While Houston may not come to most people’s minds as a major “music city” like 
Memphis, Chicago or New Orleans, it has a legacy that few other cities can 
match. Director Alan Swyer’s WHEN HOUSTON HAD THE BLUES focuses on the years before Elvis Presley’s hit the charts with “Hound Dog,” by exploring the history of the song and its original recording and arguably the defining version by Houston’s Big Mama Thornton, Long before Motown, Houston was home to one of the most 
successful Black music empires in the country. Houston’s early and indelible mark on American music and the blues—often overlooked despite its rich history—is celebrated in the soulful, feature-length documentary, Featuring an extensive collection of photos from the ’40s and ‘50s and vintage/contemporary performances by Bobby “Blue” Bland, Chi “Juke Boy” Bonner, Charles Brown, 
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Jewel Brown, C.J. Chenier, Arnett Cobb, Albert Collins, Diunna Greenleaf, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Albert King, Freddie King, Trudy Lynn, David “Guitar Shorty” Kearney, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, Katie Webster aka The Swamp Boogie Queen, Don Wilkerson and many more. Director Alan Swyer and guest host Hobart Taylor explore the legendary artists, pioneers, innovators, torch-bearers and legacy musicians that made the city of Houston such a vital part of the music that continues to move us.
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To watch go to: amazon.com/When Houston Had the Blues
To watch go to: tv.apple.com/us/movie/when-houston-had-the-blues
WHEN HOUSTON HAD THE BLUES is now available on major streaming VOD platforms—including iTunes, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Tubi.
About the filmmaker – Alan Swyer is an award-winning director, producer, writer whose recent documentaries have dealt with Eastern spirituality in the Western world, the criminal justice system, diabetes, boxing, and singer Billy Vera. In the realm of music, among his productions is an album of Ray Charles love songs. His novel ‘The Beard’ was recently published by Harvard Square Editions. His recent films include; When Houston Had the Blues (2023), El Boxeo (20130, It’s More Expensive to do Nothing (2010) and Spiritual Revolution (2008).