"Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton" documentary excerpts w/ original score by Gary Lucas

In 2001 Gary Lucas was commissioned by Maysles Films ("Gimme Shelter", "Grey Gardens") to compose and perform an original music score for their new documentary "Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton" -directed by Susan Froemke, with cinematography by the legendary Albert Maysles and editing by Deborah Dickson- after a producer at Maysles Films heard the guitarist/composer performing live on national public radio. After contacting Gary Lucas by email, Lucas traveled up to the offices of Maysles Films in NYC the day after his live NPR broadcast, sat down with his acoustic guitar in front of a tv monitor, began improvising to rushes from the film--and was hired on the spot. This HBO documentary, a searing and tragic indictment of the Mississippi cotton industry and the death grip it exerts on impoverished families who toil to this day in the fields for far beneath the minimum wage, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, after premiering to glowing reviews at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. "Lalee's Kin" went on to play film festivals all over the world, had a theatrical release in NYC, and was broadcast not only on HBO, but worldwide. Variety wrote of Gary Lucas's blues-drenched score: "Gary Lucas' Delta blues guitar music adds vivid color to this report from America's forgotten underbelly."