I recently saw this documentary at my local art house cinema (lucky me!). It always amazes me how many wonderful documentaries are being made with little or no publicity. A lot of these films do not have the big studio deals, so the general public is unaware of their existence. Well, I have got to change that for this one. This documentary is up for 9 Grammy nominations this year (2005), and there is a reason. It is about the little known musical genius of Roger Salloom. He was a contemporary of Bob Dylan, Santana, Janus Joplin, the list goes on and on. He has a voice like Paul Simon and the writing talent of Dylan or Guthry. The documentary lets you into Roger's life now and explores the history of his rise to fame in the late sixties, early seventies. What's mesmerizing about it, is the man himself. He's hilarious and tragic, kind-hearted and careless, all the complexities of a real human being. And this documentary shows you all this, with genuine respect and a sense of humor. The audience was in fits of laughter at Roger's humble admissions of guilt in the mis-direction of his music career. Roger Salloom made some unique choices when it was time to launch himself into super stardom. He chose to raise his 3 sons all by himself after a painful divorce and left the music business behind. But it has always haunted him and now that his sons are grown, he is trying to return. What's amazing is how the music industry ignored him, due to his age, and yet now is celebrating him with 9 Grammy nominations. Just shows you how talent never really dies, and how quiet determination can make an impact. A must see for any music lover.
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