AXS-TV to Air Documentaries on Music’s Unsung Heroes

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Merry Clayton in Twenty Feet From Stardom

AXS-TV will air a curated collection of acclaimed documentaries in the new Into the Spotlight: True Stories of Music’s Unsung Heroes weekly special event—airing every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, starting September 29, 2021.

From the Sept. 8 announcement: Into the Spotlight is a celebration of the little-known figures who had a big impact on music, from unheralded session musicians and supporting vocalists, to iconic landmarks where some of rock’s most enduring hits took shape. AXS-TV‘s special event begins on Sept. 29 with the winner of the 2014 Oscar® for Best Documentary, Twenty Feet From Stardom, an insightful profile of the backup singers who provided unforgettable harmonies on classic songs that defined a generation. Highlights include sitdowns with talented vocalists Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Merry Clayton, and Lisa Fischer, as well as Mick Jagger, Sheryl Crow, Sting, and Bruce Springsteen.

The event continues with 2013’s Sound City on October 6, produced and directed by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, who helms a unique look at the San Fernando Valley studio where Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young, Tom Petty and many others recorded some of their most important work. Next, the legendary group of the Los Angeles session players whose unparalleled skills laid the groundwork for beloved hits by such greats as Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, the Mamas & the Papas, Sonny & Cher, and hundreds of others, in 2015’s The Wrecking Crew on Oct. 13.

The Sunset Strip’s world-famous Rainbow Bar & Grill is the subject of a 2019 documentary with such rockers as Gene Simmons, Lemmy Kilmister, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Lita Ford, and more who share their memories of the star-making venue in The Rainbow (Oct. 20). It’s followed by a trip down to Muscle Shoals, where artists including Bono, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Keith Richards, and Wilson Pickett reflect on the incredible influence of visionary producer Rick Hall (Oct. 27). The event closes on Nov. 3 with 2002’s Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a musical odyssey narrated by Andre Braugher, which sheds light on Detroit-based studio musicians The Funk Brothers whose signature sound fueled hits by the Four Tops, the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson, and dozens of other Motown stars.

Into the Spotlight: True Stories of Music’s Unsung Heroes Programming Lineup
Sept. 29 – Twenty Feet From Stardom
Oct. 6 – Sound City
Oct. 13 – The Wrecking Crew
Oct. 20 – The Rainbow
Oct. 27 – Muscle Shoals
Nov. 3 – Standing in the Shadows of Motown