Customer Reviews

Antone's Home of the Blues

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This DVD came out in 2004 in Australia. I have been looking for its US release for 18 months. Unfortunately, Clifford Antone died earlier this year so this DVD has been posthumously released. This documentary is extraordinary. It has RARE footage of Eddie Taylor (Hey, probably the only footage of Jimmy Reed's axe man and Freddie King's mentor) it is wonderful! Also the glimpse of Jimmy Roger's (James Lane) playing and jamming with Jimmie Vaughan. That is worth the whole price of the thing.

Plus, it has B.B. King recognising Clifford's support of the blues, plus more RARE footage of Pinetop Perkins and the great Sunnyland Slim. Albert King and Albert Collins are both discussed and we see Albert Collins playing in the club with the house band. Also we see a young, pre-famous SRV playing in the club BEFORE he was with Lou Ann Barton's band (and even playing a Telecaster for a second!).

As a guitarist I have always been a big fan of the Texas Blues Guitar and in this DVD you will get the whole lowdown on the scene since the 1970s. Warning: the film is rough, lots of incomplete snips of performances, a bit amateur on the filming and editing, BUT the stuff is so rare and the fact that you also see the only available footage of so many greats, like Luther Tucker (he was lost to the scene for over 10 years) totally makes the investment worth it.

You will enjoy this film if you love Blues or even music in general. It has great still pictures of the greats of Blues from Clifford's collection, good interviews with Antone, Kim Wilson, BB King, Jimmie Vaughan (The T-Birds were the house band at Antone's), Lou Ann Barton, Angela Strehli, Marcia Ball, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (Muddy Water's Band), Billy Gibbons and many more. The whole section on Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf's guitarist) is also very touching. Clifford took Hubert in after Wolf died and had no more gigs-he even got him glasses to see what he was doing again! Get this DVD today!

This collection is a documentary film about the legendary blues club in Austin, Texas, "Antone's."...filled with historical and dynamic blues performances from the earliest days of the club in the 1970s...featuring performance footage of: Albert Collins, Sue Foley, Buddy Guy, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones, Albert King, Willie Nelson, Pinetop Perkins, Jimmy Rogers, Willie "Big Eye" Smith, Angelia Strehli, Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters and Kim Wilson...interviews with Clifford Antone, Marcia Ball, Joe Ely, Billy Gibbons and B.B. King...The film follows the club and its owner Clifford Antone, through their ups and downs to the present day.

DVD Extras:
1. Additional Insights from the Players (including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Hubert Sumlin, Pinetop Perkins and More)
2. Original Trailer
3. Booklet with Clifford Antone essay by John T. Davis

There are performances by and interviews of many of the great blues masters of the last half-century...chronicles the influence a name and a venue can have on an entire musical movement, witness the magic which has made Antone's America's best blues club, as we welcome with open arms...The Blues!.

Must ask the following to take a bow ~ E. Colleen Saro (compilation producer), Lucky Tomblin (executive producer) and directed by Dan Karlok, a tremendous asset to every project they undertake and always in there pitching is Koch Vision...special thanks to the man who made it all possible Clifford Antone founder of "Antone's Home of the Blues".

Total Time: 99 mins on DVD ~ KOCH 6380 ~ (6/06/2006)

This DVD is not for anyone expecting muscial performances. It is a history class about someone who contributed to the blues revolution. Antone's shows clips on virtually every important blues act of the day. It is informative and educational. While music was going thru its transition of disco, glam, and metal Antone was creating a foundation of the blues movement. It is an informal documentary that is pleasing. Now that we know tapes of and young Stevie Ray exists, please release them!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

I've lived in Austin for over 8 years now, after relocating here from another part Texas. I was privlaged to meet Mr. Antone (but he would always tell you to call him Cliff) on sevearl occassions over the years. He may not have remembered my name every time, but I was always 'brother' or 'buddy'. He was truly one of a kind. He was generaous to a fault, the type of man who would give you the shirt off his back or the last penny in his pocket. I had heard there were nights when whatever band was playing, was playing for tips, and it was a rather slow night, and tips were slow. Somehow or other, at the end of the night, Clifford would manage to get a $100.00 bill in there without anyone seeing. There were times I was in the club, when some young band would come on. You could just look at these kids (15-18 years of age), and tell they were scared to death. Clifford was a lot like Ed Sullivan, in the the way he introduced people. They were 'wonderful', 'terrific', 'fantastic'. With just a few words of introduction, you'd see the change in these young kids faces. He gave them the confidence to take charge of their music, and lay it down with the best of them, and play to the best of their abilites. I remember one night, when a young Gary Clark Jr. and Eaves Monsees (Austin home grown blues musicians) were both just 15 or 16 years old. Both guitar players, and still in High School. He introduced them to the crowd, like they had been playing for years, treated them like royalty. Later when the headliner (Jimmie Vaughn!!) was about done with his set at 1:45 in the morning, he invited these kids on the stage to jam with him. The torch had been passed, much like Albert King, Freddie King and Albert Collins had done for Jimmie and his brother Stevie Ray Vaughn years earlier. What a night that was and I'm glad I was there to see it. Clifford, I will miss you, and the world of blues music, and Austin will never be the same. So folks, if you want a life changing experience, pick up this DVD. It will give you an insight into the passion and life of this fine, wonderful, terrific and fantastic man; and the blues he loved so much. We'll miss you Cliff.

This is a fantastic review of some of the people who passed through Antone's, in Austin, Texas, over the years. Mostly Chicago blues presented in the DVD. The main story told is how Clifford Antone brought a lot of the great Chicago blues artists to Austin. People like Clifford Antone enrich all of our lives. Providing a venue where blues greats could gather and perform for appreciative audiences of all sizes is a great gift. There was and is no way to thank him for this, but the doing of it is all the thanks he needed anyways! Clifford Antone is a great example of someone following his heart, and in doing so making all of our lives, including his own, that much richer. The first rate production is just icing on the cake. I wish it didn't have the promo for some other film in the leader though. I really hate that on all DVDs.

Even if the blues isn't your favorite music, you'll enjoy this documentary. I've never been to Antone's club in Austin, but this movie makes me want to go see a show there! I was fortunate enough to attend an advance screening of the film a few months ago and I'm looking forward to getting a copy of the DVD, with the bonus features, etc. This is the real thing, folks!

What a great documentary about such legendary venue. Antone's should be registered by the Austin authoritys as a historic landmark. This place can be a meca for blues lovers from all over the world.Cliffford Antones was a man who follow his dreams and provided joy to many blues musicians and public in general.

Clifford Antone kept the Blues alive during the 70's, 80's and 90's at his clubs in Austin, TX. His habit of bringing artists in for a week's engagement meant that young artists like SRV and Doyle Bramhall Jr. could hang out with these cats and learn their riffs. This collection of jams, recollections, and pure blues energy will be a treat to any blues lover. Highly recommended.
If you dig this, also check out Kenny Wayne Sheppard's new CD/DVD, 10 Days Out. A similar collection of old blues masters, but with more complete cuts.
Let's hope Antone's Records releases full DVD versions of these seminal bluesmen in their natural environment,

An absolutely amazing Blues DVD. This is an absolute must have to anyone who loves the Blues, and I guarantee you'll have more love for the Blues after watching this.

I had an equally good experience with this DVD. It arrived in excellent condtion...and the DVD itself was really great. Again, I recommend this DVD to any blues lover. Thank you.
Barbara Butler