Heartland: The Music Makers of Gennett Records

For tickets/showtimes or more info about Heartland Film Festival, click here.

One of the purposes of documentary filmmaking is to highlight a topic that the viewer may know little-to-nothing about. I could not think of a more fitting documentary film than The Music Makers of Gennett Records to help kick off the 2019 Heartland Film Festival here in Indiana. I say this because it wasn’t until I watched this documentary that I knew musical legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Hoagy Carmichael all recorded in a small recording studio located in our very own Richmond, Indiana.

The Music Makers of Gennett Records utilizes interviews with faculty members from Indiana University, musical performers, and music executives who have an extensive knowledge of the history of Gennett Records and the musicians who came through there. Unbeknownst to me, this Indiana studio was once known as ‘’The Cradle of Recorded Jazz.” Who would have thought? Indiana is not typically known for being a progressive state, so it was captivating to learn about this history.

It was the recordings made at Gennett Records that had an influence on the world of music during a time where segregation often times stifled the voice of minorities in the country. Of all the musical hubs in this country, from New York to LA to Nashville, it was a small city in Indiana who was more progressive than all of them.

One gem I’ll drop on you and you’ll have to watch the film for more: Gennett Records produced the first interracial country music recordings (they were pumping out “Old Town Road” records way before 2019).

Utilizing rare musical recordings, the score to the film helps to bring the documentary to life with archival photos and interviews.