A premiere of a documentary about the gospel songs of legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan will air on the Gospel Music Channel this weekend.
The documentary, entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan,” highlights the work of Dylan’s “gospel period,” featuring performances, interviews and commentary on what critics call the most controversial era of Dylan’s career.“This was Bob Dylan’s ultimate rebellion, and it took much more courage than strapping on an electric guitar,” says the film’s producer Jeffrey Gaskill.
The 90-minute film provides an insiders look at the making of the 2003 Grammy-nominated album of the same name, which brought together an all-star cast of gospel singers including Shirley Caesar, Dottie Peoples, Aaron Neville, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and others.
Performances on the program include “Solid Rock” (Sounds of Blackness), “I Believe In You” (Dottie Peoples), “Gotta Serve Somebody” (Shirley Caesar), “Saving Grace,” as well as rare, never-before-seen footage of Bob Dylan performing “When He Returns” from a 1980 all-gospel concert.
In addition, historical insights on Dylan’s “gospel period” are provided in the film by Jim Keltner, Fred Tackett, Spooner Oldham, and Regina McCrary – all of whom performed and recorded with Dylan at the time. Popular record producer Jerry Wexler, who produced Dylan’s gospel albums, and music journalists Paul Williams and Alan Light, also appear.
Louvinia Pointer, 89-year old director of Brooklyn's Great Day Chorale, tells an interviewer, “the words spoke so much to my faith that we had to be apart of (this film), I have used ‘In the Garden,’ the lyrics to that song, to minister to my choir and to minister to other people I have met.”
“Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan” will air on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 8:30 pm (EST). A DVD of the documentary is scheduled to be released on Feb. 7.
