Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories
2011 · 46m · Documentary
Before Barenaked Ladies, Broken Social Scene and Rush rose from Toronto's music scene, there was Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie Robertson and Gordon Lightfoot making a name for themselves on Yonge Street. This three-part documentary reveals the history of how Toronto's main drag became the leading destination for singers, musicians and music fans not only in the city but across Canada as well. It began in the mid-1950s and flourished until the early '70s, and in between such artists as David Clayton-Thomas, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Levon Helm, Led Zeppelin and Jeff Beck performed on Yonge Street. In addition to archival audio and video footage, featured interviewees include Hawkins, Robertson, Lightfoot, music producer Daniel Lanois and festival promoter John Brower.
Episodes
1. 1955-196046m · Rumour has it that in sleepy 1950s Toronto they used to roll up the sidewalks when the sun went down. There was no rock 'n' roll or R&B music until the fateful day when Arkansas wildmen Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm pulled up in front of Le Coq d'Or Tavern and unleashed the "devil's music" on unsuspecting Toronto. Travelling back to those colourful days, Part 1 reveals the city's appetite for the popular and rebellious new sounds reaching up from the border. Between the exodus of African American performers like Curley Bridges and Mouse Johnson to Toronto, and Elvis performing at Maple Leaf Gardens, a whole generation of young local performers like Ronnie Robertson and Bobby Dean Blackburn were inspired to begin making their names on the flourishing Yonge Street strip.
2. 1960-196546m · By the early 1960s, the Toronto music scene spilled into Yorkville. Folk music began to thrive and young performers like Gordon Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell found a home. But Yonge Street was still the headquarters of the more raucous, wild rock 'n' roll bands. Part 2 sees Robbie Robertson, and The Hawks, create a distinctive guitar style that became synonymous with the "Toronto" sound. Then, as the Toronto music scene exploded, white bands were soon jamming with black musicians, heavily influenced by R&B and creating a distinct new sound all their own.
3. 1965-197046m · By the mid-60s, Yorkville had become the mecca for folk music until Dylan went electric and everything changed. Clubs for rock 'n' roll and psychedelic music became part of the same lineup as the folk music of coffeehouses. Artists like Neil Young, Rick James and The Myna Birds, John Kay and The Sparrow, John & Lee & the Checkmates, and The Paupers were all big names playing the Yorkville clubs, but Canadians didn't have the airtime support needed to sustain them. Toronto musicians had outgrown Toronto, so they left to find fame and fortune in the U.S. The Rock Pile, at 888 Yonge Street (now CTV's Masonic Temple studios and home of MTV) became a focal point for great bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Jeff Beck, and Frank Zappa on their pit stops to Toronto. Finally, Part 3 looks at the early '70s and how the proliferation of strip clubs drove the final nail in the coffin of the Yonge Street music scene.More Like This
The Battle for Black Music: Paid in Full
2024 · ★ 8
Charting the shocking story of how some of music’s most loved artists - from Louis Armstrong to Prince - were exploited by the music industry on the basis of their race.
More info →
Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music
2005 · ★ 8
Soul music has conquered the world in the last 50 years - growing from the raw, electric rhythms of the black underclass, it is now a billion dollar industry with R&B and hip hop dominating the world's charts. It's been the soundtrack to some of the most extraordinary social, political and cultural shifts. Together with the civil rights movement, it has challenged white hegemony, helped break down segregation and encouraged the fight for racial equality. This new six-part series, made by the BBC team who produced the critically-acclaimed Lost Highway, Walk On By and Dancing In The Street series, charts the evolution of soul music - with a fascinating combination of rare archive footage and over 100 contemporary interviews. The movers and shakers from the world of soul – such as James Brown, Mary J Blige, Beyoncé and Martha Reeves, - plus some often overlooked talent, track the music that shaped our lives.
More info →
Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics
1999
Experience the excitement of some of the greatest Pop, Rock and Soul artists that aired on The Ed Sullivan Show in one of the most comprehensive collections ever produced.
More info →
It's All Country
2024 · ★ 10
Behind every country song is an untold story. Country music super star Luke Bryan explores the hidden depths of Nashville in search of those stories. The series features never-before-seen performances by some of the biggest stars of country music as Luke uncovers the secrets, the hidden inspirations and the personal moments that shaped the music you love.
More info →
The Story of the Songs
2020 · ★ 5
Examining the personal and musical development of bands and artists by investigating the stories behind three of their greatest hits.
More info →
