BARBARA!
She was the Queen of Leimert Park!
Indomitable, generous, complex, candid, determined, innocent, funny, sassy, down to earth, Barbara Morrison was more than a unique singer whose extraordinary talent was never in question. Besides being a gift to music she was a life force, a community builder, and a friend.
She could be so down to earth that you would often forget what big a star she was, but if you did she would at times remind you. She was multifaceted and could make you feel like she wasyour mother, sister, lover, boss depending on the occasion, but to me she was simply Barbara.
As a singer, she could sing anything, from Sundown to Yesterday. She knew every jazz and blues standard by heart. Her phrasing was impeccable and her mastery in entertaining any audience unmatched. She cared for her community and chose to settle in Leimert Park where her Performing Arts Center became a beacon to people who wanted and needed a place to perform and where was a mentor to many.
Though originally from the Detroit area she was very much of LA. To this day it is hard to think of a music venue in town where she did not perform, from the Living Room to the Hollywood Bowl, or a jazz or blues musician she did not playwith. She was a living example of resilience and seemed undaunted by a major disability and other health issues.
When she passed it seemed, well, impossible. What? Barbara gone?... Hardly, I would say, as her energy is still very much alive as anyone who walks by the BM Performing Arts center on Degnan Blvd in the heart of Leimert Village can test to.
When I decided to embark in this film project I realized that the only way to do her justice was to capture that life energy, showcase it to her many surviving friends and colleagues, andintroduce it to those who did not know of her in life.
BARBARA is not meant to be a journey down Memory Lane but an ode to life and music and the celebration of one of the most powerful and gifted singers and personalities in music.
Barely one year before her passing, Barbara gave me an interview that’s the backbone of this project. I like to say it is the tree whose branches are the voices of those who knew her and whose lives were touched by her.
Over two years in the making and boasting a cast of sixty among her closest friends and associates and many great performances from the likes of Elaine Gibbs, Wanda Ray Willis, Brenda Lee Eager, Chester Whitmore, Barbara’s own Bu Crew, and many others.
Independently produced, now completely shot and about 20% edited the picture needs your financial support to help cover post production, including steep lab costs to obtain the best quality possible in both video and audio before the picture is released.
With financial help in place, my goal is to have everything done by the end of July though an earlier date may be possible. At that point, BARBARA will be ready to hit the festival circuit and seek a distribution deal.
Thank you for your consideration. Only your generosity will make the completion of this film possible. May life be music, and may music be life.
Tony Villani, writer/director/producer
