If you’re a fan of the one and only Johnny Winter, you are going to love this! The prolific bluesman has a Kickstarter campaign for a documentary that promises good blues, good music, good stories, compelling characters and good filmmaking!
This is your chance to be part of the definitive portrait of blues guitar legend Johnny Winter,
Directed and produced by Greg Olliver, the filmmaker behind “LEMMY” – the highly acclaimed documentary about the lead singer of Motorhead, the documentary is slated to be the definitive portrait of blues guitar legend Johnny Winter.
“Still one of the world’s premiere electric guitarists,” says the New Yorker, Johnny Winter continues to perform over 120 shows a year worldwide, was recently a guest on Letterman, profiled on NPR, and named one of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. On his latest album Roots (Megaforce), a tribute to his blues heroes, Winter “shows yet again that wailing the blues effectively demands sizzling focus and a wagonload of knowledge,” boasts the Wall Street Journal.
A torchbearer for the blues, Johnny revived the careers of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker by producing their Grammy-winning comeback albums. His friend John Lennon wrote “Rock and Roll People” in his honor, and Winter has made an indelible mark on music history, performing at Woodstock and in bands with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
In order to make the film that Johnny and his fans deserve, and have complete creative control in doing so, his camp has decided to raise the funds they need on Kickstarter.
Johnny’s manager and guitar player, Paul Nelson, is the Executive Producer, Greg Olliver is Directing and Producing, and Johnny himself will own the final film they create.
Johnny has given film makers full 24-7 access to shoot footage, and the filmmakers are already began whenever it is affordable to do so, securing film from shows in New York, New Orleans, Houston and his hometown of Beaumont, Texas. Traveling with proper film equipment isn’t cheap, however, which is why developers have taken their case directly to the fans! If they can meet bare-minimum needs of $80k, they will have this film done and edited by Spring of 2013. If they can raise more than the minimum, as Kickstarter campaigns often do, it will give them the ability to shoot more film, more often, with better gear and more camera angles, ultimately producing the best film possible.
Filmmakers plan to jump on tour with Johnny as soon as they can raise the funds, and shoot everywhere from Germany, France, Finland, Japan and all over the U.S. to make sure the fans and viewers get a real sense of what it’s like to be Johnny. Of course there will be plenty of other interesting artists in the film to share their stories, unique archival footage and photos of Johnny from his days playing the Woodstock fest, hanging out with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Muddy Waters and other friends — and of course, tons of music and new live performance footage that will give every music fan exactly what they were hoping for.
There aren’t many music icons left out there, even fewer blues icons left, and there will never be another Johnny Winter… so this film will literally live on as a slice of music history that can never be repeated.
Winter’s camp has done a great job of offering a unique selection of rewards that will only be available to Kickstarter backers — from special one-of-a-kind posters and shirts to DVDs and live concert albums produced and pressed exclusively for Kickstarter. They’ve done their best to make sure your hard-earned dollars give you back not only a first-rate film, but also products that you’ll be able to enjoy. None of these “Backer-Only” items will ever be sold to the general public.
The film will be produced by Greg Olliver’s production company, Secret Weapon Films. It will be shot on HD, will run apx. 1 ½ hours long when complete, and will have a grand launch at a future film festival, most likely in the Fall of 2013 — to be followed by a small theatrical run and DVD/BLU RAY release soon thereafter. The final DVD and BLU RAY will have all sorts of fun bonus material on it, mixed in 5.1 digital surround, and will most definitely be a product worth owning for any music or documentary fan out there. The director’s last film, LEMMY, screened at festivals all over the world, and has won numerous awards and acclaim, including being listed as Rolling Stone’s #2 Rockumentary to see in 2011. You can be certain this Johnny Winter film will be a high-quality, lasting film that you will be proud to have been part of.
