Sources for this page came from the PBS website, album liner notes, Amazon, and personal commentary.

Audio Compilations (Box-set and single disc)
Video (Box-set and seven individual)
Book
Artist Profiles (Twelve profiles)
Additional Background

Perhaps the best single disc Blues overviews.

1. Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson 
2. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) - Bessie Smith 
3. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James 
4. Evil (Is Going On) - Howlin' Ron Wolf 
5. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters 
6. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker 
7. Death Letter Blues - Son House 
8. Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) - Ray Charles 
9. I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James 
10. The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King 
11. All Your Love - Eric Clapton 
12. One Good Man - Janis Joplin 
13. Red House - Jimi Hendrix Experience 
14. One Way Out (Live) - The Allman Brothers Band 
15. Pride And Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan 
16. Am I Wrong - Keb' Mo' 
17. Just Won't Burn - Susan Tedeschi 
18. Voodoo Music - Los Lobos 
19. Vietnam Blues - Cassandra Wilson 
20. Round And Round - Bonnie Raitt 
21. I Pity The Fool - Shemekia Copeland 

The seven part DVD series is available as a box-set. Also, the individual shows are available separately with both DVD and audio soundtracks.

7 videodiscs (ca. 13 hrs.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in + 1 guide ([12] p. : ill. ; 19 cm.) 
Note Each disc contains bonus material not shown in the original broadcast, including director commentaries, on-camera interviews with the directors, and live performances. 

Series originally produced for PBS and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting ; presented by WGBH Boston to PBS. 

Contents [1] Feel like going home : a film / by Martin Scorsese -- [2] The Soul of a man : a film / by Wim Wenders -- [3] The Road to Memphis : a film / by Richard Pearce and Robert Kenner -- [4] Warming by the devil's fire : a film / by Charles Burnett -- [5] Godfathers and sons : a film / by Marc Levin -- [6] Red, white & blues : a film / by Mike Figgis -- [7] Piano blues : a film / by Clint Eastwood. 
Summary 

A seven-part television series of personal and impressionistic films, viewed through the lens of seven world-famous directors, capturing the essence of blues music and delving into its global influence, from its roots in Africa to its inspirational role in today's music. 

System details DVD, 5.1 surround sound. 

Product Description
This soundtrack is one in a series (Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues) featuring original recordings and blues classics hand picked by the director Martin Scorsese. 20 tracks from the likes of Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Ali Farka Toure & Lead Belly. Sony. 2003. 

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Traveling Riverside Blues - Robert Johnson 
2. Dynaflow Blues - Johnny Shines 
3. Hellhound On My Trail - Robert Johnson 
4. Country Blues - Muddy Waters 
5. Celebrated Walkin' Blues - Taj Mahal 
6. Rosalie - Muddy Waters With The Son Simms Four 
7. My Black Mama Pt. II - Son House 
8. Government Fleet Blues - Son House 
9. Gypsy Woman - Muddy Waters 
10. High Water Everywhere Pt. 1 - Charley Patton 
11. C.C. Rider - Lead Belly 
12. Terrorized - Willie King & The Liberators 
13. Oh Baby - Napolean Strickland & The Como Drum Band 
14. Lay My Burden Down - Otha Turner & Corey Harris 
15. Mali Dje - Ali Farka Toure 
16. Tupelo Blues - John Lee Hooker 
17. Amandrai - Ali Farka Toure 
18. Down Child - John Lee Hooker 
19. Ananamin (It's Been So Long) - Salif Keita 
20. My Babe - Otha Turner & The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band 

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Peter Guralnick
 
Director Martin Scorsese (The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York) 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).

Says Scorsese: "I've always felt an affinity for blues music — the culture of storytelling through music is incredibly fascinating and appealing to me. The blues have great emotional resonance and are the foundation for American popular music."

Performances in Feel Like Going Home
Corey Harris
John Lee Hooker *
Son House *
Salif Keita
Habib Koité
Taj Mahal
Ali Farka Toure
Otha Turner
Muddy Waters *
Keb' Mo'
Willie King
Lead Belly *

*indicates archival performance

Product Description
This soundtrack is one in a series (Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues) featuring original recordings and blues classics hand picked by the director Wim Wenders. 20 tracks from the likes of Cassandra Wilson, James Blood Ulmer, Marc Ribot, Lou Reed & Los Lobos. Sony. 2003. 

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Cassandra Wilson - Vietnam 
2. Eagle Eye Cherry /Vernon Reid /James "Blood" Ulmer - Down In Mississippi 
3. Lucinda Williams - Hard Times Killing Floor Blues 
4. Lou Reed - Look Down The Road 
5. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - I Feel So Good 
6. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Devil Got My Woman [New Recording] 
7. Cassandra Wilson - Slow Down Woman 
8. T-Bone Burnett - Don't Dog Your Woman 
9. Los Lobos - Voodoo Music 
10. John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - The Death Of J.B. Lenoir 
11. J.B. Lenoir - Alabama 
12. Shemekia Copeland - God's Word 
13. Alvin Youngblood Hart - Illinois Blues 
14. Beck - I'm So Glad 
15. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Special Rider Blues 
16. Marc Ribot - Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground 
17. Bonnie Raitt - Devil Got My Woman 
18. Skip James - Crow Jane 
19. Garland Jeffreys - Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues 
20. Blind Willie Johnson- Soul of A Man 
21. Lou Reed - See That My Grave Is Kept Clean 

Written and directed by Wim Wenders
 
Director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club; Wings of Desire; Paris, Texas ) explores the lives of his favorite blues artists — Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, and J. B. Lenoir — in a film that is part history and part personal pilgrimage. The film tells the story of these artists' lives in music through a fictional film-within-a-film, rare archival footage, and covers of their songs by contemporary musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Eagle Eye Cherry, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cassandra Wilson, Garland Jeffreys, Los Lobos, and others.

Says Wenders: "These songs meant the world to me. I felt there was more truth in them than in any book I had read about America, or in any movie I had ever seen. I've tried to describe, more like a poem than in a 'documentary,' what moved me so much in their songs and voices."

Performances in The Soul of a Man
T-Bone Burnett
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Eagle-Eye Cherry
Shemekia Copeland
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Skip James *
Garland Jeffreys
Chris Thomas King
J.B. Lenoir *
Los Lobos
John Mayall *
Bonnie Raitt
Lou Reed
Vernon Reid
Marc Ribot
James "Blood" Ulmer
Lucinda Williams
Cassandra Wilson

*indicates archival performance

Product Description
Soundtrack from director Richard Pearce (The Long Walk Home, Leap Of Faith) traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King, featuring original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner. Hip-O Records. 2003. 

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Beale Street Ain't Beale Street No More (Live Street Recording) - Rev. Gatemouth Moore 
2. Dust My Broom - Elmore James 
3. Three O'Clock Blues - B.B. King 
4. How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf 
5. Moanin' At Midnight - Howlin' Wolf 
6. Rosco's Boogie - Rosco Gordon 
7. Mystery Train - Little Junior's Blue Flames 
8. Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston 
9. Precious Lord - B.B. King 
10. Hoochie Man (Live) - Bobby Rush 
11. Done Got Old (Live) - Robert Belfour 
12. Hen Pecked - Bobby Rush 
13. Medley: Stand Still, Stay Right Here / Dance For The Devil (Live) - Rev. Charles E. Polk & The St. Luther Choir 
14. I Pity The Fool - Bobby Bland 
15. Bring It On Home - Sonny Boy Williamson 
16. Killing Floor (Live) - Hubert Sumlin & David Johansen 
17. Now You're Gone - Rosco Gordon

Directed by Richard Pearce
Written by Robert Gordon
 
Director Richard Pearce (The Long Walk Home, Leap of Faith, A Family Thing) traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King in a film that pays tribute to the city that gave birth to a new style of blues. Pearce's homage to Memphis features original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.

Says Pearce: "The Blues is a chance to celebrate one of the last truly indigenous American art forms, before it all but disappears, swallowed whole by the rock and roll generation it spawned. Hopefully we'll get there before it's too late."

Performances in The Road to Memphis
Fats Domino *
Rosco Gordon *
B.B. King
Little Milton
Little Richard *
Bobby Rush
Ike Turner
Howlin' Wolf *
The Coasters *

*indicates archival performance

Product Description
This soundtrack is one in a series (Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues) featuring original recordings and blues classics hand picked by director Charles Burnett. 18 tracks from the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Ma Rainey, Robert Johnson & John Lee Hooker. Sony. 2003.

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Jelly Roll Morton - Turtle Twist 
2. Ma Rainey - See See Rider 
3. Son House - Death Letter 
4. Billie Holiday - I'm A Fool Too Want You 
5. Mississippi John Hurt - Big Leg Blues 
6. Memphis Jug Band - K.C. Moan 
7. Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago 
8. Tommy McClennan - Deep Blue Sea Blues 
9. Bessie Smith - Muddy Water 
10. Sonny Boy Williamson - Cross My Heart 
11. Elmore James - Dust My Broom 
12. Muddy Waters - You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had 
13. W.C. Handy - Beale Street Blues 
14. Charley Patton - Hang It On The Wall 
15. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head (I Hear Music In The Air) 
16. Stephen James Taylor - Give Me Freedom 
17. Mildred Jones - Mr. Thrill 
18. John Lee Hooker - I'll Never Get Out of these Blues Alive

Written and directed by Charles Burnett
 
Director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, To Sleep with Anger) 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.

Says Burnett: "The sound of the blues was a part of my environment that I took for granted. However, as years passed, the blues slowly emerged as an essential source of imagery, humor, irony, and insight that allows one to reflect on the human condition. I always wanted to do a story on the blues that not only reflected its nature and its content, but also alludes to the form itself. In short, a story that gives you the impression of the blues."

Performances in The Warming by the Devil's Fire
Big Bill Broonzy *
Elizabeth Cotten *
Reverend Gary Davis *
Ida Cox *
Willie Dixon *
Lightnin' Hopkins *
Son House *
Mississippi John Hurt *
Vasti Jackson
Bessie Smith *
Mamie Smith *
Victoria Spivey *
Sister Rosetta Tharpe *
Dinah Washington *
Muddy Waters *
Sonny Boy Williamson *

Product Description
This soundtrack is one in a series (Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues) featuring original recordings and blues classics hand picked by the director by Marcia Ball. Sony. 2003. 

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Koko Taylor - Wang Dang Doodle 
2. Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy 
3. Paul Butterfield - Born in Chicago 
4. Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind 
5. Howlin' Wolf - Spoonful 
6. Paul Butterfield - Shake Your Money Maker 
7. immy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City 
8. Little Walter - Key To The Highway 
9. Howlin' Wolf - Evil 
10. Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man 
11. Jimmy Rogers - Chicago Bound 
12. Buddy Guy - I Cry And Sing The Blues Rolling Stones - I Just Want To Make Love To You 
13. Otis Rush - Walking The Backstreets And Crying [Live] [New Recording] 
14. Lonnie Brooks - Feel Good Doin' Bad [Live] [New Recording] 
15. Bo Diddley - We're Gonna Get Married 
16. Magic Slim - Talk To Me Baby [Live] [New Recording] 
17. Bob Dylan - Maggie's Farm [Live] 
18. Jimi Hendrix - Rollin' Stone (a/k/a Catfish Blues) 
19. Public Enemy - Show 'Em Whatcha Got [New Recording] 
20. Common - Dooinit [New Recording] 
21. Electric Mudcats - Mannish Boy

Directed by Marc Levin
 
Director Marc Levin (Slam, Whiteboys, Brooklyn Babylon) 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.

Says Levin: "When we were shooting Sam Lay and his band at the Chicago Blues Festival, they were playing Muddy Waters' classic, 'I Got My Mojo Workin.' I closed my eyes and was transported back to when I was a 15-year-old hanging in my buddy's basement listening to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band for the first time. My life was changed that day, and 35 years later the music's still shakin' my soul. The feel of that day in the basement is what I have set out to capture in this film."

Performances in Godfathers and Sons
Lonnie Brooks
Paul Butterfield *
Common
Chuck D and Public Enemy *
Bo Diddley *
Sam Lay
Ike Turner
Pinetop Perkins
Otis Rush
Magic Slim
Smokey Smothers
Koko Taylor
Sonny Terry * & Brownie McGhee *
"Electric Mud Band":
  Pete Cosey, Phil Upchurch, Louis Satterfield, Morris Jennings
Kyle Rahzel and Ahmir (a.k.a. ?uestlove) of The Roots
Muddy Waters *
Sonny Boy Williamson *
Howlin' Wolf *
Willie Dixon *
Blind Arvella Gray *
Carrie Robinson *

*indicates archival performance

Product Description
Director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) joins musicians such as Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tom Jones performing and talking about the music of the early 60s British invasion that reintroduced the blues sound to America. Hip-O Records. 2003. 
Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Tom Jones & Jeff Beck - Going Down Slow 
2. Louis Armstrong & His All Stars - Back O' Town Blues (live) 
3. Dixie Four - St. Louis Man 
4. Big Bill Broonzy - Black, Brown, and White Blues 
5. Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Marie Knight - Up Above My Head I hear Music In Te Air 
6. The Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group - Rock Island Line 
7. Lulu with Jeff Beck - Cry me A River 
8. Miles Davis - Generique 
9. Tom Jones with Jeff Beck - Love Letters 
10. Humphrey Lyttelton - Bad Penny Blues 
11. Little Joe Cook (aka Chris Farlowe) - Stormy Monday Blues, parts 1 & 2 
12. Tom Jones & Jeff Beck - Hard Times 
13. Ray Charles - Tell The Truth (live) 
14. Spencer Davis Group - Hey Darling 
15. Fleetwood Mac - Shake Your Money Maker 
16. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton - Have You Heard 
17. Cream - Crossroads 
18. Jeff Beck - Rollin & Tumblin 
19. Tom Jones - Lawdy Miss Clawdy 
20. Lulu with Jeff Beck - Drown In My Own Tears

Directed by Mike Figgis
 
Director Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday, Leaving Las Vegas, Time Code) 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.

During the 1960s, the UK was the location for a vibrant social revolution. London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle all had their own music scenes. Musicians from Belfast and Glasgow moved to London to be part of the club scene there.

The post-war traditional jazz and folk revival movements produced the fertile ground for a new kind of blues music — entirely influenced by the authentic black blues of the USA, and, for the most part, entirely ignored by the good citizens of the US. It was new in the sense that certain key musicians took the blues and molded it in an entirely personal way to fit the new awareness of the UK in the sixties. Importantly, for the most part they continued to pay homage to the originators of the music and to make a huge global audience aware of the likes of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Freddie King, etc.

Mike Figgis' film examines the circumstances of this vibrant period. Figgis himself participated, albeit in a minor way, in this period of history, playing in a blues band with Bryan Ferry, a band that was the nucleus for the first Roxy Music.

A series of musical interviews with the key players of the blues movement is augmented with a live session at the famous Abbey Road recording studios. Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, and Lulu all improvise around some classic blues standards, accompanied by a superb band made up of younger and not-so-younger-musicians. The results are electrifying.

Says Figgis: "I'm interested in why there was such excitement about this black music among Europeans. To that end, I've put together a group of these musicians, augmenting the line-up with some younger talent as well. Hopefully the resulting recording session of some blues standards, and the discussions that follow, shine some light on why at a particular moment the blues was reinterpreted abroad and reintroduced in a new form that was universally embraced."

Performances in Red, White & Blues
Jeff Beck
Big Bill Broonzy *
Cream *
Lonnie Donnegan
Georgie Fame
Chris Farlowe
Tom Jones
B.B. King
Peter King
Alexis Korner *
Albert Lee
Lulu
Humphrey Lyttelton
Sonny Terry * & Brownie McGhee *
Van Morrison
Rolling Stones *
Sister Rosetta Tharpe *
Muddy Waters *
Lead Belly *
Jon Cleary

*indicates archival performance

Product Description
This soundtrack is one in a series (Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues) featuring original recordings and blues classics hand picked by the director Clint Eastwood. 20 tracks from the likes of Pine Top Smith, Leroy Carr, Dr. John, Art Tatum, Professor Longhair. Sony. 2003.

Available in both CD and DVD format.

1. Jimmy Yancey - How Long Blues 
2. The Boogie Woogie Boys Boogie - Boogie Woogie Prayer, Pt.1 
3. Count Basie And His Orchestra - How Long Blues 
4. Johnny Moore's Three Blazers - Driftin' Blues 
5. Fats Domino - The Fat Man 
6. Art Tatum - Tatum Pole Boogie 
7. Professor Longhair - Tipitina 
8. Ray Charles - What'd I Say, Parts 1 & 2 
9. Otis Span - Good Morning Mr. Blues 
10. Duke Ellington, Charles Mongus & Max Roach - Backward Country Boy Blues 
11. Thelonious Monk - Blue Monk 
12. Big Joe Turner & Jay McShann & Dave Brubeck - Mission Ranch Blues 
13. Joe Turner - The Ladder 
14. Dr. John - Honey Dripper 
15. Henry Townsend - World Full of People 
16. Dr. John - Big Chief 
17. Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins & Marcia Ball - Carmel Blues 
18. Dr. John, Pete Jolly & Henry Gray - How Long Blues

Directed by Clint Eastwood
 
Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood (Play Misty for Me, Bird, Unforgiven) explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.

Says Eastwood: "The blues has always been part of my musical life and the piano has a special place, beginning when my mother brought home all of Fats Waller's records. Also, the music has always played a part in my movies. A piano blues documentary gives me a chance to make a film that is more directly connected to the subject of the music than the features that I have been doing throughout my career."

Available in both hardcover and paperback.

A companion book to the PBS documentary series Martin Scorsese presents the blues: a musical journey

From Amazon
Amazon.com
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey is an idiosyncratic, well-produced, and relatively cheap introduction to a quintessentially American musical invention. With much of the material consisting of excerpts from other sources, and the lack of an index, the tome seems more like a fluffed-up set of liner notes for the accompanying DVD set and CD series than a book--and that's probably the best way to approach it. The book is loosely constructed around the seven films, and there are great writers involved, including Stanley Booth, Hilton Als, Robert Palmer, Richard Hell, Luc Sante, and Robert Gordon. These selections are for the most part inspired, though one wonders why there's not even one page from Alan Greenberg’s brilliant Love in Vain screenplay, or anything from LeRoi Jones' classic Blues People. Unlike similar collections, the book gives real props to gospel-blues pioneer Bind Willie Johnson and rightfully places fife and drum patriarch Othar Turner at the top of the blues pantheon. But very little print is given to political, racial, gender and social issues surrounding the music. Not that one wishes it were some heavy academic tome. But, like the celebrated PBS series itself, an aura of missed opportunity hangs over the entire endeavor. Overall, this book makes a fine gift for casual fans of the music and is recommended for those who really enjoyed the series. --Mike McGonigal

There were 12 artist profiles in the Martin Scorsese Presents series.

Allman Brothers Band

Eric Clapton

Jimi Hendrix

Robert Johnson

B.B. King

Keb' Mo'

J.B. Lenoir

Taj Mahal

Son House

Bessie Smith

1. Red House 
2. Voodoo Chile 
3. Come On (Let The Good Times Roll) 
4. Georgia Blues 
5. Country Blues 
6. Hear My Train A Comin' 
7. It's Too Bad 
8. My Friend 
9. Blue Window 
10. Midnight Lightning 

1. Soon As I Get Paid 
2. Come On In My Kitchen 
3. Perpetual Blues Machine 
4. Don't Try To Explain 
5. Iim On Your Side 
6. Henry 
7. Am I Wrong 
8. A Letter To Tracy 
9. Love In Vain 
10. Dirty Low Down And Bad 
11. Every Morning 
12. Dangerous Mood 
13. It Hurts Me Too 
14. Crapped Out Again 
15. Love Blues 
16. Peace of Mind 

SRV Boxset
7/11/83 
El Mocambo, Toronto, Canada
6. Hug You, Squeeze You (Live) 

Couldn't Stand the Weather
7. The Things (That) I Used To Do 
8. Honey Bee 
9. Give Me Mack My Wig 

SRV Boxset 
10. The Sky Is Crying (Live) 

Soul to Soul
11. Look At Little Sister 
12. Empty Arms 
13. Come On (Part III) 

Live At Montreaux 1982 & 1985
7/15/85
14. Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love (Live) 

Recorded 6/30/1987
Philadelphia, PA
15. Mary Had A Little Lamp (Live) 

In Step
16. Leave My Girl Alone  

From the PBS website
The Blues™, executive produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, is a seven-film television series of personal and impressionistic films viewed through the lens of seven world-famous directors who share a passion for the music. The blues is a powerfully influential music genre; an expression of the African-American experience that speaks of universal emotions. Countless of the world's most celebrated artists have credited the blues with influencing their music. In this musical journey, we are able not only to trace the actual journey of the music from Africa, across America, and to Europe, but also trace the effects of the blues on all popular music. It can be argued that no other type of music has had a more everlasting influence on today's artists than the blues. As Willie Dixon so aptly said, "The blues are the roots; everything else is the fruits."

Sponsored by Volkswagen, The Blues project's goals are to celebrate and increase appreciation of blues music; to capture the essence and cultural impact of this genre through stories of artists and their music; and to inspire audiences to explore their own personal relationships with the blues. The Blues is a multi-media presentation from Vulcan Productions and Road Movies in association with Cappa Productions and Jigsaw Productions. The Blues aims to capture the essence of the blues—its emotional resonance—and explore how this music has so deeply influenced people the world over.

The much-anticipated series, premiering Sunday, September 28th from 9-11pm on PBS, and running for seven consecutive nights through October 4th, anchors a multi-media project to help raise awareness of the blues and its contribution to American culture and music worldwide. Its goal is to reach as many people as possible through the following initiatives: 

*a seven-film television series on PBS 
*an extensive Web site at pbs.org/theblues 
*a 13-part radio series on public radio stations nationwide, distributed by Public Radio International 
*a teacher's guide containing blues lesson plans, teaching strategies and resource materials for high school teachers of English, Social Studies and Music 
*a companion book published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, entitled Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey 
*value-added DVDs, a CD boxed set, individual soundtracks for each show, a single "Best of" album and individual artist recordings released collaboratively by Hip-O Records/Universal Music Enterprises and Columbia/Legacy 
*"On the Road," a national schedule of film, music and heritage events celebrating the blues throughout the year 
*a "Salute to the Blues" benefit concert that took place at Radio City Music Hall on February 7, 2003 
*a film of the "Salute to the Blues" concert for theatrical release directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and executive produced by Martin Scorsese 

The Blues—TV Series 

Under the guiding hand of Executive Producer Martin Scorsese, The Blues is a seven-part television series of personal and impressionistic films viewed through the lens of seven world famous directors who share a passion for the music. The films, by Charles Burnett, Clint Eastwood, Mike Figgis, Marc Levin, Richard Pearce, Martin Scorsese, and Wim Wenders, capture the essence of blues music and delve into its global influence-from its roots in Africa to its inspirational role in today's music. Four of the seven films are written by Charles Burnett, Robert Gordon, Peter Guralnick, and Wim Wenders. The Blues is a series of impressionistic and iconoclastic films—each director exploring the music through his own personal connections. Simply put, it is the journey from Robert Johnson's Delta blues "Love in Vain," to John Coltrane's transcendental anthem, "A Love Supreme." Driven by the beat of performances by famous players from every kind of music the blues has inspired—hip-hop, rhythm and blues, soul, country and rock and roll—this seven-part series takes us on a journey as soulful and ebullient as the music itself. Martin Scorsese personally introduces each of the seven episodes. Along with Scorsese, Paul G. Allen and Jody Patton of Vulcan Productions and Ulrich Felsberg of Road Movies are executive producing the series; Alex Gibney is the series producer; Margaret Bodde is the producer and Richard Hutton is the co-producer.

The Blues is closed captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. The descriptive narration is made possible by a special grant from Volkswagen and is available on the SAP channel of stereo TVs and VCRs.

Feel Like Going Home—Director Martin Scorsese (The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York) 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).

The Soul of a Man—Director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club, Wings of Desire, Paris, Texas) explores the lives of his favorite blues artists—Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir—in a film that is part history and part personal pilgrimage. The film tells the story of these lives in music through a fictional film-within-a-film, rare archival footage, and covers of their songs by contemporary musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Eagle Eye Cherry, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cassandra Wilson, Garland Jeffreys, Los Lobos and others.

The Road to Memphis—Director Richard Pearce (The Long Walk Home, Leap of Faith, A Family Thing) traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King in a film that pays tribute to the city that gave birth to a new style of blues. Pearce's homage to Memphis features original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Fats Domino.

Warming by the Devil's Fire—Director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, To Sleep with Anger) presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in 1955, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues.

Godfathers and Sons—Director Marc Levin (Slam, Whiteboys, Brooklyn Babylon) 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.

Red, White & Blues—Director Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday, Leaving Las Vegas, Timecode) joins musicians such as Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Tom Jones performing and talking about the music of the early 60s British invas