All language subtitles for TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - Documentary (2014) -Hr++

There are special
places on this earth.

Places of origin.

The Mississippi delta

is one of those places.

It saw the birth of
more musical genres

than anywhere else
on the planet.

An incredible number
of musical artists

came from this region.

Countless award winners

who would influence

and inspire music
around the world.

And at the center of it all

the city on the river.

You know there was something
special brewing in Memphis.

Out of nowhere hits
began to spring from this

integrated musical utopia.

And the sound that
was brought forth

was heard throughout
the entire world.

Music producer Martin shore

and the director of this film

has gathered together a group

of legendary memphians

to create a historic new album.

Sitting in the
studio built my mentor,

legendary producer
Jim Dickinson,

I had the inspiration
for this project.

Together with my
friend Cody Dickinson,

we would reintroduce the
influential music of Memphis

by pairing legendary musicans

everything we
touched turned to gold,

and they couldn't
figure out how.

With stars of today.

No matter what
style or what genre,

it felt good to you,
it touched the spirit.

All with roots from Memphis

to the Mississippi delta.

To record new music

these sessions witnessed
the legendary masters

mentoring and passing
on their musical magic

to a new generation.

Booker t. And the m.
G.'S was a completely

new phenomenon for
the world, okay?

The music was different
from anything that had

ever been played before.

We were an integrated band.

We couldn't just
anywhere we wanted to.

We didn't play the black clubs,

we didn't play the
white clubs together.

Not at first.

A lot of people
thought that is was

a black band.

A lot of people thought
it was a white band.

They didn't know what it was,

'cause we didn't
have any photos out.

You guys want to
go see the studio?

Yeah, let's do it.

Zebra ranch, man.

You are listening to the sounds

of the north
Mississippi allstars

and booker t.

I'm just your host.

They call me ai
kapone, ai kapeezy.

Look, man. Hey!

Luther!

Nice to see you. Welcome.

How are you?

Thank you for coming here.

Oh, you're welcome.

I come on take a ride with me

I south Memphis, north
Memphis, tenneesee

j' I'm a product
of my environment

I same neighborhood
as mister booker t.

J“ riding in the Van
where he gave the game

I some things change,
some remain the same

I it don't really matter
cause we do our thing

I different time period
but we still the same

I we gonna get it back
where it's supposed to be

j“ black, white, it don't
really matter to me

I the past and the present
bring the whole new team

I we gon' get it back
where it's supposed to be

I we gon' get it back
where it's supposed to be

I get the money flowing
so we all can eat

I we gon' get it back
where it's supposed to be

I Memphis, tenneesee
making history

I we gonna get that
Memphis thing back

I where it's supposed to be

I'm Luther Dickinson,
and my brother and I

play in a band called the
north Mississippi allstars.

Products of the Memphis
music scene, you know.

Our father was a huge
guiding force for us

our whole lives.

He was a piano player,
and a guitar player

and a record producer.

He was so happy to
play with Bob Dylan

on the "time out
of mind" record.

He had a wonderful career.

He was a true champion
and hero of Memphis music.

And that's what
it's all about, man.

Passing the tradition on.

Getting the great Memphis
musical legends together

with the younger generation of
artists and bands, you know?

We've been talking about
this project for a few years

and I wish we'd
done it then, man,

because we lost so
many great people

even since we started
talking about it.

I we gonna do this music scene

I back where it's supposed be

I we'll put that music
where it's supposed to be

I Memphis, Tennessee is back
where it's supposed to be

it works though.

I my city got talent, man

I we got our own sound

I it's a Memphis thang

I worldwide known
and respected, too

I but it's kinda hard to
break it all way through

I want my legacy
in music to be that

I was a memphian
that helped create

underground sound
that hadn't even been

developed before,
that was created from

dances like the gangsta walk

that evolved later
into buckin' and jookin'

that didn't stay stuck in a box,

that transcended race.

I we'll put that music
where it's supposed to be

I Memphis music scene back
where it's supposed to be

Memphis music is often
passed down in families.

Willie Mitchell
founded royal studios,

home of hi records, and
the hi rhythm section.

Papa Willie is
considered the architect

of the Memphis sound,
and produced hit records

for some of the biggest
stars in Memphis

including all of al
green's classics.

One, two, three!

Willie Mitchell's royal studios.

So as young teenagers,
we were brought over here

to sing background on something
that was a country session.

And I remember Willie
always said, you know,

country music and r & b,
he said, they're cousins.

If something was good
and musical and caught him,

you know, it didn't matter if
it was rap, country, gospel,

jazz, whatever.

He'd like it.

Next thing you know we're
singing "tired of being alone."

Fourteen number one.

Fourteen number one
gold records in a row,

and it's just like, okay.

He'd see something he'd like,

he'd say, "god from glory!"

"God from glory!" That's it.

He'd go along like
that, "god from glory!"

He'd pop that' knee,
you'd just send chills

out there like, okay,
guess he likes that.

Now let's keep that up.

Willie was my
man, and he was like

a father to me too, man.

And his son, b00 is like
what Willie was the same way.

I'm sure if I needed something
I could go to boo and get it.

I'm sure I could.

We love papa Willie.

He was our pops too,

and we'd like to say to
him and to Memphis music

and all the people out here

I let's, let's stay together

I loving you whether

I whether times are good or bad

I happy or sad

I let's, let's stay together

Hey man.

Hey Mr. Otis Clay.

You look like
somebody I should know.

You look like
somebody I do know.

Ah, how you doing?

What's your name?

Lil' p-nut.

What!

You're p-nut? Yes, sir.

How you doin' p-nut?

Fine.

Yeah, great, man.

Been checking you out.

I don't know what
we're gonna do,

but we're gonna do it well.

I didn't know who I was
going to be working with,

but then I see p-nut,
you know, I said, okay.

This is gonna be fun.

You know?

There's not a generation gap.

It's a communication gap.

And when you take the
time to communicate

then you find that there
really is no difference.

Okay, let's do this.

From the top?

Yeah, from your
top, from your top.

I'm talking to one of the
greatest dummers in what?

Can you give me bop bop?

Okay.

Count it out, Steve.

One, two, three.

I I used to smoke five
packs of cigarettes a day

I it was the hardest
thing to put them away

I I drank four,
five bottles of wine

I I kept a glass in
my hand all the time

I oh breaking old habits

I nothing compared
to the changes

I that you put me through

I trying to live my
life without you, babe

I it's the hardest
thing I'll ever do

I trying to forget the
loving we shared, now

I it's the hardest
burden I'll ever burn

I oh, baby, baby

I baby, now, now

What's goin' on, Charles?

Hey man, what's goin' on?

Hey, man, it's been good.

This here is home sweet home.

Taking nothing for granted.

Just trying to
keep on keeping on.

I can relate to that,
but not as the girl way.

I can relate to that
without having anything like

I can't live without toys,
or nothing like that.

Right!

I oh, baby, baby

I oh, baby, now, now

I p-nut

I what's up shorty

I you ain't actin' the same

I I thought me and you was cool

I why you acting ashamed

I maybe it's me

I or maybe it's Karma

I whatever it is

I girl ain't normal

I do you understand

I do you get the message

I you got your boy trippin'

I you got your boy stressing

I I ain't trying to smother you

I I ain't trying to bother you

I but me without you
is kind of hard to do

I one of the most things

I got the girls findin' out

I but thinkin' about you

I got my curls falling out

I thinking about you

I girl, world's all about it

I thinking about you's hurting

I got my hurtin' out my mouth, uh

I girl, you got my life complete

I no other's competin'

I that's why the other's deleted

I shorty, you got your boy right

I sho' is entertaininment

I lil p-nut and
mister Otis Clay, uh

I trying to live my
life without you, babe

I I can't do it

I it's the hardest
thing I'll ever do

I no, we can't, we can't do it

I we got to road to share now

I it's the hardest
burden I'll ever hear, oh

I I can't do it

I baby, baby, ooh,
baby, now, now

I trying to live my
life without you, babe

I without you

I it's the hardest
thing I'll ever do

I hardest thing I'll ever

I trying to forget the
loving we shared now

I that's the hardest
burden I'll ever

I I keep running

I keep running, babe

I I can't do it

I can't do it no more

ino no

I yeah, I'm tryin'

I oh, I keep on

I okay

Real fun.

Woo, p-nut!

P-nut is killing it!

Hey, you some of our
background singers?

Yeah, I guess, yeah.

Skip pitts, baby.

Sharisse.

Hey, sharisse.

Skip pitts, baby.

Shontelle and
sharisse, all that?

I like them names.

Y'all from Memphis too?

She said, "yes, sir."

Well, when it comes to you
she'll say, "yes, grandpa,"

with your old ass.

- Guess what?
- What?

I'm still here.

Guess what?

Me too.

If you keep Ing
with me, not much longer.

Hey Ben!

We got Ben cauley, ya'll!

Hey, my brother!
I love you, man.

How you doin'?

You know Ben cauley?

He's the only living
survivor of the

Otis Redding plane crash.

And he's the only guy
who could not swim.

And he survived the Otis
Redding plane crash.

Everybody on board.

His band, and Otis Redding,
and the pilot all went down.

Everybody but him.

How are you?

What's up, man?

Thank you so much for coming.

We love having you, man.

Good to be here.

We love it, love it.

Absolutely love it.

Okay, so I want to take
one of the eight-bar choruses

out and push the horn thing up.

And then the verse.

And then the verse is
gonna be a 16-bar verse

for the rapper.

Yeah, man, going over my lyrics.

To get ready to work with
the legendary Bobby rush.

We're gonna remake
Rufus Thomas song called

"push and pull."

Real, real honored to be
a part of this situation

and can be able to
work with somebody

you grew up listening to.

So, you know, I
gotta perfecting it.

I gotta be ready.

Here you go, sir.

Is that "push and pull?"

Yeah, come on, we gotta...

You ain't got to give
that to me, push and pull?

Yeah but it's a
different structure

I changed the structure.

Really?

Yeah, cause we got a rapper.

We got a rapper so.

So some of the
verses gon' be 16.

You're like, taking out

the chorus and some verses.

That's the same song.

Same song, yeah.

Alright, then.

That's frayser boy.

How you doing, sir?

It's an honor, man.

How you doing?

I can't complain.

What's hometown for you?

Right here, this home for you?

Yeah, it's home.

This is where I'm from.

I probably knew
your great grandad.

Probably do, man.

Grew up listening to you, man.

Honor, man.

It's an honor, man.

You'll be alright.

Let's do it, man.

Let's do it.

Do we repeat the da-da-da-da-da?

Just one on the top.

All right, ya'll ready?

Okay, hunt going to count it.

Count it loud, hunt.

One, two, one, two, three.

I hey everybody, Bobby
rush is in town

I come here take
care of business

I ain't no messing around

I've been recording since 1951.

I have 249 records.

And I don't think I worked
under 200 shows a year

for 50 years.

1957 I had three beers.

I haven't had one
before or since.

November 10th.

I'm 79 years old.

Man, you don't look no 79.

You look 40.

I ain't 79.

I won't be 79 'till November.

I'm 78.

I gon' push it, push and pull it

I only ask one

I she's sure hums like
a bullet, like a bullet

I and she push it like she
show we where to put it

I kid in a candy store

I I guess she got the goodies

I twenty-two and she
gon' get the candies

I energizer bunny, she
don't even need batteries

I she doin' there,
then she doin' wit it

I way she movin' that thang

I make me wanna come and get it

I frayser boy, no
tellin' what I might do

I way she movin' need
somebody just like you

I let me see it, give
me what I ask for

I she's so good willin,
she was swimmin'

I backstroke, do the damn thing

I pop it like champagne

I what are they doin'

I lmg, that's a damn shame

I queen, watch her drop it low

I then she pause for a minute

I so I call her stomp and roll

I now push, and pull

I push and pull

I get on up

I now get on down

do you rap a lot
of freestyle stuff?

I'm not a freestyler.

I'm better when I'm writing.

'Cause I have time to really
think about what I'm...

What you doing and
what you gonna do.

I wrote the lyrics to "it's
hard out here for a pimp".

I got a Oscar for that.

Close song, but I didn't
know you'd written it.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm glad for that, man.

I appreciate it man.

I do some freestyle
in the things that I do,

but most of the time, the
script is already there

and I can vary from that.

You know what I'm talking about?

Ad lib, or whatever
you wanna call it.

Yeah, yeah.

It'll beat me all
day, the freestyle.

But you let me write something,

give me a minute, I'm a get cha

I man, look at that thing

I go ahead, dance

I look at that Booty
bustin' outta' them pants

I she got me lookin'
hard, just like a fan

I opposites attract,
you a woman, I'm a man

you know, this is my first time

really working with a live band.

Like, a rap session...

I know.

It's a whole lot different.

Because of the computer
stuff, and you sample it.

Yeah, yeah.

If we keep sampling, we'll
run out of things to sample.

You know what I'm talking about?

There's nobody
creating new things

so you have something
to sample from.

Lotta people tell
me when they come here

and they not from here, they
feel the soul in the street.

They just feel the
soul in the atmosphere,

so you know, it's just
a real soulful city.

Just a good city to be from,
you know what I'm saying?

I think it's up to us to let
'em know where Memphis is,

you know what I'm saying?

It's up to the voices
of today, or whatever.

It's so much talent in Memphis.

I push it, pull it, push it,
pull it, push it, pull it

Woo!

When they told
me a rapper was in,

it was a young guy.

And I said, I'm glad to do it,

because this what
it's all about.

Yeah!

Few guitarists influenced

the evolution of funk and r & b

more than Charles "skip" pitts.

His signature wa-wa pedal

turned wax records into gold.

I started recording
with gene Chandler,

believe it or not.

Du-du-du-Duke of Earl.

I got with him when
I was 17 years old,

and he said, "man, do
you know my songs?"

I said, "I know all
the Curtis songs.

"I know your songs."

I knew it in my ear,
I got a good ear.

I don't even hardly read,
but I got a good ear.

He started taking
me to the studio.

I would go when he
record and watch him,

and watch what was going on,
and then eventually he said,

"you wanna record with me?"

I said yeah, and I did.

We played with gene Chandler
until the beginning of '68.

We left him, like
I say, on a Friday,

and Saturday, we was in New York

rehearsing with Wilson pickett.

I good times walkin'
down Broadway

I nothing but good
times every day

And I was the band leader.

This is my buddy, man.

I swear he is, I'm
so glad you here.

It is great to see you.

You, too.

It's a blessing,
it's a blessing, man.

You know I wasn't
almost here one time.

I know.

You know.

I do know.

He saved me, too.

I was almost dead, ya'll.

I lost a kidney,
I ain't ashamed.

I got a kidney outta
me, and I ain't

as strong as I used to be.

This man came to
my help, he did.

He came, he helped me, he did.

You family, that's
what families are for.

Yeah, but a lotta people
don't feel like that.

I know.

You know that.

I'm here today, thank you, lord.

By way of these people
here and through god.

He's giving it back,
you know? Keep it going.

Can't keep it until
you give it away.

Singer, songwriter William bell

was instrumental in shaping
the sound of stax records.

Legendary artists
like Jimi Hendrix,

Albert king, and cream
covered his songs.

The hottest musicians of today

continue to sample
his signature sound.

All of us ghetto
kids probably woulda

wound up dead or in jail.

We have to give back.

We have to perpetuate the music

and help the youngsters along,

because the older
guys helped us.

I worked with old man
Phineas's band for four years

in junior high and high
school on the weekends.

B.b. Is like a surrogate father.

These guys, they were
close enough to us

but where they were mentors,

and told us that
there was more to life

than gang bangin' and robbin'
and stealin' and all that,

and it gave us a purpose.

We didn't care, or know whether
it was gonna have longevity.

We didn't care whether it
was gonna make a hit or not.

We just wanted to hear our own
voice on the radio.

The music that they
were making in their time

is exactly what we making.

We just expressing
what we going through

as young kids from the ghetto.

If we wasn't rapping and singing, we'd
be dead or in jail.

It's the same story,
it's the same connection.

The old record companies,

sun, stax, American,
hi, every Memphis studio

had its own thing.

Stax didn't say,
"we want a sound.

"We want you to sound like
this or sound like that."

Stax was saying, "come
on in and be yourself.“

and then the writers would
write a song that fits

and was appropriate for
this specific artist.

It was tailor-made, that's
what made it so authentic.

They were not about the
business of seeing how

it can sound like this person,
sound like that person.

It was about trying to
create a unique and original

spirit about what
you were doing.

As stax's premier writing team,

Isaac Hayes and Dave
Porter wrote some

of the biggest songs of the day

for Otis Redding, Carla
Thomas, and Sam & Dave.

Man, you know what?

Stax records is an institution

and the foundation for
all of American music.

And you're looking at two guys

that were a significant part
of that foundation right here.

On the real deal.

This is the guy that is chock
full of lyrics. Chock full.

"Hold on I'm comin'"
and all of that stuff.

I'm talking about
chock full of lyrics.

"Hold on, I'm comin' ", David
had to go to the men's room.

David Porter had to
go to the men's room,

and he and Isaac working
with Sam & Dave on that song.

Isaac had a little
riff going, and so

while he was playing the riff,

David said, "I'm going
up here to the bathroom,"

and he stayed so
long, so Isaac said,

"hey, Dave!"

"Yeah, hold on, I' m comin.

That's how the song came about.

We sit down, in 20
minutes, we had written

"hold on, I'm comin' “.

It's a true story.

But that produced
a monster song.

Don't you ever feel sad.
Lean on me when times are bad.

When the day comes
and you're down

in a river of trouble
and about to drown,

hold on, I'm comin'.

Hold on.

We were coming up in a time
in the sixties and seventies

where we wanted to
have some substance

to what we were
saying in the music,

and we wanted it to feel good.

A hook that would draw
you to the message.

You know, we didn't have access

to pro tools and all
the other technology

that's designed
to make you sound

as though you can
sing when you can't.

Or to improve your timing
when your rhythm is lousy.

And so they had to be right.

And it was true
art. It was true art.

Not manufactured art
that was marketed

to people, but true art.

Abilities and talent and
consistency were requirements,

and if you didn't
have your act together

as far as singing or
playing or something,

they'd send you back home
and tell you to go practice.

Nobody could play anything
out of synthesizers

or punch buttons
on drum machines,

but ask 'em to actually play?

They don't know how.

And that's the truth.

Autotune.

Autotune, yeah, yeah.

Alter your voice.

Yeah, and you got when
somebody goes on the road,

they take the autotune
and put it in the rig.

Yeah, so actually
today, you really don't

have to be able to sing.

The audience that's
listening to you

does not know that if what
they're hearing is really you.

I think if you're
making a record, man.

You get in the room, you get
ready, and you play it, man.

It's not a lot of
overproduced, overdubbing,

or cutting and pasting.

I think a real record is
proof of people playing

in a room and recorded live.

Hey Joe, I'm gonna need
your guitar just one second.

Charlie, how 'bout I just
come scoop you up, man.

We get to work.

Part of me just wants
to do an up-tempo song,

but that's just because
the mood I'm in today,

so that obviously
can't affect it.

Hey, Charlie!

How are ya?

How does it feel to be
back in Memphis right now?

I always love to
be back in Memphis.

Like I remember we
catching the train here.

Hey, I know you.

I got you a Dr. Pepper today.

Did ya? Alright.

Feel like I'm at home.

You are.

How y'all doing?

Hey, Charlie, I'm David hood.

Charlie's the name,
harmonica's the game.

Alright.

Hey, I'm George.

I'm Charlie musselwhite.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Joe restivo, man.

Make some noise and
have some fun doing it.

What do you think of that?

I like it. I don't know what
I'm doing, I'm just noodling.

Awesome.

Now is this an instrumental,

or are we gonna
write vocals for it?

It's just instrumental.

It's a instrumental?

Is it really?

I hadn't even thought
about lyrics, I just...

You hadn't even
thought about lyrics?

Oh, I love your
voice so much, man.

I was really hoping
you would sing.

I mean I know a lot of tunes,

but they're all just
straight ahead blues.

Sing a blues song,
man, what you do.

Well I don't know if
that's what they wanna do.

Yeah, man. Name it.

A shuffle?

Eddie Taylor shuffle.

I'll do my best Eddie Taylor.

And you can start the guitar
like.

Can I show you how to do it?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Something on the order of...

I need to put my foot
up here on something.

You should just play guitar.

That sounds great.

Just something like that.

He's a swamp boogie badass.

He's a swamp boogie badass.

When I was growing up here
in the forties and fifties,

it seemed like Memphis was
just loaded with music.

I didn't know if it was
that way everywhere,

but I found out later
it was pretty special.

There was street singers downtown

that I was really fascinated
with, blues singers.

But there's always
these jam sessions,

spontaneous jam sessions.

Somebody'd just drop by
with a bottle and a guitar,

and next thing you know,
we're playing just for fun.

I if I should have bad luck

I honey, a long,
long way from home

I if I should have bad luck

I honey, a long,
long way from home

I well now since
I know you love me

I honey, your love
will keep me goin'

I comin' home to you baby

I'd been doing a little
moonshine running

and laying cement floors
in cotton warehouses

and digging ditches and stuff.

That didn't appeal to me,
so going up to Chicago

and getting one of
those big factory jobs

with all the benefits.

I didn't know that Chicago had

all the big blues singing there.

And when I got there,
boy, it was like

a kid in a candy store.

I'm hanging out
at pepper's lounge

with muddy waters, or
silvio's with howlin' wolf,

or run into will
Walter and Sonny boy,

and they were all there.

Everybody up there
was from down here,

and I'd already met Jimmy
Reed here in Memphis,

and I'd met muddy and
James cotton here.

You know, the south
side of Chicago was

sorta like north
Memphis or something.

It's more than just music.

It's got that substance,
that feeling to it.

It just grabs people.

Once they hear it,
they gotta have more.

Because they know
it's deep stuff,

and it's real and genuine,
and straight from the heart.

If you ain't got that secret
southern Memphis ingredient,

which you can't put in
a book or write down,

it just ain't gonna be the same.

We were just jamming.

Bass. This is the bass part.

In the true spirit
of collaboration,

we matched English blues
extrordinaire, Ian siegal

with Memphis guitar
slinger, Eric gales.

Mentoring is the
legendary Hubert sumlin.

That's it, that's the bass part.

Hubert sumlin played
with blues icons

howlin' wolf and muddy waters,

and they influenced a new
generation of musicians

that created the
British invasion.

That magic inspired
musicians to travel

from all around the world
to record in Memphis.

Robert plant said,
"once I heard the music

"of the Mississippi delta,
I was no longer English.

"I was a man of the world."

I was thinking about the debt

that the British musician
owes to this town, this area.

And as a kid, you
found your escape

with the whole idea of
bringing lead belly,

bringing the delta music
into British mainstream

alongside traditional jazz.

We always looked, we couldn't
do anything else but look,

and try and emulate this music.

It was phenomenal.

Really, really amazing.

As I drove in last
night in the rain,

I said to Nick, I
said, "we're back."

I goodbye, she said

I I know you're glad I'm gone

I oh, you been
had me iivin', boy

I yes, sir

I in this phase too long

I I don't worry

I I don't worry, y'all

I 'cause I'm sitting
on top of the world

Yeah!

B.b. King, buddy guy, and
Hubert sumlin, you know,

and those are the last
three real electric guitar

blues men around of the
first generation, man.

It's a miracle that those
cats are even with us, man.

I mean, we love you, b.B.,
and we love you, Hubert.

God!

You're a major
legend to me, man.

And you're just really
a huge inspiration

to have set down with you

and had talks with you
that we've had before.

And you mean a whole
lot to me, man,

and anytime that
we can get together

to do anything together, man,
I'm always there for you, man.

And like I said, there's not
a favor you can't ask of me

that I would not be there

I would be there, man,

because you are the true legend.

You are the pioneer,
you're the man.

Ain't nothing but a party here.

Hey, Luther!

How you doin', Luther?

I missed you so much.

Oh, I missed you guys, man.

Missed you so much.

We missed you all.

Miss Yvonne, hey.

Y'all act like we ain't
in the family no more.

Luther, we heard you
got a little girl.

Woo!

She's my heart.

Hey, so we're grandmas now.

I'll show you pictures later.

I know she's cute.

I know she is, Luther.

She looks just like my dad.

I'm so proud of you.

I missed y'all so much!

My children.

We love you so much.

I love you, too.

We miss you. We love
you to, miss Yvonne.

Oh, lord, it ain't easy.

I grew up on this
record right here,

"the staple singers
make you happy".

The way we actually,
our family got to know

the staples family was
because of the song,

"freedom highway".

We were playing the song,
we were gonna record it,

but there was one line that
we couldn't figure out.

And my mom called
Yvonne and mavis

and asked her what it was.

I was so impressed that
mom found them, you know?

And they were so cool.

"My sons want to sing
'march freedom highway'.

"Can we have the lyrics?"

And they were like, "what
are these young white boys in

"Mississippi doing singing our
civil rights protest song?"

I was like, “hey
man, I'm feelin' it."

Mavis staples is a queen, man.

She is queen of the civil rights
movement and of soul music.

Pops, you know, pops staples,
he knew Charlie patton,

and mavis talks
about howlin' wolf

coming to the house and
hanging out, you know?

And pops staples takes
the country blues

straight through into the future

through the civil
rights movement

When we were
brought here as slaves

and not allowed to
congregate or talk,

those slaves organized
a way of communicating,

and it was through singing.

From the field songs and all
the way through the gospels

and the civil rights
movement, where the church was

at the center of the movement,

and the black preachers
were motivating people

to stand up for what they
believed in, and their rights.

Mavis staples marched and sang

side by side with
Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the struggle for
racial equality.

After decades of hit records
with the staple singers

and a solo career,
mavis was inducted

into the rock &
roll hall of fame

and earned a grammy
lifetime achievement award.

Lord knows, people
needed a change.

They were ready for a
change, a change had to come.

And the music was
reflecting that, you know?

And the Memphis music
flourished through the fight,

and man, I don't know.

“Keep on marching", I'm
not gonna turn around, man.

We're gonna keep
on marching, mavis.

We love you, baby.

God, they were so cool.

Well look here,
what's with these songs

we keep changing up on?

What did we decide to do?

"I've been buked".

I I've been buked

that'd be beautiful

I'm just gonna say, that's good.

I said, "I've been scorned"
is good, but tell them

to listen to "wish I
had answered", too.

He didn't tell us that.

Papa was playing to get that

That sounds great.

You might not have "wish
I had answered" on you.

I never heard that one.

Oh, man!

Maybe you can find
it on the computer.

Yeah, I'll look.

That's what we're gonna do.

Oh, okay.

"Wish I had answered“, Cody.

We was going, getting it down.

I know it don't take y'all long.

Y'all some bad Montana's.

I don't you know that I wish

I wish I had an answer

oh, yeah! Woo!

That's it.

Go, Cody! Go, Cody,
you little scutter!

I love this song,
it sounds incredible.

It's a great song, Cody.

Pops wrote that.

It's beautiful.

Isn't that bad?

That guitar part's so funky.

Yeah, yeah, that's what I liked.

I knew y'all would like that.

Listen to the pep of it.

Now, pops bad.

That's the bomb!

Ain't that hip?

You mean you writin' that down?

I he took a look at me

that's too high.

I to 104

I was 22 years old.

I deep down inside

I and I felt the fear

I of the swelling tide

I you know I wish

Who gonna sing pops' part?

Y'all want me to sing
on pop's part, too?

Okay.

We'll all do background.

Background, okay.

Five, yeah.

One, six, six, five.

Woo pops, you're slick!

That's pops' doing now.

I hear it, it's tricky.

Aww, alright, I'm off now.

Go pops. Go pops.

But Luther, you can get it.

Luther can get it.

Thank you, I'm
gonna keep the faith.

If anybody can get it.

I'm gonna keep the faith.

Nope.

There it is.

I woo, to 103

I old death took a look at me

I then it Rose to 104

I said "old death, it
knockin at your door"

I it Rose to 105

I said "I don't believe,
lord, you will survive"

I don't you know I wish

I said I... nevermind.

Nah, keep going now.

I he called

I can't breathe. That was sick.

Wow, that gave me chills.

Alright, we got us one, y'all.

That gave me chills, too.

This Montana's bad.

Still got it.

In the house. In the house!

I she said "oh death is
knockin' at your door"

but see, I can't make my hoops.

We did all
sessions, though, man.

We put so much stuff in the can.

We created the music, see?

And the bass had.

No, the bass had.

Now puttin' on this.

I t's your thing.

"It's your thing" came out and
instantaneously it was a hit.

So after "it's your thing"
we had carte blanche

with the isley brothers.

I left the isley brothers
and came here in 1970,

'cause Isaac called
for me from doing

"it's your thing".

He was getting his own band.

And Isaac had us plenty of work.

If I wasn't in the
studio, I was on the road.

Isaac was hot.

Isaac Hayes!

Yeah, yeah, yeah!

We have Isaac Hayes's
academy award here.

1972, for "shaft".

If I remember
correctly, Isaac Hayes

was the first African
American musician

in the history of the academy.

That was also very
special, because

he brought it home to Memphis.

Then Isaac Hayes's Cadillac.

This doggone car caused more
accidents on the streets

of Memphis than you
can ever imagine,

because people had never
seen anything like it before.

It's quite an automobile,
don't you think?

And I played with him from then

to about '81, when
he went bankrupt

and stopped playing for a while.

He went overseas somewhere.

Then, Isaac came back and
started working in '94.

And called for me.

I ended up being his band leader

and I was with him
until the day he died.

That day, I was supposed
to go to lunch with him,

and I couldn't
get there in time.

He died before I
could get to him.

He was gone.

Now Jesse Jackson
said that "stax

"was not just a record company.

"I t was a sound.

"I t was a piece of culture.

"I t was a movement of conscience

"and an experience of
mankind at the right time."

Here in this
musical environment,

at stax records and hi records

we respect each
other culturally.

We respect each other
as men and women

and as professionals.

And we really don't care
what your gender is,

and we don't care
what color you are.

It's all about the music.

Those were some
strange kind of times,

because racism still
permeated our society

at that time, but
we had two people

who had a greater
love for the music.

So they allowed the
people, black and white,

to come in and they
worked together."

We just didnt' see color.

I guess you might say stax
was kinda like an oasis,

a musical oasis in the
middle of a ghetto, a desert.

The minute we walked
out of the door,

it hit us in the face.

Sometimes blatantly,
because the police

would sit across the
street at big d's,

and they would come
screeching over,

and sometimes with guns drawn,

because we'd turn around
and lock the doors.

At 3:00 in the morning, we're
coming out of the studio

to lock the doors, “what
are you doing here?"

"Are you robbing the place?"

We just locked the door.

Would we Rob it
and lock the door?

Hey, boy!

Happy new year!

What's going on, baby?

This is my partner here, man.

This is Leroy Hodges,
the bass player,

Teenie Hodges' brother.

Minister! Another Hodges, y'all.

We cut so much stuff
with these guys.

Like he cut "I-o-v-e,
love" and he said

he don't even remember
what key it was in.

You cut so much, you can't
think about what you did.

I've got so many
covers, I don't even know.

I mean, I have over 26
gold and platinum records.

D-flat, major seventh,

a-flat, b-flat seventh.

We did it together.

That's what made
it so beautiful.

Hi rhythm, Leroy, Howard,
hubby, Teenie and myself.

We recorded 27 gold
and platinum records,

one behind another, 27 in a row.

Leroy, Teenie and
myself, Charles,

we were brothers first,
you know, the three of us.

My dad, Leroy Hodges, senior.

He, without a shadow of a doubt,

was one of the greatest
blues pianists in the world.

He played with some
of the best ever,

Memphis slim, some
of all those guys.

But he started having
all these kids.

My mom and dad had seven
kids in four years.

Nine kids in six years, but it
didn't stop him from playing.

And that's how we
all got started.

We worked in his band.

I was sitting here,
Teenie was always here.

Charles, that organ and
piano been in the same spot

for, same since
bill black come up.

D-flat.

On what?

D-flat, major seventh.

Hold on, slow down, slow down.

Do it slower.

Hold it right there, d-minor?

Yeah, d-minor.

No, you called it
out the first time.

Are we in the same place?

Do it again.

Hold the f

to a f seventh to b-flat.

We loved, we care
for each other,

what they was going through.

We were never too
busy or too big

to just sit down and
talk about your problems,

what you were going through.

If you need some
help on something,

I'm right here for you.

Oh, I got another one too,

y'all gonna really like.

So let's start of
something like...

I the drama, the drama

I the babies, their mamas like

I "you promised, but
you was dishonest"

I now you've got some
trip in your stride

I there's only one
pimp in this ride

I so you walk

that's cool.

Learn it.

Give us about 15,
20, 30 minutes.

Willie say, "y'all ready?"

Let's roll it.

I it's lost art

I tryin' to get
all of that cheese

I like people, like Russell

I pray to god, though

I with everyone
telling you please

I go in the back door

I what's the front for

I mister, I think
you should leave

I what if I don't go

I then the cops show

I hands up, get on your knees

I turn around, face the floor

I but I'm all "no

I "I ain't gon' get on my knees"

I that ain't my spot, bro

I I ain't got no
warrants or felonies

I so what's your hassle

I it's a lost road

I you got a problem, I see

I 'cause of my afro

I let them naps grow

I mister, you better freeze

I I ain't gon' tell you no more

I I was in line, I
done told you one time

I don't forget that
you're talking to me

I you walkin' prime and
respect what is mine

I why don't you take
your partner and flee

I this is the score,

I they've got three
guns, no four of them

I I'm thinking war, but there
may be some more of them

I I'm not so sure at the door,
there's just more of them

I might be some
hands and I'm free

I so we walk

I walk away

Willie Mitchell had
one of the few clubs

that blacks could play in.

I had a club down the street.

Was the first all integrated,

and I caught all kinds of flack.

They tried to place
drugs in the bathrooms.

But thank goodness I
had people downtown

saying we're gonna be raided.

So we went through
all of that, man.

And then on tour,
it was just as bad

throughout the country.

I mean, we had to ride
all night sometimes

because you couldn't
stay nowhere.

Highway patrol
would pull you over,

pull all your instruments
out of the trailer,

and then, "oh, you musicians?

"Play something."

For real?

Mmmhmm.

It's like...

Man, you gotta be humiliated

to play some music on
the side of the road.

Yeah, on the side of the road.

There was rampant
segregation here at the time.

And seeing a lot of black people

driving around town in
jaguars and new Cadillacs

and making large
amounts of money

and being
internationally famous.

Overt opulence rubbed a lot
of people the wrong way.

And they showed
their displeasure.

There were places
where we couldn't eat.

If we walked into a
restaurant, and they said,

"well, no, no, no, you can't.

"You gotta go around the corner.

"We don't serve you."

Everybody walked out.

I remember once
that they wouldn't

let us eat in this restaurant.

So he said, "well, can
we get something to go?"

And everbody said, "oh, no, no.

"We're not gonna spend
the money in here

"if they won't let us eat."

So he said, "no, no no.

"Give us 40 hamburgers.

"Everything on 40 hamburgers."

The minute the guy started
fixing up the stuff

and throwing the meat on
the grill and everything,

we all walked out and
got on the bus and left.

I hey baby now

I you got a dangerous town

I ai the things you do

I baby, you change the rules

I ooh, you tell me how

I makin' 'em scream and shout

I it's just a game with you

I do what you came to do

I baby, you walk

Yes, yes! Wow! Yeah!

That can be in front.

It's like it stopped you
from getting into trouble.

It's like, "walk. Walk.

"Just walk."

The garbage workers in Memphis

started the whole movement.

The garbage workers quit,
everything's gonna fall apart.

But they couldn't feed their
families, so they stood up,

and once they did that,
everything just started to change.

Somewhere I read

of the freedom of assembly.

Somewhere I read

of the freedom of speech.

Somewhere I read

of the freedom of press.

Somewhere I read

that the greatness of america
is the right to protest

for right.

I've seen the promised land.

I may not get there with you.

But I want you to know tonight,

that we as a people will
get to the promised land.

So I'm happy tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man.

Mine eyes have seen the glory
of the coming of the lord.

The moment that Dr.
Martin Luther King was shot

the utopia began to crumble.

Our neighborhoods were on fire.

It seemed as if the
spirit of Memphis

was at war with the times,

as fear of the unknown
covered the entire city.

It was just like, devastating.

I mean, the whole neighborhood

was just out in the
street screaming,

and yelling and crying.

They didn't know
which way to turn,

because Dr. King, to
the black community,

was everything.

When Martin Luther
king was murdered,

don't forget, stax was
like black and white

and at the time of the riots,

the black guys, like
Isaac and everybody

had to chaperone people
like Steve cropper

and all of them in
and out of stax,

'cause white man was
just gonna get crushed.

And so we just said, "hey man,

“just, please man,
they work with us.

"Leave 'em alone,
brother. Let 'em go."

And then then the called
me, Isaac, and David,

and a couple other people
to get on the radio

and to try to calm
the people down,

but there was a
lot of frustration.

Burning and looting,
and even in talking

with some of the
neighborhood people,

you had to tell them,

"but you're burning
down your own homes.

"You're burning
up your own cars."

It hurt the city.

At that point in time,
the music industry

was the third largest
employer in the city,

lead by stax records.

It was the second largest
black-owned business

in the United States of America,

and in this region,
it was the biggest.

So stax records was the greatest

marketing tool that Memphis had.

Because the stax sound was
going all around the world.

When you have something
like that being born,

you either copy it,
as major corporations,

you copy it, or you acquire it,

and if you can't do those
two, you destroy it.

So I was offered money,
they wanted to buy stax,

and I didn't want to sell it.

I wanted to build
something to leave

for my family and
future generations.

So I stood my ground.

There were elements that
did not want stax to survive,

and it was systematically
put out of business.

Once they realized
that they could

stop the creative community
from ever developing

and introducing
another Isaac Hayes,

or another booker
t. & the m.G.'S,

or Rufus Thomas,

I think they had a
silent commitment

never to allow that
to happen again.

Union plans, at that
time, was either the largest

or second largest bank.

It was in trouble.

I had a meeting
with bill Matthews,

who was the president.

I said to him, "you're asking me

“to participate in
an economic lynching

"of stax records."

And he tried a number of
things to save the bank,

and wanted me to engage in
a number of things with him

to save the bank,
that in my judgement,

would have been
illegal, and I expressed

that to him on one
occasion, and he said,

"nigger, I didn't
ask you to do it.

"I told you to do it."

You have the finances
to create a system

that ensures that
you can realize

the results of your prejudices.

That is racism.

That's systemic.

They had brought against
me a 16-count indictment

that alleged that I
conspired to defraud a bank

of 18.9 million dollars.

There ain't a crooked
bone in here, up here.

I believe that al
bell was indicted

as a sacrificial lamb in order

for them to collect
on the insurance.

And that allowed them
to prop up the bank

to keep the comptroller of
currency from closing them

until they figured out
another way to save it.

In the meantime, they
tried to put me in jail

for two or three
lifetimes and all of that.

"But we gotta get
rid of this nigger."

I will never get over the fact

that there were people
in this community

who could have rallied to
the side of stax records

and realized that with
a little assistance,

we could have overcome
our difficulties,

and we could still, perhaps,
be in business today.

We had hit records on the charts

when stax filed bankruptcy,
which was crazy.

When stax records
shut its doors in 1975,

the neighborhood was devastated.

Allowed to fall into despair,

the building was eventually
sold for a dollar,

before being torn to the ground.

Booker t. Jones
said, and I quote,

"if Martin Luther King
had not been killed

in Memphis,
Tennessee, stax records

would still be in
business today."

It just killed the
Memphis music scene.

I think it was just
such a terrible thing.

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I only darkness when
she's away, lord

Money.

Grammy lifetime
achievement award winner

Bobby blue bland started
the beale streeters

back in 1949 with an unknown
guitar player named b.B. King.

He embarked on a
sizzling solo career,

which has been
sampled by mega-stars

like Jay-Z on his hit,
"heart of the city".

Okay.

We based the structure
around, like, that breakdown,

that call and
response that you do

with the audience
and everything.

But basically, like, the
first chorus at the beginning,

will be, it's just like a breakdown,
and that's you, Bobby.

Then it goes into a verse
that's gonna be a rap verse.

Then there's another chorus.

Rap?

A rapper, yeah, yo gotti's
gonna come in and rap on it.

Yes. Oh, absolutely.

He should be here soon.

He's coming in a little while.

Okay.

And after the rap verse,
there's another chorus

and then your verse, which
leads into the breakdown.

The, "I know, I know..."

We'll have you do it,
we'll get it together

okay.

So I can do it right.

It's never one way to sing it.

Right.

Like it's written, you know.

Let me hear that track
again now, please,

if you don't mind.

How you doing?

How you doing, man?

I'm good, honored
to meet you, you know.

My pleasure.

Whole honor to come in,
you know, do this situation.

Thanks for having me.

We're gonna lay it
down, gonna be good shit.

I just need to get the
first part of this punched

when I come in, you
know what I mean.

Yeah, when that
guitar does that lick,

that slide-down, that.

You're gonna do that twice

and then after the
second time, come in?

I yeah, every day, my love

Ah wait, I shoulda
come in here, right?

Yes, sir.

It's tricky.

It is weird. That
intro is really...

No, no, let me get it.

It's just real hip.

I just have to get into it.

I've heard it a lot of times,

but that's pretty slick there.

You mean to tell
me you that good?

No, yeah. You're that good, man.

That's why it's so easy.

We have to get it together.

I have been doing this before,

but every day it's a
new time, you know.

Absolutely.

So it's never
where you so perfect

you can get right in there.

Okay, well...

Where you at anyways?

He's in the window.

You sound amazing.

When I get it right

it probably will.

It should make sense for you

it will, once I get it
in through this thick head.

I'll be alright.

Let me hear that again.

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I only darkness when
she's away, lord

yes!

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I she's always gone too long

I anytime she goes away

you do it, yo gotti.

I chill

I last night I was
thinkin' 'bout ya

I hit your phone, let you
know I ain't forgot about ya

I I remember when I
couldn't live without ya

I now I can't live with ya

I no around here

I yeah, you used
to be my sunshine

I I know, I know, I know,
just like the punchline

I one life, like history

I my job is a mystery

I I'm a street dude, shorty
says she like my chemistry

I see it in my eyes

I shorty really into me

I sample about it, I know
that'll never get to me

I you don't get no focus
and I'm ready for whatever

I and I'm the king type

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I only darkness when
she's away, lord

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I and she's always gone too long

I anytime she goes away

I I wonder this time
where she's gone

I I wonder if she's gone to stay

I ain't no sunshine
when she's gone

I she's always gone too long

I anytime she goes away

I hey

I I know, I know, I know

I I know, I know, I know

I I know, I know, I know

William bell sings
a little different.

He's a good vocalist, man.

And he does the kind of
upper crust type of singing.

And see there's the
methodist way of doing it

and a baptist way.

Really?

Well see the
baptist is one where

you get all the crying folk.

Methodist, you get the diction.

You know, and how to
pronounce your words better.

See I learned mine
from nat king Cole.

Diction, yeah.

Not to sing like him, now.

But I love his music,
and I loved his approach

to a lyric.

So what did you
think of the drums?

I thought it was very nice.

Sounded like somebody I know.

Someone you raised?

Someone you made?

Yeah, nah, it was me.

Pretty good, son.

Okay. Money.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

What else are we gonna
do together, man?

Well, we gonna put
something hot together.

I appreciate you
having me here, you know.

And don't make it
the last time, okay?

Believe that.

For sho.

It's alright there, buddy.

I I got a woman

I live way over town

I she good to me

I and she good to me

I she give me money

I when I'm in need

come here, come here, come here.

Come here.

Now, I want you to say it again.

I she give me money

I she give me money

no, you singing
from your diaphragm.

Some of these things
come from your throat.

I he give me money

right here makes it sweet.

Right here's to hold
the note longer.

I she give me money

sing that.

I she give me money

talk to me.

That's what I'm talking about.

I I got a woman

I way across town

I she good to me

I she's good to me

uh uh

I she give me money

I when I'm in need

yeah, there you go.

I oh, she's a kind one

I and she's good to me

I don't know the rest.

Yeah, okay, but
come here a minute.

I I got a woman

I way across town

I she's good to me

I whoa, yes she is

I she give me money

I when I'm in need

I whoa, she's the kind of woman

I every man needs

I I got a woman

I way across town

I good to me

okay?

All I care about is you.

Yeah, you alright, Peter.

Thank you.

Don't you stop doing it, hear?

Yes, sir.

Me and you.

I'm right in your corner.

You cannot destroy stax,

because it lives in the hearts

and in the minds of the people.

And not in the bricks and mortar

in that building, or
in those master tapes.

So it's alive and well,

and it's alive and well today.

The original stax
recording studios

has been reborn as
the stax museum.

Stax music academy
and charter school,

a training ground for
young aspiring musicians

and students who look
to carry the legacy

of Memphis music
into the future.

Many Memphis legends teach here,

passing the torch, so the
music will live forever.

I t's back to royal studios

with the students from
stax music academy.

This time, we've
raised the ante.

We brought together three
generations of musicians.

And the next one
is f, c, a-flat.

Okay.

When I walked
in, it's like okay.

It's the same energy,
the same vibes you get

when you come in here.

Ahhh! Master, how
you doing, master?

Good to see you!

Wanna be like
you when I grow up,

that's all I'm gonna say.

I love it when a
plan comes together.

We gonna get this
thing assembled.

A lot of music has
come out of here,

a lot of great music
has come out of here.

I got two guitars,
you give me a stand.

Okay, did you bring your strat?

Yeah, I got my strat.

Okay, you know I like the strat.

That's right,
you like the strat.

It's just amazing,
it's like déja vu.

As you come in here, okay.

And we're good to go,
let's cut a session.

I I don't wanna lose

e-flat.

We got you.

Hey, my man, where's
the other guitar?

Major, one time.

Ah that's one time.

You gonna be in the horns'
way if you don't, see?

Teach kids the ground
roots of the development

of the music, and not
only from the sixties,

but all the way back,

so that they can get
a good foundation.

Once they get a good foundation,

they can survive in it.

Two, three, four.

One time!

I ain't no secret

that's it.

See, you can't step on
the horns, the vocals.

You have to learn how
to play in the groove.

I got you.

And it's simple, really.

It's not a whole lot of shit.

How old are you?

Seventeen.

Good, you're great man,
for 17, isn't he man?

What's your first name, my man?

Andrew.

You ever use this
on your guitar?

Have you ever tried it?

Let me give you
some slide-ability.

Now run your hands
up and down that

and tell me something.

Is that sweet?

Yeah!

See, I'm hipping you to
some stuff, young blood.

Finger ease.

Some of the tricks of
the trade there, see?

You gotta do it clean, now.

There's no such thing as color

when it comes to kids nowadays.

My kids' friends is
like multicultural,

so it's like, when I come home,

my kids got diversity
of friends in the house.

That shit turns me on.

That is not just one status,

that they have no vision,
and they just love.

It's all about love.

That's what the
kids is on nowadays.

Our kids have more
freedom than we had.

So they'll pass all
of that knowledge

that we give down to them

to all of their friends.

I would love to
do a album with you.

I want you on my album.

I need to get your information.

Anytime.

And I'll give you mine.

I do a lot of
recording at my house.

Huh?

I do a lot of
recording at my house.

I got a whole pro tools setup.

You got pro tools, huh?

Those youngsters gonna
go a long way with that.

'Cause when they finally
figure out who those guys was

that was teaching them that?

When they really sit
down and do the history,

'cause they not even old enough
to even know the history.

When they're able to look back

at all these records
that they was a part of,

and they played on,
and they did this,

and to say that he
spent time with me

and showed me how to
get my notes right

and put me in the right key,

that shit go a long way.

It's ike a athlete that's
able to work with a

Michael Jordan or magic Johnson,

and to be able to have a
one on one session with him,

and he gets your shot right.

You were the
heaviest guitar player

in the whole group I heard.

I heard three guitars,

and you were playing
most of the good shit.

Good stuff.

Lester!

Lester!

Where are we at, man?

The students had
to leave at 7:00.

What's going on,
man, it's after six.

What's going on now?

What's going on?

Yeah, it's like 30 minutes,

we've got like 30 minutes.

We can knock that
out. "Dock of the bay“?

"Dock of the bay"?

"Dock of the bay",
he can do that.

He does it all the time.

Perfect, let's do it.

Do you think it's better
to do one of his own songs?

Uh huh.

Would you rather
do "dock of the bay",

or one of your songs?

You wanna do, you want up tempo

or ballad, or what?

He'll kill "dock
of the bay" man.

Oh, I'm sure he will.

I'm just, I like the
idea of originality, too.

A song that has such an iconic

thing as "dock of the bay",

and you want to make
sure it's just like,

it feels special enough.

I mean we have all
these people here,

all this talent here,

but I want you guys to
have the right song.

Do you want up tempo or ballad?

First of all, where do you
feel the most comfortable?

He's having 30 minutes.

Well I can do up tempo,
but I'm a ballad singer.

So let's do it that way then.

Yeah, ballad.

"I forgot to be your lover"?

"I forgot to be your lover"?

Yeah, fine now.

But you say we got 30 minutes.

Yeah, we can knock it
out once they know, yeah.

Skip's gonna play it and
I'll run through it with him.

Hey, it's in g, guys.

It's in g.

And the good news is,
they do have great ears.

You know, they can..

I remember that song, of course.

See if we can do the intro.

One, two, three.

All you got to do...

I'll do all the extra
shit, don't worry about it.

I'm sorry, y'all.

Forgive me for
cussing around y'all.

I'm cussing around
these children.

I'm just trying to
make him do that.

Count it.

Drummer.

One, two, three, four.

That's a g.

E, g, stay there.

We have to thank these
guys for what they've done.

They cut the trees
down to show us how

to walk on the log.

So the power that we have is
the power that they gave us.

That's why it's a blessing
for us to come back,

and to intertwine and
to make music together.

And show, "hey man, your music
is what made us who we is.“

they learning it
right there on the fly.

They didn't know they
were gonna do this song.

They too young to
even know this song.

I'm looking at them
babies and I'm like,

"look at these babies
in here playing this."

You got babies playing
baby making music, man.

I need some paper and
a pen so I can get going.

Let me make this thing happen.

Complete break on
this one now, the intro.

There's a complete break there.

Now.

Yeah, run it down to 'em, skip.

Teach it to 'em.

Teach 'em how to learn.

I have I told you
lately that I love you

I if I didn't,
darling, I'm sorry

I did I reach out and
hold you in my loving arms

I oh, when you needed me

I now I realize
you need love, too

I I'll spend my life
makin' up to you

I oh, I forgot to be your lover

I I've been working for
you, doing all I can

I and work all the time
didn't make me your man

I think I got a mean 16.

It don't take that long, do it?

Look how easily he did this.

I mean, he just came right in,

hey, because he felt it.

I planted the
seed, looking above

I we got the best,
just looking for love

I planning to be, ran into me

I I did not mean to,
I'll intervene, too

I so I can bring you,
then I will sing you

I stax, tracks,
relax at the venue

I then you, in you, spin
you, then you whirlwind you

I girl, look at the menu

I chocolate hearts, mellow moons

I livin' the life, silver spoon

I havin' it all, havin' a ball

I in love with
the big snoop dogg

I time will tell

I if I fell

I pick up the cell,
call William bell

I 'cause he's one
of my big brothers

I tell him I forgot
to be your lover

I have I taken the time
to share with you

my grandparents, and
my mother and them,

they inspired me by playing this

good music when I was young.

You know, they
turned me on to it,

to hip me to it and
make me love it.

My mother used to always
have a big eight track

cassette playing
in the living room,

and invite her friends over,
and they'd be partying.

The kid's would be in the
back, and they'd be like,

"snoopy, come out
in the living room."

And I come out
there, do the bump.

You look at my laptops,
it ain't nothing but

r & b, soul music.

That's it.

It's a respect thing.

Hip hop is the dominant
music right now.

So I say that to say this.

When those brothers
take the time out

of their careers to say, "we
want to dedicate this song,

this title to somebody
who inspired us

who wasn't a hip hop artist,"

respect that.

I get me right

I set me tight

I m-i-c, peep the beat

I late night, what it do

I baby girl, I'm
in love with you

I I'm tryin' to do
what I'm 'posed to do

I but I need you close to me

I toastin' me, float with me

I baby girl, you
get the most of me

now Teenie, you gotta go back to

"I forgot to be
your lover" though.

You gotta go back to that.

'Cause that's the most
important part of the song.

If you come back to that,

and then we can do that
together at the end.

I forgive me girl, 'cause
I forgot to be your lover

I oh, I'm sorry, baby

I let me make it up to you

I I forgot to be you lover

I but I'll make it up to you

I said I'm sorry, baby

I I forgot to be your lover

I I forgot to be your lover

I gonna make it up to you

I hold on a little
bit tighter, baby

I I'm gonna make it up to you

I oh, I forgot to be your lover

I I'm gonna make it up to you

I I forgot to be your lover

okay, snoop! Yeah, baby!

"I forgot to be your..."
That's a cold jam right there.

The boy jaheim remade that.

Yeah, he did a
different spin on it,

but this is the original.

Original, yeah, this
is where it came from.

This is where the
seed was planted.

Now he's a branch off
of the seed that grew,

but this is the origins
of where it all began.

Mmm! What year you wrote this?

Sixty-seven.

Sixty-seven?

You were young.

No, I was born in '71.

That's even before me.

My mom and them was probably
starting to create me, rizzle.

That's cold.

Awesome, man.

Absolutely incredible.

When you kicked in that wa-wa,

I about fell out
of my chair man.

I just put that in.

Aw, this was just so sweet, man!

Damn, how old are you?

Sixteen.

Sixteen and keeping
a tempo like that?

You guys, get him, because
he's gonna be somebody.

What's your name?

Brandon.

Say it in there.

My name is Brandon.
Brandon chornes.

Brandon corns from
Memphis, Tennessee.

Watch this fellow.

He's already plugged in.

Nobody have to tell
him to do nothing.

Love you, man.

Hope you liked what I did.

I tried to put a little
somthin' somethin' on it,

a little stank on it.

Yes, sir.

I heard it, too.
It sounded good.

Yeah, you sound
good too, brother.

Man, he sound good, didn't he?

Tragically, the
world of music lost

one of its great
innovators, skip pitts.

The time is moving so quickly,

and there are so many greats
that we've already lost.

You know, when I
finally meet my day,

and where I'm like,
"I'm finished with it."

We can look back at this,
and I can show my grandkids.

This is history right there.

This has been an honor
and a pleasure, man.

Hey man, mine.

Something like this, man.

I never thought in
my wildest dreams

that I'd be doing
something this special.

Yes sir, so anytime
you wanna work,

mister bell, you
know you got me.

Don't let this be the last time.

Oh yeah, pops still
lives in the music.

That's right.

I "come and follow me"

I you know the master said

I "don't wait 'till tomorrow"

one take on the
floor, with vocals.

One take, this song, right here.

I oh, before it's too late

I said I'd wait
just one more day

I don't you know I wish

I oh, I wish

I hey, lord, I wish

I oh, lord, I wish

I oh, I wish

God from glory!

God from glory!

Feeling, you know what I mean?

Putting love back
into the music.

That's Memphis, Tennessee.

That sounds so cool, man.

It came from the gut.

We did it together.

Pool boogie is coming.

I'm startin' to
feel that shit, man!

Shoot your best shot.

Don't you ever feel sad,
lean on me when times are bad.

When the day comes
and you're down

in a river of trouble
and about to drown,

hold on, I'm coming.

It's real and genuine,
and straight from the heart.

We love you!

I love you more.

I yeah, I wish

I I said wish

I yeah, I wish

- Woo! That's a wrap.
- Amen.

That's a wrap.