Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music (1993)

Director: Ken Mandel

Blues as a genre shaped the sound of jazz in the early 20th century and directly led to the creation of rock 'n' roll in the '50s. The scales, chords, and progressions of blues as a musical form can be found in styles from jazz to rock to contemporary R&B.

Cast

Keith David

Self - Host

Robert Palmer

Self - Commentator

Albert Murray

Self - Commentator

Chuck Berry

Self (archive footage)

Louis Armstrong

Self (archive footage)

Count Basie

Self (archive footage)

Big Bill Bronzy

Self

Willie Dixon

Self

W.C. Handy

Self

John Lee Hooker

Self