American Masters

History Series / 14 Seasons

American Masters, committed to producing comprehensive film biographies about the broad cast of characters who comprise our cultural history.

Watch Latest: S39 E1

1h 23m / TV-14

Fats Domino Concerts: Riots and Rock n' Roll

1m 55s

White and black fans flocked to Fats Domino concerts, integrating many venues for the first time. Four riots took place in 1956. Saxophonist Herb Hardesty describes two concerts and says the riots weren't about race. This film excerpt includes Domino being interviewed about rock n' roll and it's possible influence on rioting. Domino says "music makes people happy. I know it makes me happy."

Fats Domino of New Orleans, the Music Mecca

2m 11s

Fats Domino, born and raised in New Orleans, and so were his writing partner Dave Bartholomew and bandmates like drummer Earl Palmer. In the late 1940s and 1950s, Cosimo Matassa’s J&M music shop was the only recording studio in New Orleans and became the mecca for record companies looking to cash in on the New Orleans rhythm and blues sound.

Fats Domino Filmmaker Joe Lauro on Making the Documentary

8m 11s

Joe Lauro, director of Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll, details the challenges of making a film about a living legend and a very private man. One hurdle was finding archival footage of Fats Domino's performances (which he did, in France). Lauro also had to win Domino's own interest and trust. Once he did, the "floodgates" opened, and Lauro could interview Domino's longtime bandmates.

Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll - Preview

37s

One of the most popular rockers of the 1950s and early 60s, Fats Domino and his record sales were rivaled then only by Elvis Presley. With his boogie-woogie piano playing rooted in blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz, he became one of the inventors, along with Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, of rock ‘n’ roll, a revolutionary genre that united young black and white audiences.

Fats Domino: I'm Ready, Performed with The Byrds, 1971

2m 59s

See Fats Domino perform "I'm Ready," his hit from 1959, with the rock band The Byrds backing him in 1971. Their appearance was on the local television show "Turn-On, Barry Richards Rock and Soul" on WDCA-TV in Washington DC. This is an outtake from Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll.

Dave Bartholomew, Longtime Collaborator of Fats Domino

5m 25s

Dave Bartholomew is one New Orleans' great musicians and learned trumpet from the same man who taught Louis Armstrong to play. Bartholomew played with the best bands in New Orleans before he began working with Fats Domino in 1949. The songwriter, bandleader, producer co-wrote and produced most of Fats Domino's hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. A film outtake.

Carole King: A Teenage Songwriter in the Music Business

2m 53s

Carole King, songwriters and friends Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and others describe the music business and work of songwriters in the 1950s and 1960s. As a 16-year-old living in Queens, King would bring her music to two publishing houses in Manhattan and get paid $25 for a composition that would be given to a recording artist. She soon paired professionally and in marriage with Gerry Goffin.

Carole King: Natural Woman - Trailer

2m 43s

King tells her own story in the new documentary American Masters – Carole King: Natural Woman that weaves previously unseen and rare performances and home movies with a new, exclusive interview with King, friends, fellow songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Tapestry producer Lou Adler, drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, and more.

Carole King (You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman - Live

3m 45s

Carole King sings "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" at the piano, in never-before-seen footage. The intimate recording for the camera took place in Austin, TX, in 1982 for the film "One to One," by Scott Garen. Written by Carole King, with lyrics by her then-husband Gerry Goffin, the song was a 1967 single released by soul singer Aretha Franklin. Carole King recorded it herself in 1971.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical

King didn't like the idea of a musical about herself until she read the book for the show by Douglas McGrath. The storyline not only covers the work of King and her former husband and writing partner Gerry Goffin, but songs of their best friends and competitors, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. King, McGrath, Mann and Weil recall reactions to the musical's creation.

The Making of Carole King's Album "Tapestry"

2m 24s

Singer-songwriter Carole King recorded the Grammy Award-winning solo "Tapestry" album in 1971 with background vocals and instrumentation by James Taylor and Joni Mitchell among others. The recording of Tapestry is described by King, Taylor, record producer Lou Adler, Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar and others involved with the recording sessions. This excerpt is from Carole King: Natural Woman.

B.B. King's Start in Memphis: WDIA Radio

1m 19s

B.B. King tells the story of how a product jingle got him a gig at WDIA in Memphis, TN, the country's first radio station to program exclusively for African-Americans. King approached the white station owners for an audition, and they asked him for a tune for Peptikon, which King provided on the spot. Peptikon, a so-called medicinal tonic, became the product sponsor for King's own regular show.

B.B. King's Distinctive Guitar Playing

1m 33s

See and hear B.B. King in performance while musicians share the same response to the King of the Blues' artistry: they can recognize B.B. King is playing by hearing just one note of his guitar. This film excerpt includes commentary by Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, John Mayall, Bobby Bland, Bruce Willis, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Cray, Derek Trucks, Johnny Lang and Carlos Santana.

Making B.B. King: The Life of Riley - Director Interview

Jon Brewer, the director/producer of B.B. King: The Life of Riley, describes how the first documentary on the blues legend came to be, his experience of filming B.B., and how his own background in the music business helps his film work.

B.B. King's Funeral Procession

6m 11s

In this web extra footage from the director of "B.B. King: The Life of Riley," see B.B. King's funeral procession, which traveled from Memphis, Tennessee, to his final resting place in Indianola, Mississippi. The procession included marching bands on Beale Street in Memphis, an escorted motorcade across state lines, and a public viewing at the B.B. King Museum, where he is buried on the grounds.

B.B. King: The Life of Riley - Trailer

2m 23s

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was one of the most influential and celebrated blues musicians of all time. Director Jon Brewer worked on the film with King, and with the cooperation of The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, MS, for two years, before King died on May 14, 2015. His story of struggle and triumph is told by the man himself, his family, and fellow musicians.

Photography Inspired by Pedro E. Guerrero

6m 14s

In response to the film American Masters - Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey and public television workshops based on Guerrero's work, hundreds of people have shared more than 3,000 photos inspired by the photographer, using the hashtag #PedroPBS. Five public television stations also partnered with local organizations to hold screenings, workshops, exhibitions and architecture tours.

Mike Nichols' Laugh

47s

Director and comedian Mike Nichols was famous for his hearty laugh, which often turned into tears, and is why he always kept a handkerchief nearby. Alec Baldwin, playwright Neil Simon, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and Frank Langella recall Nichols' humor and laughter, which is also heard and seen in this excerpt from the documentary.

Mike Nichols and "The Graduate"

1m 17s

Mike Nichols won an Academy Award for directing "The Graduate," his second film, released in December 1967. Nichols learned about directing from Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg. Dustin Hoffman, the young star of "The Graduate," and Paul Simon, whose songs are included on the soundtrack, describe working on the film, which earned many Academy Award nominations as well as Nichols' win.

Season 2016 Overview

30s

The 30th anniversary season of American Masters kicks off with the profile of one of America’s late, great directors Mike Nichols followed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg’s Janis Joplin Documentary; rock legend Fats Domino; and the remarkable story of Maya Angelou -- iconic writer, poet, actress and activist. More films to be announced.

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