CCMusic.com

In the segregated South of the 1960s, Black Blues masters and white beatniks created The Memphis Country Blues Festival. Memphis legends Furry Lewis and Robert T. Wilkins, who inspired The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and generations of rock stars, gave unforgettable performances. The festival organizers wanted to celebrate and learn from their Blues heroes. But, as sociologist Zandria Robinson states in the film, There is always a disconnect that complicates cross-racial friendships and collaborations because that power dynamic is always sitting there in that room, in the deep context of the music. Directed by the daughter of one of the festival organizers, The Blues Society is a kaleidoscopic documentary that captures the texture of the time with amazing archival images, animation and hypnotic performances that asks viewers to draw their own conclusions about the festival's legacy, and to reconsider their preconceptions about Blues music and Blues history.