''Crazy'' is a 2007 American
biographical
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
film co-written and directed by Rick Bieber, starring
Waylon Payne
Waylon Malloy Payne (born April 5, 1972) is an American country singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He is the son of the country singer Sammi Smith.
Early life
Payne was born in Nashville, Tennessee, the son of guitarist Jody Payne and Grammy ...
and
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth Larter (born February 28, 1976) is an American actress and model. She portrayed fictional model Allegra Coleman in a 1996 ''Esquire'' magazine hoax and took on guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s. She made her ...
.
Inspired by the life of
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
guitarist
Hank Garland
Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...
, the film was shot from January 13 to February 12, 2005, in Los Angeles.
Plot
''Crazy'' is the story of a legendary guitar player who emerged from Nashville in the 1950s. Blessed with incomparable, natural talent,
Hank Garland
Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...
quickly established his reputation as the finest sessions player in Nashville. Artists such as
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
,
Patsy Cline
Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...
,
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 1939 ...
, and
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
all sought Hank’s brilliant playing for their recordings. Moving effortlessly from country, to rock-a-billy, to jazz, Hank was also quickly recognized by the likes of
Dave Brubeck
David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...
,
Gary Burton
Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be he ...
,
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American jazz drummer best known for serving as the drummer for pianist Dave Brubeck, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic ...
, and
Joe Benjamin.
The Nashville scene was a unique place in the 1950s – dominated by a small group of executives and musicians who controlled the studios, labels and unions. Hank, in his arrogance and pursuit of musical excellence, often came into conflict with the business, social and racial culture he found both restrictive and frequently frustrating.
Some people say that a near-fatal car accident, which Hank suffered, was a result of tragic response to dreams unfulfilled. Others will say that the subsequent electro-shock therapy, which was ordered by his doctors, may have contributed to ending Hank’s playing career at the age of thirty-one. Four years later his wife dies in her own car accident.
Historians have questioned the accuracy some of the movie's points, noting that Garland was a member of Nashville's fabled "
A-Team" of session players, with whom he socialized in the 1950s, and who rallied around him in the wake of his accident.
Cast
Awards
''Crazy'' won the Best of Fest award at the
Real to Reel International Film Festival The Real to Reel International Film Festival is held annually in Kings Mountain, North Carolina at the Joy Performance Center. It was founded in 2000. According to the official website, the goal is "to showcase thought-provoking films and offer a ve ...
in 2008.
References
External links
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2007 films
2007 biographical drama films
2007 independent films
2000s American films
2000s English-language films
2000s musical drama films
American biographical drama films
American independent films
American musical drama films
Biographical films about musicians
Country music films
Cultural depictions of country musicians
Films set in the 1940s
Films set in the 1950s
Films set in 1957
Films set in the 1960s
Films set in the 1970s
Musical films based on actual events
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