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20 Feet from Stardom

Original title: Twenty Feet from Stardom
  • 20132013
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
15,165
4,411
20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Play trailer2:16
1 Video
55 Photos
DocumentaryBiographyHistory
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what live... Read allBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
15,165
4,411
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Morgan Neville
    • Writer
      • Morgan Neville(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Darlene Love
      • Merry Clayton
      • Lisa Fischer
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Morgan Neville
    • Writer
      • Morgan Neville(uncredited)
    • Stars
      • Darlene Love
      • Merry Clayton
      • Lisa Fischer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 90User reviews
    • 146Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 21 wins & 27 nominations total

    Videos1

    Theatrical Version
    Trailer 2:16
    Theatrical Version

    Photos55

    Merry Clayton in 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Darlene Love in 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Lisa Fischer in 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Morgan Neville and Lisa Fischer in 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Merry Clayton and Darlene Love at an event for 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Merry Clayton, Táta Vega, John Cooper, Caitrin Rogers, and Judith Hill at an event for 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    20 Feet from Stardom (2013)
    Mable John in 20 Feet from Stardom (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Darlene Love
    Darlene Love
    • Self
    Merry Clayton
    Merry Clayton
    • Self
    Lisa Fischer
    Lisa Fischer
    • Self
    Judith Hill
    Judith Hill
    • Self
    Lou Adler
    Lou Adler
    • Self
    Stephanie 'Stevvi' Alexander
    Stephanie 'Stevvi' Alexander
    • Self
    • (as Stevvi Alexander)
    Patti Austin
    Patti Austin
    • Self
    Chris Botti
    Chris Botti
    • Self
    Todd Boyd
    Todd Boyd
    • Self
    • (as Dr. Todd Boyd)
    Carole Childs
    • Self
    Amy Christian
    • Self
    Greg Clark
    • Self
    Kyliyah Clayton
    • Self
    Susan Collins
    • Self
    Charlotte Crossley
    • Self
    Sheryl Crow
    Sheryl Crow
    • Self
    Chris Darrow
    • Self
    Paul Epworth
    Paul Epworth
    • Self
    • Director
      • Morgan Neville
    • Writer
      • Morgan Neville(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film was a financial success, grossing over $5 million internationally on a $1 million budget.
    • Goofs
      Error in important explanatory on-screen caption at around 10 minutes: "The Blossoms were on of the most prolific session groups of the 1960s."
    • Connections
      Featured in The 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Walk On The Wild Side
      Written by Lou Reed

      Performed by Lou Reed

    User reviews90

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Interesting documentary about unheralded singing stars
    This documentary is another in a recent cycle that looks at those from the music industry who have been neglected in some way. In 'A Band Called Death' we learn about an innovative proto-punk band who never even got a chance to record an album and were only rediscovered over 35 years after recording their demo tapes, in 'Anvil: the Story of Anvil' we follow a band who have maintained a very mediocre level of success over a very long time and in' Searching for Sugarman' we are given the incredible story about a musician who released a couple of records that no one bought and who vanished without a trace for quarter of a century. The angle that '20 Feet from Stardom' is coming from is very similar but with a twist – this is the story of neglected musicians who are in actual fact the voices of the sounds that have been in ours heads our whole lives.

    It centres on a selection of classy African American female backup singers who recorded vocal accompaniments for a series of stars from the 60's to the present day. While they were essentially voices for hire, often it was their vocals that made the songs so good – listen to David Bowie's 'Young Americans' and tell me that it's the backing vocals that aren't the best part. But the story has a sadness, as these incredible singers rarely got beyond the backup part of the act. Sometimes they tried and their career stalled. This was because being a successful solo artist requires so many variables such as songs, charisma and determination. While it also needs the marketing powers of the record label. All these ingredients are not necessarily a given for someone with a beautiful voice. However, in some cases actual exploitation seems to have occurred as in the case of Darlene Love, who was used by producer Phil Spector as the voice that the girl group The Crystals claimed as their own but even more unforgivably, Spector got Love to record a track promising it was going to go out under her name only to surreptitiously give it to The Crystals again.

    The film uses a talking heads format, with contributions from a variety of stars that used backup singers such as Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and Sting. There is also priceless archive footage of the likes of Ray Charles and, best of all, Ike and Tina Turner. Sometimes we even get to deconstruct a famous song to hone in on the backup vocals, such as in the case of the track 'Gimme Shelter' which is very possibly the best song the Rolling Stones ever recorded. We hear the backup vocal in all its isolated glory and it becomes very obvious that without it, this song would simply be nowhere near as powerful. So, let's hear it for those unheralded women who have filled our heads with such beautiful sounds all these years. This is their moment of recognition and they deserve it.
    helpful•21
    6
    • Red-Barracuda
    • Jan 17, 2014

    FAQ1

    • Does anyone know who's picture is on the cover?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 26, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Twenty Feet from Stardom
    • Production companies
      • Gil Friesen Productions
      • Tremolo Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $4,946,445
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $54,596
      • Jun 16, 2013
    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,839,368
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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