Photo ©Linda Wolf
Swamp Family Productions has announced that a new music documentary directed by Jesse Lauter, Learning To Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen, is available to stream on all Delta flights now, while Virgin Atlantic will start running the movie on June 24. It will also be added to The Criterion Channel starting July 1.
The documentary Learning To Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs & Englishmen is a unique retelling of Joe Cocker’s brief tour featuring a massive 30-piece band. It captures the reunion of the 12 remaining members 45 years later, performing with Grammy Award-winning Tedeschi Trucks at the Lockn’ Festival. The film blends archival footage with contemporary interviews and performances from a star-studded cast, including Leon Russell, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Rita Coolidge, Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes), Jim Keltner, Dave Mason, Claudia Lennear, Steve Earl, and more.
“It’s the highest honor to have my film featured on The Criterion Channel, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. When we were talking about release ideas for the movie several years back, Derek, Susan, Wayne Forte [Executive Producer], and I all agreed that since air travel is prominently featured in the film, we really wanted to see the film on the airlines, particularly Delta since that’s our airline of choice and also because the song ‘Delta Lady’ is a staple of the Mad Dogs canon,” Lauter said in a press release.
“It’s a filmmaker’s dream to have Criterion’s seal of approval, and we have the utmost respect for Virgin Atlantic, so having these outlets put out our documentary is a dream come true. We had a fantastic theatrical run in the pandemic and now a wider audience can finally see the film. Thanks for your patience,” he concluded.
Adding their own comments on the project, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi offered a joint statement, “Mad Dogs & Englishmen were one of the groups that inspired us from when we first started our band and paying tribute to their work with so many of the original members on hand was a highlight on many levels. This film is a labor of love many years in the making, and we’re so proud to share the music and the stories of the men and women of Mad Dogs & Englishmen.”
The referred Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour occurred in the spring of 1970 and was immortalized as a live album and concert film format in recognition of the specialty of the occurrence. In turn, decades later, Lauter has used his talents to present the story through the lens of a reunion, which also parses the story with a history of the tour and never-before-seen archival materials, commentary from the original members, and much more.
For more information, visit www.maddogsdoc.com.
