Bo Diddley
Birthday: 1928-12-30 Place of Birth: McComb, Mississippi, USA
Synopsis
Bo Diddley, born Elias Otha Bates, was an original and influential American rock & roll singer, guitarist and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of the key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones to name a few. He introduced more insistent, driving rhythms and hard-edged guitar sound on a wide-ranging catalog of songs.
Acting
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I Put a Spell on Me
Portrait of an important American musician through the testimonies of fellow musicians and people from his environment, but also through archival material and documents from various stages of his life and career.
Rockula
Ralph is a sexually frustrated vampire who suffers from a peculiar curse. He's condemned for eternity to watch his one true love, Mona be murdered by a pirate wielding a ham bone. But now? Now it's 1990, and Ralph is determined to break Mona's cycle of reincarnation. His first order of business is winning her affections-- He does that by starting Rockula: a rock band that's sure to stake a claim on her heart.
Chuck Berry - Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll
St. Louis, 1986. For Chuck Berry's 60th, Keith Richards assembles a pickup band of Robert Cray, Joey Spampinato, Eric Clapton, himself and long-time Berry pianist, Johnnie Johnson. Joined on stage by Etta James, Linda Ronstadt and Julian Lennon, Berry performs his classic rock songs. His abilities as a composer, lyricist, singer, musician and entertainer are on display and, in behind-the-scenes interviews, are discussed by Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bruce Springstein, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and others. There's even a rarity for Berry—a rehearsal. Archival footage from the early 1950s and a duet with John Lennon round out this portrait of a master.
Trading Places
A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.
