Fargo Docs to Close Season with Buddy Guy Doc ‘The Torch’
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
An electrifying performance is hitting the silver screen at the historic Fargo Theatre on November 9, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. Fargo Docs will present The Torch, a film highlighting blues legend Buddy Guy as he passes his wisdom down to the next generation of musicians.
At 83, Chicago icon Buddy Guy remains the standard bearer for blues, a staple in the industry determined to see the art form live on long after he’s gone. This stirring documentary, amplified by incredible musical performances, charts the guidance Guy himself received from the likes of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf while also observing the Grammy winner passing his wisdom to the next generation.
The New York Times wrote, “... any opportunity to spend almost two hours in the company of Buddy Guy is an opportunity not to be missed”. Featuring cameos from the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Tom Hambrige, and Carlos Santana, this film is more than just two hours of musical performances. It’s as much about Guy’s sense of mission and purpose as he passes along his knowledge and expertise to a younger generation of blues musicians. The film also features his protege, Quinn Sullivan, a white, middle-class teen with serious skill and talent. Some might consider him lacking in the blues-as-lived experience, as it is a Black music tradition. However, race is not a concern for Guy. Instead, as interviews underscore, the bottom line is what you give to the music, not the color of your skin.
To start the evening, Fargo Docs will be screening A Perfect Record, a short film by local filmmaker Greg Carlson. The film focuses on collector Dean Sime as he describes the importance of music and the joy of dropping a needle into a groove. Greg Carlson is a professor in the Communication Studies and Theatre Art department at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, where he currently serves as the director of the multimedia journalism and film studies programs.
The Torch is being brought to the Fargo Theatre by Fargo Docs, a documentary film series whose mission is to bring important, thought-provoking documentaries to the area. By making these crucial stories accessible to a wider audience, Fargo Docs seeks to entertain, engage, and inspire our local community. Fargo Docs is presented by Tellwell Story Co.
The film will be screened for one night only at The Fargo Theatre on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at fargotheatre.org/movietickets or at the box office.
