top.

I'm talking to one of the greatest dummers in what?

Can you give me bop bop?

Okay.

Count it out, Steve.

One, two, three.

What's goin' on, Charles?

Hey man, what's goin' on?

Hey, man, it's been good.