“Impersonators” and “tribute acts” have mostly been on the stage of condescension from major Hollywood films, and mostly relegated to Elvises at that. But the arrival of “Song Sung Blue” promises to truly shake up that perception, as well as likely introducing a whole new generation to the magic that is the music, songwriting and channeled presence of Neil Diamond. Paying vibrant fealty to the beautifully husky and hitmaking balladeer behind “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and innumerable others are Lightning and Thunder. In real life they’re Vietnam Vet and Patsy Cline interpreter Mike and Claire Sardina, an already talented Milwaukee couple who channeled their chemistry into a Neil Diamond “experience” that was first the subject of Greg Kohs’ 2008 documentary “Song Sung Blue.” Now this stranger than fiction rise-fall-rise tale is fictionalized as such by filmmaker Craig Brewer into a wondrously rocking and gritty feel-good movie by the same name. Buoyed by the Diamond-worthy singing talents of Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue” is the real deal in every respect, a movie filled with both wrenching and hand-clapping emotion that’s one of the great underdog band pictures in the spirit of “Breaking Glass,” “The Commitments” and “The Thing You Do.”
For a director whose work has mostly carried a musical theme, there’s no better scoring and executive music producing wingman than Scott Bomar. Given rocking birth to in the Memphis music scene with the bands Impala and The Bo-Keys, Bomar scored Brewer’s breakthrough 2005 make it or violently break it rapper picture “Hustle & Flow.” Following it up with the raw blues sound of a chained vixen for Brewer’s “Black Snake Moan,” Bomar’s soundtracks have been distinguished with his r&b talent from the high-low rollers of “Mississippi Grind” to the eccentric funk of Brewer’s blaxploitation ode “My Name is Dolemite” and the Muhammad Ali heist series “Fight Night.” Now with “Song Sung Blue,” Brewer works a Neil Diamond jukebox for the electrifying combo of Jackman and Hudson as well as putting Elvis Costello and Patsy Cline in new personages. If that task wasn’t enough, Bomar channels the vibe of Diamond’s songs into the underscore that brings the couple together and keeps them through the hard times. “Song Sung Blue” is a triumph on both counts that make us feel that Lightning and Thunder’s king is in the building while making us applaud dynamic musicians in their own right.
Tell us about your musical background in Memphis. What do you think it is about the town that produces so many notable musicians?
Memphis is the largest city in a region called “The Mid-South.” It is an area where you get a mix of jazz and Latin influence from New Orleans, the sound of Gospel music and the church, the Blues from Mississippi and Arkansas and country influence from Nashville. The Memphis sound is a real melting pot. There are a lot of musicians who come out of the church here. It also has a long history as a place to record and make records. Sam Phillips really inspired a lot of people when he had the success he did with Sun Records. He discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Howlin Wolf, BB King, Jerry Lee Lewis & many other legendary artists. At one point Memphis was the independent record label capital of the world and had recording activity on par with NY, LA and Nashville. Stax Records (Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes), Hi Records (Al Green) and American Studios which was run by Chips Moman who produced Elvis and Neil Diamond, were all happening in the 60s and early 70s. When I was coming up in the music scene, there were still a lot of the artists, producers and engineers still active from this era who I got to work with and learn from. It was an amazing place to learn my craft. Some of my mentors include Willie Mitchell who produced all Al Green’s classic recordings and Willie Hall, Skip Pitts and Ben Cauley who played with Issac Hayes for years including his film scores for “Shaft,” “Tough Guys” and “Truck Turner.”
The Bo-Keys
What led you to composing, and how do you think your time with the band Impala and your band The Bo-Keys shaped your instrumental sound?
Instrumental recordings and groups are a long-standing tradition in Memphis. It probably started with the swing-era bandleader Jimmie Lunceford and continued through to hit recordings by Bill Justis (“Raunchy’) Willie Mitchell (“Soul Serenade”), The Mar-Keys (“Last Night”), Booker T & the MGs (“Green Onions’) and The Bar-Kays (“Soul Finger”). Something about these Memphis instrumental records jumped out of the speakers and really spoke to me when I was young. They set a mood and vibe that just felt like Memphis to me and the world that I knew. As I started learning to play music and a young bass player, forming an instrumental group seemed like a fun way to get something going in music. Impala was what really got everything started for me. It was how I had my first experiences in the recording studio making records, playing shows and touring. Our recordings really resonated with music supervisors, and we had success licensing our music which eventually led into me composing original music for film and TV. Towards the end of Impala being together, I had gotten more into the soul, R&B and jazz instrumental sound of Booker T. & the MGs and Willie Mitchell and wanted to explore that sound. The last Impala recording was an EP called “Plays R&B Favorites” which was the beginning of what I would do with The Bo-Keys after Impala ended. There have been quite a few members of the Bo-Keys over the years who were some of the architects of both the Stax Records and Hi Records instrumental sounds. I learned so much from working with these musicians. I use what they taught me on every project I do.
Your first score for Craig with “Hustle & Flow” is almost a precursor to “Song Sung Blue” in that it’s about a musician trying to make it but taking a more catastrophic road. Tell me about your first collaboration.
When I first met Craig, he had just made his first film, “The Poor & Hungry,” which he financed and produced himself. I was completely blown away by it. When I was introduced to Craig, I told him how much I enjoyed it and he told me how much he liked music that my band, Impala had done for a local Memphis film maker that we both knew. He told me about his next project, “Hustle & Flow” and asked if I would be interested in doing the score. The next week he brought me the script and I thought it was amazing.
Between him giving me the script and it is getting made, it took a few years. I helped him put together a CD of music he would play when he would go into pitch meetings at studios, and I just supported the project any way I could as he was struggling to get it produced. As this was happening, The Bo-Keys released our first album, we were starting to tour and get some nice press. The timing was good because when John Singleton came on board to finance the film, I had to sell him on me doing the score. Having a band with some of Issac Hayes’ musicians who played on “Shaft” and his other film scores really helped me close the deal. John had just remade “Shaft” and was a huge Isaac Hayes fan. “Hustle & Flow” was a magical experience. I learned so much from the process. Being able to work so closely with Craig Brewer, John Singleton, producer Stephanie Allain, music supervisor, Paul Stewart, cinematographer, Amy Vincent and editor Billy Fox, was better than any film school I could have attended. To work so closely with such experienced and talented filmmakers on an independent project was a very special experience. We all became a family on that film with most of us going on to collaborate on more of Craig’s projects.
Your scores have often taken a blues / funk / jazz path from “Black Snake Moan” to “Mississippi Grind.” What were those experiences like?
“Black Snake Moan” was quite an experience. That was really a dream project to be part of. I am a huge fan of Samuel L. Jackson. Before production, I took Craig and Sam on a road trip through Mississippi where Sam worked with and performed with some great blues musicians who would end up working with us on the recordings for the film. A few of the folks we worked with; Alvin Youngblood Hart, Bobby Rush and Cedric Burnside are currently featured on the soundtrack of “Sinners.” To be part of Sam’s process and see how he develops his craft, was very cool. Like “Song Sung Blue,” I feel like the musical contribution I made to “Black Snake Moan” was very comprehensive. For both films I produced the songs performed on camera and composed the score and wanted it to sound and feel like it was all part of the same world.
On “Black Snake Moan,” I was very inspired by what Quincy Jones did on the film, “In the Heat of the Night” and Henry Mancini’s work on “Touch of Evil.” On both of those films, the composers did both the score and the songs you hear on car radios, jukeboxes etc. My “Black Snake Moan” score may be my favorite that I have done. Harmonica legend, Charlie Musselwhite, is featured on it and his mastery on that instrument just added the perfect voice for my music.
Unlike “Hustle & Flow” and “Black Snake Moan” where I was working on the music at the very beginning during pre-production, I came in at the very end on “Mississippi Grind.” The directors on that project, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, wanted something which would complement some of the live music performances they had recorded on camera in the film. They were at the final mix when they brought me on, so I had to work very quickly! I love that film; it has great actors and really captures a vibe.
You could say that your scores for “Dolemite is My Name” and “Fight Night” are two of a retro 70’s piece. Talk about doing such a spot-on job of capturing that genre.
Being able to deliver the right sound for these projects really brings things back around to the Stax Records/Isaac Hayes sidemen that I have had the opportunity to work with. On “Dolemite Is My Name”, the musicians really brought the score to life. Willie Hall, Lester Snell and Michael Toles who all played on Isaac Hayes 1970s scores played on my score for “Dolemite is My Name.” Also, a lot of credit need to go to my friend Marc Franklin who plays trumpet and has done notation and arranging for all the projects I have done on Craig Brewer’s films. “Fight Night” was a little different. I had some of the musicians I worked with on “Dolemite is My Name” come in and play on the main title and a few other cues but I largely played all the instruments and did all the programming on the score for that project. With it being for TV, it was a much tighter schedule than a film so there was not much time to bring in musicians.
I have also collected a lot of soundtrack albums over the years. When I work on a project with a specific era or sound direction, I will do a lot of research and listen and study a lot of soundtracks from the past for inspiration. I grew up in the 70s so it is the era I first remember seeing and hearing so much music, films and TV that has inspired me.
Were you a Neil Diamond fan before “Song Sung Blue” came your way. And if so, what do you think distinguished his songs?
I remember seeing his version of “The Jazz Singer” on TV often when I was young, it made an early impression. I had the opportunity to attend an amazing event in 2009 when Neil was honored at the Grammy Musicares Person of the Year event. Neil performed that night, and I was really blown away, it is a night I will never forget. I would say I was a fan for sure before working on this film but was mostly familiar with the 60s material. Neil’s music and songwriting is unique yet has an undeniable pop sensibility. I think coming out of that 1960s, Brill Building scene plays a big part with his writing and sound. He learned to write a catchy tune and deliver it with emotion very early in life.
The real Thunder and Lightning
When you got the gig, did you listen to any recordings by Lighting and Thunder? What do you think distinguished their “experience” from imitators?
I was familiar with Greg Koh’s excellent documentary which our film was based on. I saw it at the Indie Memphis Film Festival at the same time Craig Brewer did and it made a big impression on me. I watched it a few times before we started production and checked out some more footage and recordings Craig sent me and that I found online. Mike Sardina (Lightning) had a career going back quite some time before he teamed up with Claire to form Lightning and Thunder. He spent his entire life as an artist and like many musicians of his era, his career was sidetracked by serving in the Vietnam War. I have been around Claire quite a few times now and she has such an infectious energy. Despite all the hardship she has faced, she just has a joy about her that emanates when she steps on a stage or comes into a room. I think Lighting and Thunder just had a unique style and a joy of performing which could really draw in an audience.
One of the many things I loved about “Song Sung Blue” is how Craig treats Lightning and Thunder as real musicians, as opposed to the condescending tack that other directors or movies might have gone with them. How did that reflect in your work here?
In working on this project, I wanted to make music that would tell the story and convey the emotion Craig was looking for, be true to the style and sound of Lightning and Thunder and be something Neil Diamond would hopefully feel represented his songs in the correct way. Fortunately, I believe that I was successful. I felt like Greg Koh in the original documentary and in Craig’s telling of their story, that they are both reverent in getting their story across. Lighting and Thunder are really one of the best underdog music stories out there. You could not make up something more dramatic than what they experienced and overcame in real life.
Could you identify with Lightning and Thunder’s struggles?
Absolutely. I started playing in bands when I was 15. As a professional bass player, I have had some interesting gigs over the years to say the least! Sometimes it seems when you take a step forward in your career, it feels like you take two steps back. Sometimes it can be things beyond our control and other times it can be self-inflicted and poor decisions! When I talk to music people about “Song Sung Blue,” I tell them that this their film. They will relate to it for sure.
How did you choose which Neil Diamond tunes to use? And what would you see were the deepest Diamond dives?
Craig had the songs already written into the script. He knew which songs he wanted to use to tell Lightning and Thunder’s story and exactly how he was going to shoot them for the film. I think along the way there were little changes as things came up during the pre-production of the music but for the most part, he had the songs written in the script.
“I’ve Been This Way Before” and “I’m a Believer” were probably the deepest cuts. I was not familiar with “I’ve Been This Way Before” until I read the script and Craig talked about how he wanted to adapt the song for Kate to sing. I consider “I’m a Believer” a deep cut because people may not associate that song with Neil Diamond. Even though he wrote it, and he did record it, people are most familiar with it because of either the Monkees version or the Smash Mouth version in “Shrek.”
What was the process like of adapting the songs for Hugh and Kate, not to mention the full band?
The first thing we did was go through all the songs with the lyrics and figure out how to best make the songs duets for Hugh and Kate. After that, it was a matter of figuring out the best song keys for their voices. We went through both Neil’s studio recordings and many live versions to get ideas for our film versions. Neil would do his songs very differently over the decades. It is interesting to see how he changed things up for different tours. Neil’s double live album from 1972, “Hot August Night” became a real touchstone for us during the production. Most of the songs in our film are in a live setting so we had to make arrangements of the songs for a live performance setting. The big finale towards the end of the film with the “Soolaimon/Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” was the trickiest to put together. here was the full band with tympani and a large choir added. We had to time everything perfectly and choreograph various action during the medley. There was a great deal of coordination with the music, camera, lighting and sound departments for that sequence so that everything happened in rhythm. It was challenging but is very satisfying to watch when I see the film. The way Craig put it all together, you really feel like you are in the audience. I also really enjoyed recording the Patsy Cline songs Kate sings and the Buddy Holly songs with Michael Imperioli. Patsy Cline is one of my favorite artists of all time.
Tell me about the recording sessions with Hugh and Kate. How do you think Hugh’s extensive musical theater background mixed with a relative “beginner” like Kate?
The sessions were magical. The beginning of Hugh and Kate working together on this film were the recording studio sessions before we started filming so there is a great energy and freshness we captured.
Kate was coming off a lot of live performances to support her album that she had recently released, and Hugh was preparing for a run of shows at Radio City Music Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, so it was great timing for them to be doing a film with a lot of musical performances. For most of the songs Hugh and Kate sing together like “Sweet Caroline”, “Crunchy Granola Suite” and “Holly Holy” we had them sitting on a couch together, singing into handheld mics. I felt like we got very intimate performances with them being next to each other and looking at each other as they sang.
Did you take pains not to make Lightning and Thunder’s Neil songs too polished, or too “sound alike”
My goal was for the music and the performances to feel real. I felt like the real Lightning and Thunder portrayed in the original documentary were a bit DIY and perfectly imperfect, if you will. At the same time, we were working with some very iconic material, and I felt that we had to make sure what we were making for the film was as good as it could possibly be and hit the right feel and emotion. I wanted to deliver what Craig was hearing, produce versions that were complimentary to Hugh and Kate’s vocals as well as something that would make Neil Diamond feel that we were being true to the intent of his timeless material. Fortunately, everyone seems happy with the music, so I feel like we were successful!
We had Neil’s guitarist of 18 years, Richard Bennett, come and play on the sessions. He played on a lot of the original versions of the Neil songs we have in the film and even co-wrote one of them, “Forever in Blue Jeans.” Having Richard really anchored the songs and was essential in us getting it right.
How do you think the songs add to the emotional progression of the film to the climactic performance of “Song Sung Blue?”
I have been so fortunate to work with Craig Brewer over the years. He is one of the best directors working today at weaving music into a film in a very natural way while using it to hit the right emotional note. The ending of the film is so poetic. When you hear “Song Sung Blue” and how it ties into the video recording with his son, Dana, made earlier in the film – it gets me every time. I tear up every time I hear it and during the performance of “Holly Holy” when Claire comes back after the accident.
How did you want your score at first to capture the quality of Neil’s songs?
After going through and closely studying Neil’s music and working with Richard Bennett, I felt like I really had Neil Diamond’s sound in my head. I wanted the score to feel like it was an extension of and in the same world as the Neil Diamond songs performed in the film. Instrumentation wise I kept it similar to that music. Electric and acoustic guitar, piano, electric bass, occasional drums and percussion, strings and woodwinds. For a few of the more energetic and comedic scenes, I leaned a little bit into the Neil Diamond’s 1960s rock and roll sound which feels a bit Bo Diddley influenced.
The film takes a very unexpected turn in its middle section, and it’s there for quite a while where the score becomes more prominent and thematic, as well as different orchestrationally. Was it important to play honestly to the downbeat situation? And what was the challenge of spotting the music through the family’s travails – particularly Claire’s?
Craig is very much into musical themes and melodies which can be an emotional thread throughout his films. Very early in the process he asked me to compose what he referred to as “Claire’s Sad Theme.” This is a motif which is introduced when Claire has the unexpected tragedy and must learn to overcome her disability with the help and support of her family. We felt with all the on-camera music performances in the film and the strength of the acting, we did not need to be heavy handed with the score. I wanted the score to feel very natural and a subconscious part of the fabric of the scenes.
A lot of the scoring for Claire has a Gospel-like vibe to it. In that way would you say this is the most emotional underscore you’ve gotten to write so far?
All the projects I have done with Craig have a wide range of emotion. Excitement, action, comedy, yearning, hope, tragedy and sadness. The challenge is creating a cohesive score for the film where you convey the feelings musically, so it sounds like it is all part of the same world. I would say the score for this film and my score for “Black Snake Moan” were both pretty emotional.
Did you have any kind of collaboration with Neil himself while working on “Song Sung Blue?” What does he think of Lightning and Thunder? And what do you think he thinks of his iconic role and how it affects other musicians and fans?
I did not collaborate directly with Neil, but Richard Bennett was in touch with him and his family as we worked on the project. There was a screening for Neil and his family once we finished the film and they absolutely loved it. He told Craig to tell me how much he loved the music. I just met his wife a few days ago at our NYC premier and she told me how happy they were with the film and the music. I know he feels that this film will help his music have a whole new life.
Donald “Duck” Dunn (L) and Steve Cropper (R) in “The Blues Brothers”
The great Steve Cropper recently passed. How did he inspire you, and how would you describe his place in music?
Steve Cropper had an immense influence on me both musically and gave me confidence that I could make a career in music. From a young age the instrumental music of Booker T & the MGs made a huge impact on me. The first time I heard “Green Onions” I did not know what it was, but it immediately caught my attention and I had to find out everything I could about them. They were one of my biggest influences musically. I never have been much of a singer which is why I got into making instrumental music. They really created the blueprint on having a successful instrumental group.
When I was in high school, I attended a “Grammy in the Schools” event and Steve Cropper was one of the speakers. Hearing him talk about how he was a product of the Memphis City School System like we were that if you worked hard and followed your dreams, you could make it. He talked about how he started off at Stax Records and his experiences making the Blues Brothers film. His influence is why I started my first band, Impala and most certainty, the Bo-Keys. A career highlight for me was the Bo-Keys getting to open for Booker T & the MGs in London at the Barbican in 2005. That really felt like a full circle moment for me. Steve was really a giant in the music world. He was an iconic guitarist and one of the architects of R&B guitar, a great songwriter, producer, engineer and is featured in one of the greatest music films of all time – “The Blues Brothers!” What a career and life.
There likely might be a lot of “new” audiences going to see this based on the reviews and the star power of Hugh and Kate, as opposed to knowing whom Neil Diamond is. How do you think the soundtrack might convert them into fans? Or even inspire them to sing?
I hope the story of Lightning and Thunder gives people the inspiration to get up on the stage to sing or play their songs no matter how large or small it may be. It is a beautiful film about love, family, friendship and not letting hardships life may throw at you derail your dreams. I think the songs and Hugh and Kate’s performances have a timeless quality that old and new Neil Diamond fans alike will love.
See “Song Sung Blue” in theaters, and buy the soundtrack on Back Lot Music Records HERE
Special thanks to Jeff Sanderson and Chasen & Company, and to Zach Grossman at NBC/Universal