Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll is a 1987 documentary film directed by Taylor Hackford that chronicles two 1986 concerts celebrating rock and roll musician Chuck Berry's 60th birthday. A soundtrack album was released in October 1987 on the MCA label. The name comes from a line in Berry's song "School Days".
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Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll | |
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![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Taylor Hackford |
Produced by | Keith Richards Chuck Berry Stephanie Bennett Audio Recording: Michael Frondelli, David Hewitt, Record Plant Black Remote Truck |
Starring | Chuck Berry Keith Richards Johnnie Johnson Roy Orbison Joey Spampinato Chuck Leavell Bobby Keys Steve Jordan Eric Clapton Robert Cray Linda Ronstadt Etta James Julian Lennon Joe Walsh Ingrid Berry |
Music by | Chuck Berry |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $719,323 |
The two concerts were held on October 16, 1986, at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis; among the artists performing with Berry were Linda Ronstadt, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Etta James, Johnnie Johnson, Steve Jordan, Bobby Keys, Julian Lennon, and Joey Spampinato from NRBQ. Along with concert footage, the film also features scenes from the rehearsals for the shows, interviews with Berry and members of his family, and "talking-head"-type appearances from a number of musicians, including Bo Diddley, The Everly Brothers, John Lennon (archival footage), Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Little Richard and Bruce Springsteen.
Taylor Hackford's film is a wickedly funny and moving rock-doc classic, exposing Berry the money-grubbing control freak without devaluing his genius in the process.
As told in the interview section of the Bonus DVD, Berry shot his voice at a cold open air concert the day before the filming of the movie. All of his lead vocals are therefore overdubbed in a studio.
Films directed by Taylor Hackford | |
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National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature | |
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