New Country Music Film Projects

A lot has been happening here at Straight Six Films. As the hoopla
around “King of Bluegrass: The Life and Times of Jimmy Martin” has
slowed down a bit, we’ve started work on some new projects. Here’s
what we’ve been up to:

The Sundowners - We are nearing completion of a 20-minute documentary
about the Sundowners, an amazing honky-tonk band that played together
five nights a week for 30 years in downtown Chicago. They laid smooth
cowboy harmonies over everything from Appalachian folk songs and Tin
Pan Alley to Swing and Rock n’ Roll. Their singing was simply amazing.
The Sundowners were Don Walls, Bob Boyd, and Curt Delaney. Bloodshot
Records released a fantastic collection of their live recordings in
2004.

The Sundowners documentary will be released as part of a 10-year
anniversary DVD for Bloodshot Records. Stay tuned for more details
about the DVD release.

North Carolina Rambler: The Legend of Charlie Poole - We recently
started pre-production on a film about old-time banjo player and singer
Charlie Poole and his North Carolina Ramblers.

Charlie Poole (1892-1931) and his North Carolina Ramblers were one of
the most exciting and influential string bands of the 1920s. Together
they created a unique fusion, melding mountain ballads and fiddle tunes
with classical banjo picking, Tin Pan Alley, and ragtime syncopation.
Their intricate picking patterns, walking arpeggios, and Poole’s three
-finger banjo style anticipated bluegrass music.

Poole was not only a trailblazer musically, he also embodied the beginning of an archetype in country music--the restless rambler whose hard drinking and hard living created great legend. During performances, it was common for Poole to jump over a chair and land standing on his hands or do cartwheels across the stage.  Once, on a bet, he jumped headfirst into a pallet of eggs.  Unfortunately, his heavy use of alcohol became more severe as his career waned during the Depression, eventually taking his life and bringing an early end to a prolific and influential recording career.   

We are currently raising money and conducting archival research for the film.  We hope to begin shooting later this year.  If you are interested in learning more about the film, please contact me at straightsixfilms@hotmail.com

George Goehl