A Piano Genius Is Revealed in the Trailer for 'Bayou Maharajah'

By Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone – Thu, Mar 7, 2013 8:00 AM EST

Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James BookerThe New Orleans native James Booker was a wondrously gifted pianist who helped embody his city's definitive take on R&B. Though praised by the likes of Dr. John, who called him "the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced," Booker still experienced racial and sexual marginalization before passing away in 1983.

Booker's personal struggles and musical accomplishments are explored in the new documentary Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker. It's a revealing look at the unique, talented artist, who was steadfast in his musical beliefs. "Somebody told me there's not a very big market for the blues," he says in this exclusive trailer clip. "I refuse to believe that. Maybe they just don't want me to know the value of what I've got to offer."

Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker premieres on March 14th at SXSW. It will screen again the following day at the Alamo Ritz 2.

Related

This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone: A Piano Genius Is Revealed in the Trailer for 'Bayou Maharajah'

News for You

  • Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

    BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel's tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark's Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 points while German act Cascada was 21st out of 26 countries, getting just 18 points from Austria, Israel, Spain, Albania and Switzerland. ...

  • OJ Simpson lawyers say he is closer to freedom

    LAS VEGAS (AP) — The latest high-stakes court hearing for O.J. Simpson in the glitzy capital of big gambles has come to a close with the former football star's defense team feeling confident that their client is closer to getting out of prison.

  • Swift leads, Miguel hurts fans at Billboard Awards

    Taylor Swift is red hot.

  • Taylor Swift wins 8 trophies at Billboard Awards

    Another day, another domination for Taylor Swift: She was the red hot winner at the Billboard Music Awards.

  • 'Trek' does $70.6M but falls short of studio hopes

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Star Trek: Into Darkness" has warped its way to a $70.6 million domestic launch from Friday to Sunday, though it's not setting any light-speed records with a debut that's lower than the studio's expectations.

  • Dior presents cruise fashions amid stars in Monaco

    MONACO (AP) — The glittering star power of Cannes migrated up the coast to Monaco for front-row seats at Dior's colorful, sexy cruise fashion show.

Show More