Movie: High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music

Top 10 Billed Cast

Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe

Self

Lester Flatt
Lester Flatt

Self (archive footage)

Mac Wiseman
Mac Wiseman

Narrator (voice)

Jimmy Martin
Jimmy Martin

Self

Bobby Osborne
Bobby Osborne

Self

Sonny Osborne
Sonny Osborne

Self

Don Reno
Don Reno

Self (archive footage)

Earl Scruggs
Earl Scruggs

Self

Ralph Stanley
Ralph Stanley

Self

Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss

Self

  • HomePage

    High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music

  • Overview

    Longtime fans of bluegrass music and those only recently discovering it will appreciate this documentary on the genre, which was born of a combination of African and Celtic sounds and is the base of American country music. This film traces the musical form from its Appalachian roots to the present. The rise, fall, and consistent revival of bluegrass chronicled through oral history and visual record, resulting in a priceless film that even casual fans are sure to enjoy.

  • Release Date

    1991-01-01

  • Average

    7

  • Rating:

    3.5 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English
  • Keywords

Recommendations Movies

The Three Pickers
57%

The Three Pickers(en)

2003-07-15

For one historic evening, American music legends Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs joined forces as The Three Pickers, to film a concert for public television. The music they made before a North Carolina audience is as relaxed as a front porch picking session. Informed by the skill and good humor of the three master musicians who contributed so much to the creation and evolution of bluegrass music. With special guest Alison Krauss.

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters
65%

Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters(en)

2011-12-12

Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu's greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox, and Master Croc.

K-911
56%

K-911(en)

1999-12-07

LAPD detective Mike Dooley and his dog, the German Shepherd Jerry Lee, have been successfully partnered for ten years, but Jerry’s advancing age has Dooley’s superiors suggesting retirement and they are forced to work with a younger K-9 team: female cop Sergeant Welles and her disciplined Doberman Zeus.

My Friends Act III
65%

My Friends Act III(it)

1985-06-06

This time the "amici" (friends) are just four: Necchi, Meandri, Mascetti and Sassaroli. Nevertheless they are older they still love to spend their time mainly organizing irresistible jokes to everyone in every kind of situation. Mascetti is hospitalized in a geriatric clinic. Of course the place become immediately the main stage for all their jokes. After some jokes they decided to place an ultimate incredible and farcical joke to the clinic guests.

Speed 2: Cruise Control
46%

Speed 2: Cruise Control(en)

1997-06-13

A disgruntled former employee hijacks the Seabourn Legend cruise liner. Set on a fixed course, without any means of communication and at the mercy of the hijacker, it's up to the one cop on vacation, and his soon to be fiancé (hopefully) Annie, to regain control of it before it kills the passengers and causes an environmental disaster. Insurmountable and daunting tasks awaits them on their perilous journey throughout the ship trying to fend off the hijacker and save the passengers.

Balto III: Wings of Change
66%

Balto III: Wings of Change(en)

2004-04-14

Balto and the other sled dogs are feeling dejected because the mail that used to be delivered by dogsled is now being delivered by airplanes. But when a mail plane crashes in the mountains, the dogs come to the rescue.

Leap Year
69%

Leap Year(en)

2010-01-08

When yet another anniversary passes without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Anna decides to take action. Aware of a Celtic tradition that allows women to pop the question on Feb. 29, she plans to follow her lover to Dublin and ask him to marry her. Fate has other plans, however, and Anna winds up on the other side of the Emerald Isle with handsome, but surly, Declan -- an Irishman who may just lead Anna down the road to true love.

Battle Royale II: Requiem
49%

Battle Royale II: Requiem(ja)

2003-07-05

It's three years after the events of the original Battle Royale, and Shuya Nanahara is now an internationally-known terrorist determined to bring down the government. His terrorist group, Wild Seven, stages an attack that levels several buildings in Tokyo on Christmas Day, killing 8000 people. In order for the government to study the benefits of "teamwork", the new students work in pairs, with their collars electronically linked so that if one of them is killed, the other dies as well. They must kill Nanahara in three days - or die.

Basket Case
63%

Basket Case(en)

1982-04-02

A young man carrying a big basket that contains his deformed Siamese-twin brother seeks vengeance on the doctors who separated them against their will.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
62%

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes(en)

1972-06-29

In a futuristic world that has embraced ape slavery, a chimpanzee named Caesar resurfaces after almost twenty years of hiding from the authorities, and prepares for a revolt against humanity.

Totò cerca casa
68%

Totò cerca casa(it)

1949-12-09

Beniamino and his family have lived inside a school since the end of the war. After five years they have to move, but in Rome it's not easy to find an apartment.

Visitor Q
64%

Visitor Q(ja)

2001-03-17

In a dysfunctional family where the mother is a heroin addict and prostitute, beaten by her son, and the father is an ex-TV reporter, sleeping with his daughter and filming his son being beaten up, ‘Q’, a complete stranger enters the bizarre family, changing their lives for the better, finding a balance in their disturbing natures.

Rate Me
51%

Rate Me(en)

2015-05-22

A portrait of teen escort, 'Coco'.

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades
71%

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades(ja)

1972-09-02

In the third film of the Lone Wolf and Cub series, Ogami Itto volunteers to be tortured by Yakuza to save a prostitute and is hired by their leader to kill an evil chamberlain.

Hellraiser: Hellworld
48%

Hellraiser: Hellworld(en)

2005-09-06

When five hardcore Internet gamers are invited to a special party thrown by the website Hellworld, they endure a night of unspeakable terror.

The Fourth King
62%

The Fourth King(it)

1997-12-27

Alazar, a simple farmer who is also a beekeeper, meets the Three Wise Men Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who have set off to celebrate the arrival on earth of the Messiah. Alazar's magic bees become magically transformed into the tail of the bright comet which leads the four of them to the manger. At first, the brave young farmer's son is on the point of leaving the Wise Men to their fate because he has been forced against his will by their magic powers to leave his pregnant wife Izirah behind. He only very reluctantly agrees to the Kings' request to accompany them. Although the Three Wise Men make it very clear to him how important the Messiah's arrival on earth is, the relationship between the four men remains very tense. Nevertheless, despite all disagreements, our travelling companions soon become firm friends -and after several exciting adventures they finally succeed in locating the manger. The Three Kings then allow Alazar to return home to his loving wife.

My Mom Is a Character 2
77%

My Mom Is a Character 2(pt)

2016-12-22

Dona Hermínia is back, but now rich and famous since she is the host of her own successful TV show. However, the overprotective character will have to deal with her children's departures, as Marcelina and Juliano decide to move out. In counterpart, she will welcome, as a visitor, her sister Lúcia Helena, who's been living in New York.

Jennifer Lopez | Feelin' So Good
91%

Jennifer Lopez | Feelin' So Good(en)

2000-11-07

This DVD includes the following perfomances: If You Had My Love (1999 VH-1 Fashion Awards), If You Had My Love (video) Madison Square Garden Performance with Marc Anthony, No me Ames (video), Let's get Loud (1999 Women's World Cup), Waiting for Tonight (megamix video), If You Had My Love (1999 Blockbuster Music Awards), Baila (video), Feelin' So Good (video), Plus exclusive interviews from family and friends.

Goal II: Living the Dream
60%

Goal II: Living the Dream(en)

2007-02-09

Tempted away from Newcastle United to join Real Madrid, rising star Santiago Munez finds this latest change of fortune the greatest challenge yet - personally as well as professionally. He is reunited with Gavin Harris, though they must compete to be on the team, and estranged from fiancee Roz, whose nursing career keeps her back home.

My Little Eye
54%

My Little Eye(en)

2002-10-04

Five young people apply to live in an isolated house together for six months whilst their every move is filmed by numerous cameras.

Similar Movies

The Ralph Stanley Story
100%

The Ralph Stanley Story(en)

2000-01-01

The Stanley sound is true old-time, mountain style bluegrass music. This film tells Ralph's story through interviews with Ralph, fellow musicians, and those who know Ralph best. Rank Stranger, White Dove, Pretty Polly, Man of Constant Sorrow, and over twenty other songs help tell the story. Ralph performs with Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, Junior Brown, Larry Sparks, George Shuffler, Ricky Skaggs, and members of the Clinch Mountain Boys.

Bluegrass Country Soul
0%

Bluegrass Country Soul(en)

1972-07-01

Capturing the sights, sounds, and magic of Carlton Haney’s 1971 Labor Day Festival in Camp Springs, North Carolina; a three-day outdoor festival—the first of its kind—featuring bluegrass veterans and future stars alike sharing the primitive wood and cinder block stage. More than just capturing one of the largest bluegrass festivals of that decade, this documentary is also an interesting mixture of live performances, interviews, impromptu jam sessions and crowd footage of live music set in a small town surrounded by the now long gone red clay and tobacco shacks of North Carolina.

Banjoes, Fiddles & Riverboats: John Hartford and the General Jackson
0%

Banjoes, Fiddles & Riverboats: John Hartford and the General Jackson(en)

1991-01-01

Steamboatin' stories from those who lived them, river history, authentic footage and stills, along with music and narration by John Hartford.

Bluegrass Jamboree
0%

Bluegrass Jamboree(en)

2008-11-04

Star Power shines in this collection of live video recordings by some of bluegrass music's biggest names. Any fan can tell you that bluegrass music is best when experienced live. The DVD features legendary artists, the Osborne Brothers, Reno & Smiley, Chubby Wise, Jim & Jesse McReynolds, and the Coon Creek Girls in front of live audiences. A full hour of live & studio recordings.

Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music
100%

Bill Monroe: Father of Bluegrass Music(en)

1993-05-31

No single figure in American music so dominated a genre as did Bill Monroe with bluegrass. BILL MONROE: FATHER OF BLUEGRASS MUSIC features performances by Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt, Emmylou Harris, Paul McCartney, the Osborne Brothers, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, John Hartford and a once-in-a-lifetime Blue Grass Boys reunion featuring Del McCoury, Chubby Wise and Bill Keith. The film features archival footage and rare 1990s performances from Monroe's final years including many of the greatest songs from his six decades of recording.

Grateful Dawg
57%

Grateful Dawg(en)

2000-10-14

Jerry Garcia, legendary lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead and David Grisman, virtuoso mandolinist and founder of "Dawg" music… Now, for the first time ever, the musical matrimony and extraordinary friendship of Garcia and Grisman is traced in the award-winning documentary Grateful Dawg.

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones: Live at the Quick
60%

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones: Live at the Quick(en)

2002-02-26

Fronted by one of the most accomplished banjo players of his time, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are captured live in concert on Live at the Quick. The versatile band performs just over a dozen songs including such radically different compositions as "Amazing Grace," "Big Country," "Hoedown," and the prelude from a Bach violin concerto.

The Tao of Bluegrass: A Portrait of Peter Rowan
0%

The Tao of Bluegrass: A Portrait of Peter Rowan(en)

2013-01-01

There are only a few Bluegrass Boys still around that played with the Father of Bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Peter Rowan was a bluegrass boy in the 1960's for only a short time, but Bill's influence and musical knowledge still resonates with Peter. Even as he branched out into his own music after leaving Bill's band, his bluegrass roots were never far away. This portrait of Peter expands beyond his music to his artistic and spiritual endeavors spanning four decades giving the viewer an in-depth look at a true legend within our Americana musical history. His lyrical quality and melodies are memorable; influencing the next generation of musicians, sharing what Bill taught him and what he has learned being a troubadour traveling the world.

Bluegrass Journey
80%

Bluegrass Journey(en)

2004-07-09

This passionate and affecting performance documentary celebrates the virtuoso artistry and joyous community of contemporary bluegrass music. Musically depicting many of the traditional roots and some of the more far-reaching branches of the genre by employing verite footage, thoughtful interviews, and vividly captured extended performances to weave a seamless tapestry that transports and enraptures the devoted fan and newcomer alike.

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years
0%

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years(en)

2016-09-20

Filmed and Recorded Live at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, on September 14, 2015, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Friends - Circlin' Back: Celebrating 50 Years captures a group of longtime road warriors who've yet to lose their grit, joined onstage by John Prine, Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Jerry Jeff Walker, Alison Krauss, Rodney Crowell, Byron House, and Jerry Douglas. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (and early Dirt Band member) Jackson Browne joined in, along with longtime member Jimmy Ibbotson, while a sold-out crowd sings along in the background. From country classics to deep cuts, the tracklist finds bandmates Jeff Hanna (guitars/vocals), Jimmie Fadden (drums/harmonica/vocals), Bob Carpenter (keyboards/accordion/vocals) and John McEuen (banjo/fiddle/guitar/mandolin) swapping harmonies, trading solos, and shining new light on a catalog of vital, vibrant music.

The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks
0%

The Avett Brothers at Red Rocks(en)

2020-08-29

On July 7, 2019, they celebrated their sixth consecutive year of sold-out concerts at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, the world’s only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater, located just outside of Denver. Over 9,000 fans danced, sang and cheered — it was the perfect way to spend a warm summer evening. This special features performances of “Live and Die,” “Down with the Shine,” “Head Full of Doubt,” “High Steppin,'” “Ain’t No Man,” “Laundry Room” and more.

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers
77%

May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers(en)

2017-09-12

An intimate portrait of the acclaimed North Carolina band The Avett Brothers, charting their decade-and-a- half rise, while chronicling their present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.”

A Kentucky Treasure: The Osborne Brothers Story
0%

A Kentucky Treasure: The Osborne Brothers Story(en)

2014-08-05

The story of Bobby and Sonny Osborne, better known as The Osborne Brothers, one of the most successful bluegrass groups of all time. Born in Hyden, Kentucky, they achieved world wide recognition with their 1967 single, “Rocky Top.”

A Kentucky Treasure: The J.D. Crowe Story
0%

A Kentucky Treasure: The J.D. Crowe Story(en)

2021-12-28

Fellow musicians talk about the career and impact of Kentucky native J.D. Crowe, one of bluegrass music's most accomplished and influential performers and bandleaders. Crowe was instrumental in the careers of Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, Keith Whitley and Jerry Douglas and was voted into the International Bluegrass Music Museum Hall of Fame in his own right in 2003.

You Gave Me A Song: The Life and Music of Alice Gerrard
100%

You Gave Me A Song: The Life and Music of Alice Gerrard(en)

2019-04-07

You Gave Me A Song offers an intimate portrait of old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard and her remarkable, unpredictable journey creating and preserving traditional music. The film follows eighty-four year old Gerrard over several years, weaving together verité footage of living room rehearsals, recording sessions, songwriting, archival work, and performances with photos and rare field recordings. Much of the film is told in Alice’s voice and via interviews with musical collaborators and family members who share the story of Alice and others chasing that high lonesome sound.

Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' the Devil's Cage
0%

Charlie Louvin: Still Rattlin' the Devil's Cage(en)

2011-09-03

Fifty years later, and he's still rattlin' the Devil's cage. Charlie Louvin can walk through a crowded mall and not attract attention. But it shouldn't be that way; the humble 83-year-old musician in the cowboy hat and jeans is a true American hero. To start, 50 years ago he and his brother recorded "Satan is Real," an album that shook up the music business. And the life he lived thereafter was pretty radical, too, from his military service to his country to his 61-year marriage to his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry. On Friday, December 3, 2010 at the fooBAR in Nashville, we caught Charlie Louvin on stage, making music for his fans, celebrating the anniversary of that famous album. And we filmed the night for history's sake. This is the tribute he so richly deserves.

Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music
0%

Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music(en)

2019-08-30

Examine the history of bluegrass music, from its origins to its eventual worldwide popularity, and hear from dozens of musicians who explain the ways bluegrass music transcends generational, cultural and geographic boundaries.

The Robber Bridegroom
0%

The Robber Bridegroom(en)

1980-06-01

In a small Southern town, a plantation owner is duped into thinking a thief is a kind stranger. To repay the stranger for stopping a robbery, the plantation owner invites him to his home to meet his daughter.

The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken
0%

The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken(en)

2005-05-22

The life and times of The Carter Family, one of the earliest and most-influential group in American country and roots music.