Movies Similar to The Blues Under the Skin

Bluesman(2019)

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars(2018)

An unflinching and deeply personal journey into the life and work of guitarist Eric Clapton told through his own words and songs.

Ghost World(2001)

Two quirky, cynical teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives after high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric, middle aged record collector, one of them befriends him, which causes a rift in the girls’ friendship.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom(2020)

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.

Black Snake Moan(2006)

A God-fearing bluesman takes to a wild young woman who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, is looking everywhere for love, but never quite finding it.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story(2007)

Following a childhood tragedy, Dewey Cox follows a long and winding road to music stardom. Dewey perseveres through changing musical styles, an addiction to nearly every drug known and bouts of uncontrollable rage.

The Blues Brothers(1980)

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

Lady Sings the Blues(1972)

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.

Killer Diller(2004)

A guitar playing car thief meets an autistic savant piano player, and together they transform a group of reluctant halfway house convicts into The Killer Diller Blues Band.

Blues in the Night(1941)

A struggling band find themselves attached to a fugitive and drawn into a series of old feuds and love affairs, as they try to stay together and find musical success.

Genghis Blues(1999)

Blind blues musician Paul Pena is perhaps best known for his song "Jet Airliner". In 1993, Pena heard Tuvan throat singing over his shortwave radio and subsequently taught himself how to reproduce these extraordinary sounds. This documentary follows him to Tuva, where he takes part in a throat singing competition. Languages featured in the film include English, Russian and Tuvan.

Crossroads(1986)

A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.

Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story(2008)

Boogie Man is a comprehensive look at political strategist, racist, and former Republican National Convention Committee chairman, Lee Atwater, who reinvigorated the Republican Party’s Southern Strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. He mentored Karl Rove and George W. Bush and played a key role in the elections of Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s(2013)

The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.

Eric Clapton: One More Car One More Rider(2001)

Clapton, live from Los Angeles' Staples Center on August 18, 2002, part of the sold-out worldwide tour that followed Clapton's 2001 album "Reptile." This concert DVD features live material spanning his entire career. Recorded in concert at The Staples Center in Los Angeles, August 18 2001, this performance spans Clapton's entire career and even throws in a cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for good measure. Based around the album REPTILE, which had just been released at the time, this footage also includes the songs "Layla," "Tears in Heaven," "Sunshine of Your Love" and many more.

Blue Moon(2023)

A boy walks through a Carnival fair at night, lost in thought, his only friend, the Moon.

The Howlin' Wolf Story: The Secret History of Rock & Roll(2003)

Arguably second only to Muddy Waters among the Mississippi Delta singers who traveled north and pioneered urban electric blues (their supposed rivalry is the subject of one of this DVD's bonus features), Wolf was a big, imposing man with an inimitable, booming voice and a lasting influence on generations of rock & rollers--all of which comes across in the 90-minute film.

Joe Bonamassa: Live from the Royal Albert Hall(2009)

Award-winning blues rock star, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa's new release, Joe Bonamassa Live From The Royal Albert Hall, a 2-DVD live set, just made it s debut at #6 on Billboard Magazine s Top Music DVD Chart and #10 on the Top Blues Album Chart. The film, released on October 6 by Bonamassa s record company J&R Adventures, captures the intensity and excitement of the May 2009 show that marked Bonamassa s headlining debut at arguably the most prestigious concert venue in the world. May 4, 2009 was a day 20 years in the making, says Bonamassa. I have never been so honored in my life. It was truly larger than the sum of its parts.

Eric Clapton: Wonderful Tonight - Live in Japan 2009(2010)

Eric Clapton is widely considered one of the greatest blues guitarists of all time. He played with The Yardbirds, a seminal 60s blues-rock band that would go on to become Led Zeppelin, before recording an album that is known as one of the greatest blues-rock albums ever made, with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. He went on to form three supergroups in quick succession. This film features his live performance at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on February 25, 2009.

Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away(2021)

Chicago blues great Buddy Guy never was the same after he heard John Lee Hooker’s seminal “Boogie Chillun’” while growing up in his rural stomping grounds of Lettswork, Louisiana. In 1957 he set out for the Windy City and its vibrant blues scene, where he played his way into the clubs, cut records, befriended and gigged with other greats (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush), forged his skillful, intense, wild persona, hit the road, influenced new generations of musicians (Mick, Keith, Eric, Stevie Ray Vaughan), performed at the Obama White House and collected nine Grammys along the way. Supported by a sumptuous assemblage of performance footage, testimonials from those he’s inspired (including Clapton, Carlos Santana, Gary Clark Jr., and John Mayer) and some classic blues licks, Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away finds Guy (now a young 84) looking back at his life, providing valuable insight into his music while leaving room for some memorable anecdotes.