Robert Mugge

Since 1976, Robert Mugge has created three dozen documentaries about various aspects of American culture, with particular emphasis on traditional forms of American music. In his new memoir, Notes from the Road: A Filmmaker's Journey through American Music, Mugge describes the genesis of what he considers to be his twenty-five key music films, the methods employed in making them, and the experiences shared by him, his crews, and his subjects. Among his better-known films are Deep Blues, Gospel According to Al Green, New Orleans Music in Exile, Saxophone Colossus with Sonny Rollins, Last of the Mississippi Jukes, Rhythm 'N' Bayous: A Road Map to Louisiana Music, The Return of Rubén Blades, Black Wax with Gil Scott-Heron, Gather at the River: A Bluegrass Celebration, Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise, Blues Divas, George Crumb: Voice of the Whale, Hellhound on My Trail: The Afterlife of Robert Johnson, All Jams On Deck, and Kumu Hula: Keepers of a Culture. He also has served as filmmaker in residence for Mississippi Public Broadcasting (2003-2005) and as an endowed chair professor for Ball State University (2009-2014). His favorites of his many awards include a Keeping the Blues Alive in Film Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee (1992), a Gambit Weekly Big Easy Music Award for being a "Special Friend of New Orleans Music" (2007). and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Santa Fe Film Festival (2005) and the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival (2008).