“20 Feet From Stardom” documents the work and life of some of the most iconic pop culture figures you’ve never heard of. They’re the voices of The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”, of David Bowie’s “Young Americans” and Tina and Ike Turner’s Ikettes. They’re the unheralded backup singers all throughout rock history.
Morgan Neville’s film is insightful because it does more than give a few people a platform to shine; it delves into the complicated nuances of this job, this industry and the effect it has on these individuals’ lives.
Neville is the producer behind such rock docs as “Pearl Jam Twenty” and “Johnny Cash’s America,” and he uses that clout to gain access to such rock royalty as Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and Stevie Wonder. Bruce explains at the film’s opening that the walk from the back of that stage to the front is a complicated one, and some of the best in the biz have flown under the radar not for lack of trying.
To be a backup singer, the job involves conforming to the sound, the voice and the need of the song. It inherently rejects individual expression such that you can be part of an ensemble. Continue reading “20 Feet From Stardom”