When you watch one of the 11 best music documentaries on Amazon Prime, crank the volume up. They will not only let you gain insight into what music is all about, but will also enable you to hear some really good tunes.
For me, you can get the most information about music acts from books and interviews. One of my all-time favorite bands is Nirvana, and I’ve watched almost everything there is about them (yes even that Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck nonsense). Only after I read Heavier than Heaven by Charles R. Cross, did I manage to better understand the sheer genius that was Kurt Cobain. But, if you don’t have the time (or will) to read books, then music documentaries will do just fine. True music stars are always shocking, mysterious, intriguing and controversial. This seems to be an inevitable part of the package with music geniuses. OK, it is possible to be a nice guy/girl and still be successful (the first one to pop into my mind is Adele), but the true legends are remembered thanks to both their music and their lifestyle. This is why music documentaries are fun to watch. Also, the soundtracks are always good if the director knows what he is doing.
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Music documentaries are almost always passion projects. Filmmakers must really love the topic they are researching and filming to do it in a good way. You have to know what the audience wants to see. They want a personal and intimate journey into the lives of their favorite musicians, want to know about the process of making music, what inspires them and similar. At least, that is what I look for in a music documentary. What I don’t look for is made-up facts. Awhile ago I watched an awesome documentary titled Searching for Sugar Man. It was a compelling story about two South Africans on a quest to find Sixto Rodriguez, an American musician who is extremely popular in their native country, although no one knows anything about him. After they found him, they discovered that he never achieved success in the United States and only released two albums in the ’70s before quitting his music career. He wasn’t even aware that his music was so successful in South Africa. As I said, it is an awesome documentary until you find out that the filmmakers decided to play with the facts. It was true that Rodriguez never achieved success in his native country, but he wasn’t such an obscure musician as the documentary tries to show. He spent a decade touring across Australia, enjoying mass popularity with his songs and spending a respectable amount of time on the charts. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I thought at least music documentaries could get their point across without needing to embellish or create myths, like some science and nature documentaries do.
We hope there isn’t anything like that on our list of the 11 best music documentaries on Amazon Prime. If you are into some other topics, make sure you don’t miss our list of the 35 Best Documentaries on Amazon Prime as well. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)‘s Prime Video is now included in its Prime Membership, which also offers its famous 2-day shipping perks (1-day shipping has also arrived in select cities). Prime Video is now available in more than 200 countries, though the selection varies by country (we can only vouch that the following documentaries are available on the service in the U.S).
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To compile our list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime, we went through close to 150 documentaries in the Music and Performing Arts category on Amazon Prime. After checking each documentary for its Amazon rating and the number of people who rated it (those with 5 or fewer ratings didn’t qualify) we used that data to arrive at our ranking. Check out the list, beginning on the next page.
11. Salad Days: A Decade Of Punk In Washington, DC (1980-90)
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Number of Ratings: 46
You don’t often see a well-made documentary about punk music, although there are plenty of interesting stories to tell about this genre of music. This documentary that ranks 11th in our list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime will take you back to the past, to a decade when punk music was alive and well in Washington D.C. You will be able to see the circumstances that surrounded the emergence of early hard punk rock bands like Marginal Man, Fugazi, Minor Threat and others. These bands set the foundations for the emergence and explosion of alternative music in the ’90s.
10. The Entertainers
Amazon Rating: 4.9
Number of Ratings: 55
Old piano music was once the well loved in the United States. Although many people think it is now a forgotten relic, this documentary that ranks 10th in our list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime will prove otherwise. It is a heartwarming, exciting and occasionally comic story about six piano players who want to prove their skills on the big stage and become the champion of the 45-year-old prestigious World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest.
9. Wave: A True Story in Hip Hop
Amazon Rating: 4.8
Number of Ratings: 27
The life of Tony “Mr. Wave” Wesley was a real roller-coaster. From being shot on the streets of the Bronx to becoming one of the rising stars of break dancing and performing for Presidents, he had a rough road to pass. Now an entrepreneur and recognized activist, he shares his most painful and most dear memories and stories in this documentary that represents a must watch piece for anyone who enjoys Hip Hop culture.
8. For Once In My Life
Amazon Rating: 5.0
Number of Ratings: 9
These guys and girls are not your usual music stars. They do, however, live music. The documentary For Once In My Life ranks 8th in our list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime. It tells the story of the Spirit of Goodwill band, one of the most unique music acts out there. The band consists of 29 members who all have some kind of disability, from Down syndrome and blindness, to autism. This didn’t stop them from enjoying what they love the most, playing music. Music is the thing that moves them and makes all of their problems more bearable.
7. Prince – The Glory Years Unauthorized
Amazon Rating: 4.2
Number of Ratings: 436
2016 was really cruel for music lovers. Numerous music legends like Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, and Prince passed away. The latter one was the most intriguing and mysterious of them all, so it is a bit strange that there are not plenty of documentaries about him. The reason for this could be that he didn’t like the media or to be questioned, thinking that music should speak for itself. This documentary, although unauthorized and without any input from Prince, will give you nice insight into his music career in the ’80s, when he had the most success. If you are looking for something more about his earlier years, the documentary ‘Prince: R U Listening?’ will cover that period of his life and should come out this year.
6. Scarred But Smarter: Life N Times Of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Number of Ratings: 73
This entry on our list of the 11 best music documentaries on Amazon Prime has some similarities with Searching for Sugar Man that I mentioned in the intro. It is made by Eric Von Haessler, who was intrigued by the fact that his favorite band Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ never made it big, although they were a group of extremely talented musicians who made some great music. Through the documentary, Von Haessler tries to explore the reasons why they never managed to have nationwide popularity.
5. The Whole Gritty City
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Number of Ratings: 76
We are continuing our list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime with this story about three marching bands from New Orleans, who are preparing to participate in the annual Mari Gras parade, there is a strong message about the positive effect that music can have on people. Most of the kids that are members of the bands have hard lives, and the music, along with their mentors, is the only thing that keeps them off the streets and away from violence.
4. B.B. King – Life Of Riley
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Number of Ratings: 173
Whether you would like to name him the “king of blues” or one of the “kings of blues,” B.B. King has left an indelible trace on the history of music and inspired generations of young musicians. This is the only documentary about B.B. King you currently have the opportunity to watch, so use it. The story of his humble beginnings to becoming a music legend is told through interviews with people who collaborated and shared the stage with him. It is worth mentioning that the documentary is narrated by Morgan Freeman.
3. Who Is Harry Nilsson?
Amazon Rating: 4.7
Number of Ratings: 239
The title of this documentary that ranks 3rd in the list of best music documentaries on Amazon Prime also reveals its main goal, to learn more about Harry Nilsson, the Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter who achieved major commercial success in the ’70s. The curious thing about him is that he rarely gave interviews or held major concerts or tours. He lived a quiet life, only letting people know him through music. Who Is Harry Nilsson is a collection of archive footage and interviews with Nilsson’s frequent collaborators in order to tell the full story about this musician.
2. Stevie Ray Vaughan – Rise Of A Texas Bluesman: 1954-1983
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Number of Ratings: 987
If you ever picked up an electric guitar and dreamed of making it as a guitarist, then the name Stevie Ray Vaughan will be familiar to you. Although his mainstream success was limited and his career short-lived, he is still considered one of the most influential guitarists in the history of music. This documentary contains rare and exclusive footage accompanied by interviews with prominent figures in the world of music to give the audience better insight into the life and career of the legendary Stevie Ray Vaughan.
1. Amy
Amazon Rating: 4.4
Number of Ratings: 7620
We will close our list of the 11 best music documentaries on Amazon Prime with the most awarded of them all. This documentary took the world by the storm in 2015, winning 30 awards, including a Grammy and an Academy Award. It is the story of British singer Amy Winehouse, who took the world by storm with her mix of soul, blues, and jazz. Unfortunately, the massive success that Amy achieved was also her downfall, since she struggled with addiction throughout most of her career. This addiction ultimately led to alcohol poisoning, which took her life at the age of 27. The documentary tells her life story, from her young age to her final days, revealing previously unknown information, footage, and recordings. This is one of those films that will show you that success and popularity sometimes are not enough and can often do much more damage than good.
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