Allison McGourty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Allison Claire McGourty Bristol, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Allison McGourty is a British film producer and screenwriter.
Allison McGourty | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Born | Allison Claire McGourty Bristol, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
Allison McGourty is a British film producer and screenwriter.
Allison McGourty was born in Bristol, England. As a child she moved to Venice, Italy, then relocated to Gleniffer Braes, on the boundary of Barrhead in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, where she attended the Cross Arthurlie Primary School. [1] As a young girl she was a competitive horsewoman, qualifying for the Horse of the Year Show. [1] She enrolled in Barrhead High School where she won the History Prize and played clarinet, and tenor saxophone in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland. [2] [3] From 1982 to 1987, McGourty attended Staffordshire University in England, gaining a Bachelor of Science degree with honours in computer science and French. During her degree course, she lived in Paris and worked for Électricité de France. [2]
McGourty began her professional career working for the international management consultancy firm Deloitte. [4] In 1990, she joined Reuters, where she was part of the launch team for Reuters Television. [5] In 1995 she accepted a post at the BBC, where she managed documentary programming at the UK Horizons television channel [6] before being promoted to the BBC World Service. [3]
In 2003, McGourty founded the British independent record label LO-MAX Records. [7] [8] She signed the acclaimed rock band The Wrens [9] to the label after spotting them at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. [10] She also signed The Go-Betweens album Oceans Apart , [11] [12] [13] Kevin Ayers' celebrated The Unfairground [7] [14] and posthumous releases by Jeff Buckley. [2] In 2010, McGourty signed the Greenlandic singer-songwriter Simon Lynge, [15] whose debut album, The Future , reached the top of the Amazon UK Rock Charts on the week of its release. [16] McGourty wrote, directed and produced a short film about Lynge which she shot in Greenland. [17] McGourty founded Lo-Max Publishing Ltd, which publishes Frank Fairfield, Louis Michot of The Lost Bayou Ramblers and Simon Lynge. Lo-Max Publishing's music has been featured on the US television shows Lie to Me , Brothers & Sisters and The American Epic Sessions . [18]
In 2006 McGourty founded Lo-Max Films and was the creator, producer and co-writer of the Emmy Award nominated American Epic documentary film series. [19] [20] The films covered the first recordings of roots music in the United States during the 1920s and their cultural, social and technological impact on North America and the world. [21] The series involved ten years of field research [22] and has been sited as one of the best music documentaries ever made. [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]
McGourty produced and co-wrote The American Epic Sessions , a musical film, directed by Bernard MacMahon, in which an engineer restores the fabled long-lost first electrical sound recording system from 1925, and twenty contemporary artists pay tribute to the momentous machine by attempting to record songs on it for the first time in 80 years. [19] [21] [26] The film starred Steve Martin, Nas, Elton John, Alabama Shakes, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jack White, Taj Mahal, Ana Gabriel, Pokey LaFarge, Rhiannon Giddens and Beck. [21]
In September 2017 the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools announced a nine-month preschool to high school educational program based on McGourty's American Epic films beginning on 6 October 2017. [28] The school, founded by American educator John Dewey in 1896, has over 2,015 students enrolled in 15 grades. [20] The program featured McGourty and director Bernard MacMahon as Artists-in-Residence. [28]
McGourty is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Writers Guild of America West, the Sundance Institute, and the International Documentary Association. [29] She is the founder of Lo-Max Films, along with film director Bernard MacMahon and musician Duke Erikson. [30]
Allison McGourty's American Epic documentary series and The American Epic Sessions have received numerous awards, including the Foxtel Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival, [31] the Audience Award at the Calgary International Film Festival [32] and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy. [33] McGourty was nominated by the British Academy Film Awards as a Breakthrough Talent for screenwriting, producing and music supervising The American Epic Sessions. [34] On 23 April 2018, the Focal International Awards nominated McGourty for Best Use of Footage in a History Feature and Best Use of Footage in a Music Production. [35]
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary International Film Festival | Audience Award | The American Epic Sessions | Won | [32] |
| Sydney Film Festival | Foxtel Audience Award | American Epic | Won | [36] |
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Music Direction | The American Epic Sessions | Nominated | [33] |
| Hawaii International Film Festival | Halekulani Golden Orchid Award | American Epic: Out of the Many the One | Nominated | [37] |
| Tryon International Film Festival | Best Documentary | American Epic | Won | [38] |
| Tryon International Film Festival | Best Overall Picture | American Epic | Won | [38] |
| Association for Recorded Sound Collections | Best History in Recorded Folk or Roots Music | Allison McGourty | Won | [39] |
| British Academy Film Awards | Breakthrough Talent | Allison McGourty | Nominated | [34] |
| Focal International Awards | Best Use of Footage in a History Feature | Allison McGourty | Nominated | [40] |
| Focal International Awards | Best Use of Footage in a Music Production | Allison McGourty | Nominated | [40] |
| Year | Film | screenWriter | Producer | Music supervisor | director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Simon Lynge in Greenland | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2017 | American Epic: The Big Bang | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | American Epic: Blood and Soil | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | American Epic: Out of the Many, the One | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | The American Epic Sessions | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | Becoming Led Zeppelin | Yes | Yes | Yes |
McGourty was the co-author of a collaborative memoir chronicling the 10-year odyssey researching and making the American Epic documentary films and The American Epic Sessions . The book was co-written with Bernard MacMahon and music historian Elijah Wald. American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself was published on 2 May 2017 by Simon & Schuster. [41] The book was the winner of the 2017 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award. [42]
McGourty was the co-producer of a series of album releases that accompanied the American Epic films. These albums received widespread acclaim with the 5-CD box set American Epic: The Collection being named as Rolling Stone's Reissue of the Year [43] and many critics acclaiming it as being the best box set of its kind ever to be released. [44] [45] [46] [47] [48]
McGourty was the editor and compiler of American Epic: The Best of Blues which Robert Christgau awarded with an A grade [49] and made his number 2 Best Album of 2017. [50]
McGourty was the unit still photographer for the American Epic film production [51] and has photographed portraits of numerous authors for their books, including Charles Shaar Murray, [52] Cathi Unsworth, [53] and Tony Barrell. [54] [55]
Ralph Sylvester Peer was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote recording equipment south to Atlanta, Georgia, to record regional music outside the recording studio in such places as hotel rooms, ballrooms, or empty warehouses.
Charlie Patton, more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American music and inspired most Delta blues musicians. The musicologist Robert Palmer considered him one of the most important American musicians of the twentieth century.
Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Garbage has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide.
Bernard MacMahon is an Irish-British filmmaker. His American Epic films are widely considered as the definitive portrait of a musical era, and one of the best music documentaries ever made.
American Epic is a documentary media franchise based upon the first recordings of roots music in the United States during the 1920s and their cultural, social and technological impact on North America and the world. The franchise comprises a three-part award-winning documentary film series directed by Bernard MacMahon, a feature-length musical documentary film, a book, ten album releases and an educational program. American Epic is widely considered as the definitive portrait of the musical era, and one of the best music documentaries ever made.
Dan Gitlin is an American film editor based in Los Angeles.
American Epic: The Collection is a 100-track, 5-CD box set of American roots music performances from the 1920s and 1930s. It was compiled by film director Bernard MacMahon to accompany the release of his American Epic documentary film series. The box features 100 songs by 100 different artists and has been acclaimed by many critics as a worthy successor to the Anthology of American Folk Music and one of the best box sets to ever be released. The box set won particular acclaim for the song selection and the sound quality of the transfers of vintage 78rpm records.
American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself is a collaborative memoir written by film director Bernard MacMahon, producer Allison McGourty, and music historian Elijah Wald. The book chronicles the 10-year odyssey researching and making the American Epic documentary series and The American Epic Sessions. It features interviews with subjects of the films and contains large amounts of supplementary information not featured in the documentary films or the music releases. The book and an audiobook was released on May 2, 2017.
The American Epic Sessions is a documentary film in which an engineer restores the fabled long-lost first electrical sound recording system from 1925, and twenty contemporary artists pay tribute to the momentous machine by attempting to record songs on it for the first time in 80 years. The film was directed and co-written by Bernard MacMahon and stars Nas, Alabama Shakes, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jack White, Taj Mahal, Ana Gabriel, Pokey LaFarge, Beck, Ashley Monroe, Los Lobos, The Avett Brothers, Bettye LaVette, Rhiannon Giddens, Raphael Saadiq, Edie Brickell, Steve Martin, and others.
American Epic: The Best of Blues is a compilation of early blues songs recorded between 1927 and 1936 and released to accompany the American Epic films in 2017. The album was released as a 17-track download and a 13-track vinyl LP. The album was praised by critics as the definitive pre-war blues compilation.
American Epic is a documentary film series about the first recordings of roots music in the United States during the 1920s and their cultural, social and technological impact on North America and the world. Directed and co-written by Bernard MacMahon, the story is told through twelve ethnically and musically diverse musicians who auditioned for and participated in these pioneering recording sessions: The Carter Family, the Memphis Jug Band, Elder J.E. Burch, The Williamson Brothers, Dick Justice, Charley Patton, The Hopi Indian Chanters, Joseph Kekuku, Lydia Mendoza, the Breaux Family, Mississippi John Hurt and Blind Willie Johnson. The film series is the core of the American Epic media franchise, which includes several related works.
Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official 2017 soundtrack album of the award-winning film The American Epic Sessions. The album features twenty-three music acts recording songs live on the restored first electrical sound recording system from the 1920s. The artists participating include Nas, Alabama Shakes, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jack White, Taj Mahal, Ana Gabriel, Pokey LaFarge, Beck, Ashley Monroe, and Steve Martin. The album won a Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for the Alabama Shakes' performance of "Killer Diller".
American Epic: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack of the 2017 documentary film American Epic. The album features the 15 musical highlights from the documentary series recorded between 1927 and 2014.
American Epic: The Best of Country is a compilation of early country and folk songs recorded between 1922 and 1934 and released in 2017 to accompany the award-winning American Epic documentary film series. The album was released as a 16-track download and a 12-track vinyl LP.
American Epic: The Best of Mississippi John Hurt is a compilation album released to accompany the American Epic documentary films in 2017. It collects all the surviving performances from Mississippi John Hurt's first two recording sessions for OKeh Records in Memphis and New York City in 1928. The performances are cited as some of the greatest recordings of the 1920s.
American Epic: The Best of The Carter Family is a compilation of Carter Family songs recorded between 1927 and 1933 and released in 2017 to accompany the award-winning American Epic documentary film series. The album was released as a 15-track download and a vinyl LP.
American Epic: The Best of Lead Belly is a compilation of Lead Belly's first commercial recordings made in 1935 and released in 2017 to accompany the award-winning American Epic documentary film series. The album was released as a 14-track download and a vinyl LP.
American Epic: The Best of Blind Willie Johnson is a compilation album released to accompany the award-winning American Epic documentary film series. It collects performances from Blind Willie Johnson's five recording sessions for Columbia Records in Dallas, Atlanta, and New Orleans between 1927 and 1930. The album was released as a 16-track download and a vinyl LP.
American Epic: The Best of the Memphis Jug Band is a compilation album released to accompany the award-winning American Epic documentary film series. It collects performances from the Memphis Jug Band's career-spanning recording sessions for Victor Records and OKeh Records between 1927 and 1934. The album was released as a 15-track download and a vinyl LP.
Becoming Led Zeppelin is a forthcoming documentary film directed by Bernard MacMahon which charts the formation and early years of Led Zeppelin. The film is an independent production made with the full co-operation of the band and represents the first time Led Zeppelin have agreed to participate in a biographical documentary. A work-in-progress was screened at the 78th Venice Film Festival in 2021 to a 10-minute standing ovation.
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