The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
The film should prove catnip to music lovers, especially blues fans.
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
Iceland, United States · 2016
1h 17m
Director Scott D. Rosenbaum
Starring John Landis, Marc Maron, Joe Perry, Bonnie Raitt
Genre
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An intimate look at the lives and legacies of piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all sidemen for legendary blues artists. The film captures some of their last interviews and performances together, accompanied by performances and insights from some of the blues and rock stars they inspired.
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
The film should prove catnip to music lovers, especially blues fans.
The New York Times by Jeannette Catsoulis
“Sidemen” is about more than just legacy. Blessed with extensive interviews with their buoyant subjects (all three of whom died in 2011 within months of one another), Mr. Rosenbaum and his producer Jasin Cadic shape a narrative of professional insecurity and personal resilience.
"Sidemen” is an exceptionally entertaining and captivating tribute to the men and their music — and that there’s more than enough of said music here to please blues aficionados and recruit converts.
Wall Street Journal by John Anderson
A kind of blues song in its own right, Sidemen: Long Road to Glory is an affectionate attempt to showcase three major figures in the development of Chicago blues, musicians who spent their entire lives eclipsed by the oversized stars they played with.
Los Angeles Times by Michael Rechtshaffen
It may have been a long road to glory, but seeing Perkins (then 97) and Smith (75) enthusiastically accept a 2011 Grammy for their album “Joined at the Hip,” it’s readily apparent that it was worth the trip.
Village Voice by Serena Donadoni
Sidemen seems at first like a didactic cultural corrective. It’s only when Rosenbaum digs into the trio’s life stories that their historic impact becomes clear:.