The 20 best music and musician-related documentaries of all time, according to me.
by MehdiTaba | created - 19 Mar 2022 | updated - 6 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Queen: Days of Our Lives (2011 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Music
The life and times of the rock band Queen - told in two parts covering in part one the 1970's and in part two the 1980's and beyond.
Director: Matt O'Casey | Stars: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Chris Smith
Votes: 2,016
2. Dio: Dreamers Never Die (2022)
127 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
The first career spanning documentary on the heavy metal vocalist to be authorized by the artist's estate includes scenes with peers, family and friends; never before seen footage; personal photos.
Directors: Don Argott, Demian Fenton | Stars: Ronnie James Dio, Wendy Dio, Mick Wall, Dave Feinstein
Votes: 1,449
3. Touch the Sound: A Sound Journey with Evelyn Glennie (2004)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
A documentary which explores the connections among sound, rhythm, time, and the body by following percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who is nearly deaf.
Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer | Stars: Evelyn Glennie, Fred Frith, Roxane Butterfly, Horacio 'Negro' Hernández
Votes: 681 | Gross: $0.18M
4. Score (2016)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Music
A look at the cinematic art of the film musical score, and the artists who create them.
Director: Matt Schrader | Stars: Marco Beltrami, Jon Burlingame, Leonard Maltin, Bill Field
Votes: 4,876 | Gross: $0.10M
5. Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill
Votes: 13,955 | Gross: $4.95M
6. Avicii: True Stories (2017)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Focuses on the incredible rise, fall and rebirth of one of the worlds most successful electronic music artists of all time, Avicii.
Director: Levan Tsikurishvili | Stars: Salem Al Fakir, Avicii, Johan Bjerkelund, Aloe Blacc
Votes: 6,979
7. The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (2015)
PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Music
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and other international artists of The Silk Road Project discuss their philosophies on music and culture.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Yo-Yo Ma, Kinan Azmeh, Kayhan Kalhor, Cristina Pato
Votes: 743 | Gross: $1.16M
8. Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (2012)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
When doctors diagnosed 19-year-old rock star Jason Becker with Lou Gehrig's Disease, they said he would never make music again. 22 years later, without the ability to move or to speak, Jason is alive and making music with his eyes.
Director: Jesse Vile | Stars: Jason Becker, Dan Alvarez, Ehren Becker, Gary Becker
Votes: 1,224
9. Pink Floyd: The Making of the Dark Side of the Moon (2003)
50 min | Documentary, Music
A detailed look at the production of the biggest album in the history of progressive rock and one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Director: Matthew Longfellow | Stars: David Fricke, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Bhaskar Menon
Votes: 323
10. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Music
The iconic metal band struggles for two years to create their album St. Anger, dealing with alcoholism, the loss of their bass player, and the challenge of working with a psychotherapist.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo
Votes: 20,353 | Gross: $1.22M
11. Afghan Star (2009)
Unrated | 110 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary about the simultaneously unifying and divisive effects of Afghanistan's version of the TV talent show format on its society. It focuses on "Afghan Star" which airs on the Tolo TV channel in Afghanistan.
Director: Havana Marking | Stars: Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada
Votes: 1,018 | Gross: $0.10M
12. Last Days Here (2011)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary follows Bobby Liebling, lead singer of seminal hard rock/heavy metal band Pentagram, as he battles decades of hard drug addiction and personal demons to try and get his life back.
Directors: Don Argott, Demian Fenton | Stars: Bobby Liebling, Sean Pelletier, Diane Liebling, Joe Liebling
Votes: 2,053 | Gross: $0.01M
13. Imagine: John Lennon (1988)
R | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A biography of the rock music star.
Director: Andrew Solt | Stars: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
Votes: 5,181 | Gross: $3.75M
14. Pink Floyd: The Story of Wish You Were Here (2012)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Music
Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and others tell the story of the creative process of the album "Wish You Were Here", released in September 1975.
Director: John Edginton | Stars: Syd Barrett, Joe Boyd, Venetta Fields, Jill Furmanovsky
Votes: 1,868
15. Global Metal (2008)
93 min | Documentary, Music
A continued examination of the heavy metal subculture focusing on the adaptation and performance of heavy metal in various global communities, and how the increased import of Western cultural forms has impacted new global markets.
Directors: Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen | Stars: Tom Araya, Ken Ayugai, Rafael Bittencourt, Max Cavalera
Votes: 4,889
16. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
PG-13 | 118 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
Director: Questlove | Stars: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty
Votes: 13,883
17. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,916 | Gross: $3.97M
18. Count Me In (2021)
81 min | Documentary, Music
You can have rhythm without music but you can't have music without rhythm.
Director: Mark Lo | Stars: Ginger Baker, Cindy Blackman, Art Blakey, Jess Bowen
Votes: 2,240
19. Amy (III) (2015)
R | 128 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Russell Brand
Votes: 55,087 | Gross: $8.41M
20. Prog Rock Britannia (2009 TV Movie)
89 min | Documentary, Music
The story of the perennially unfashionable music genre, featuring interviews with several of its key players.
Director: Chris Rodley | Stars: Steve Howe, Bob Harris, Arthur Brown, Richard Coughlan
Votes: 141
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