Background Singers Get Up Front in ‘20 Feet from Stardom’

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Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – One the great points in “20 Feet from Stardom” is that often in our favorite hit songs, we sing along to the background singers rather than the lead vocal (“Sweet home Alabama, Where the skies are so blue…”). These classic songsters come front and center in “20 Feet from Stardom.”

The title is an irony, of course, in the so-close-but-yet-so-far nature of hit record fame. By spotlighting the background singers of those familiar songs, it also highlights the struggles when the backgrounders weren’t needed anymore, and their sometimes harsh attempts at trying to come out front and have their own identity. This is a life lesson, as we see the titans of rock – Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger – extolling the virtues of their backup help, but also being kind of forlorn about the frustrations of those colleagues not making it to the big time. The documentary is both a history lesson and a morality tale.

Bruce Springteen leads off the proceedings, which talks at first about the history of background singers in classic rock songs, including the Phil Spector produced ‘Wall of Sound” hit “He’s a Rebel” and the Rolling Stones iconic “Gimme Shelter.” Without the contributions of Darlene Love (Rebel) and Merry Clayton (Shelter) the songs would not be the same.

In the Spotlight: Darlene Love in ‘20 Feet from Stardom’ Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

Besides those more familiar background singer names, the film focuses on and interviews Lisa Fischer, Táta Vega, Judith Hill and Claudia Lennear. They have sung backup for legends like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Ike & Tina Turner, Madonna and Bette Midler (Stevie Wonder and Midler are also interviewed for the film).

This is absorbing stuff, and nicely timed within the midst of the music industry’s soft evolution. It is pointed out during the narrative that background singers are not really necessary in this day and age, given that technology has bestowed on producers the ability to fake a background vocal. Of course what is lost is the human distinction in these men and women’s voices, and while a live stage act still uses them, the recording studios are discarding the practice – why pay for somebody when a few computer strokes takes care of it all?

The stories are interesting, especially Darlene Love. Of all the background singers profiled, she perhaps is the most familiar. She began at 17 years old with the eclectic producer Phil Spector, who became both a mentor and a Svengali. Using her unique voice, Spector made hit after hit (usually under “The Crystals” moniker), but kept Darlene out of the mix. She ended up cleaning houses, but made a brilliant comeback under the surprising arm of David Letterman, who has featured her front and center with “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” every holiday season since 1986.

Another interesting case is Judith Hill. At only 25 years old, she won a breakout role for Michael Jackson’s “This is It” tour, that of duet partner for the King of Pop. She was heading for rehearsal when she learned of his death on June 25th, 2009, and the circumstance became both a blessing and a setback. She was blessed with singing at his funeral, which got her momentary attention, but was setback when her solo efforts were overshadowed by the tragedy. She promised herself not to take any more background singer gigs, but broke that promise by wearing a wig in the background role for Kylie Minogue on “The Tonight Show.”

This Is It: Judith Hill in ‘20 Feet from Stardom’ Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

And therein lies the centerpiece emotion in the documentary, and what sets it apart from just a music history lesson. That a hit record, a breakout as a front-and-center artist, is a right-place-right-time twist of fate. Springsteen, Jagger, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder are all praising these singers to the heavens, but the fickle nature of name recognition and “the hit record” eludes their grasp. If that’s not a life lesson, then what is?

In fact, one of the background singers in the film did her duty on the famous Frank Sinatra song, “That’s Life.” But in looking up the personnel on the album, they only list Frank for the vocals. “That’s Life (that’s life), that’s what all the people say…”

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com