During the early- to mid-1970s, the platformed glitter of the New York Dolls, Marc Bolan and T-Rex, David Bowie also known as Ziggy Stardust were taking the nation by storm.
The scene was different in a little bar in Los Angeles called the Troubadour.
James Taylor partnered with Carole King. Steve Martin, before turning to comedy, showed off his banjo prowess. And Kris Kristofferson stood alone and sang his country-fueled ballads.
Others, armed with an acoustic guitar or piano, also strummed or finger-picked quiet, introspective songs while singing in their street clothes.
Director Morgan Neville’s goal in his film “Troubadours,” which was submitted for the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary category, was to examine this low-key scene and attempt to explain why these singer-songwriters’ music struck a chord with the public, and why they are still loved nearly 40 years later.
The ball to “Troubadours” started rolling in 2007 when Taylor and King reunited to play a benefit concert for the Troubadour club, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“It was such a great experience that it got them thinking about what was so special about that time,” Neville said during a telephone interview from Los Angeles, Calif. “They brought me in and we brainstormed about how to capture, not only in their musical relationship, but the community around them that made it a unique time in music history.”
King trusted Neville because he had filmed a documentary nearly a decade ago, about the Brill Building where the songwriter and former husband/songwriting partner Gerry Goffin wrote their hits “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “The Loco-motion” and “Up on the Roof.”
During the talks, Neville made a list of people who emerged during the Troubadour’s heyday.
In addition to Taylor, King, Martin and Kristofferson, Neville reached out to J.D. Souther, David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown, to name a few.
“What I think is so interesting about the singer/songwriter movement is that because it’s not as easily definable like other musical genres,” Neville explained. “The term singer/songwriter is a label that applies to all different individuals who were going in various personal directions, but in a similar way.”
Taylor and King came from different backgrounds and their musical styles were different, but they are still considered a part of the scene, he said.
“That’s what I found interesting. People coming from different backgrounds who made different types of music still shared a common goal and that was to write the most personal lyrics they could and try to communicate their thoughts to others as plainly as they could.”
When contacting other musicians, Neville had a hard time explaining the idea of “Troubadours.”
“It’s not a simple film, as far as it is about an event or a person,” he said. “It’s about a scene and there was a lot of interweaving going on.”
Still, the people understood what he was attempting and, for the most part, were open to doing the interviews.
“There were some people who surprised me because they were so eager and enthusiastic about it.”
Martin was one of those surprises.
“Steve, who doesn’t involve himself in a lot of things like this, was a very easy person to get in touch with,” Neville remembered. “We found he has a great warmth for the club and the scene.”
Neville also began to dig anywhere he could for more material, including DJ radio checks, old home movies and concert footage.
“We came up with a pretty great selection that basically gave us the tools to help the film feel like it was alive,” he said.
Still Neville ran into some snags while hunting and gathering.
“The (Troubadour’s) bar was a big part of the scene,” he said. “Regardless of who was playing on stage in the next room, the bar was a big hub of the scene. Unfortunately, no one brought a movie camera to the bar.
Neville got around this challenge by setting and filming the new interviews with King, Taylor and Kristofferson in the bar.
“We tried to evoke it as much as we could,” he said.
Throughout the filmmaking, Neville came to realize these musicians really had no idea what they were creating.
“I think they thought they would be lucky if they played clubs like the Troubadour the rest of their lives,” he said. “I don’t think they expected to sell millions of records, and that was a revelation to them.”
The singer/songwriter movement was an important moment in the history of pop music, Neville said.
“People were making complicated, adult-themed albums that were selling millions of units, which is rare in pop music,” he said. “It caused a lot of problems, of course, but overall it was a blessing for the scene, and more people got to hear the music just because it hit the right cultural moment at the right time.
“Being from L.A., I’ve made a lot of documentaries,” Neville said. “Music and L.A. history are my two favorite subjects and this is one documentary that brought them together.”
Sundance will screen “Troubadours” on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2;30 p.m., at the Prospector Square Theatre; Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 9 a.m., at the Yarrow Hotel Theatre; Tuesday, Jan. 25, 9:25 p.m., at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City; Wednesday, Jan. 26, 6 p.m., Temple Theatre; Thursday, Jan. 27, noon, Screening Room, Sundance Resort and Saturday, Jan. 29, 11:15 a.m., Holiday Village Cinema III.
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