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Shipping Weight: 4.00 ounces
In stock now! Finally, you can own the celebrated documentary about Big Smith.
This enjoyable documentary captures the rich and wonderful sounds of “hillbilly” music by following three families of modern-day hillbillies back to the roots of their music-making heritage. Leading the pack is the band Big Smith, who have been delighting audiences around the world with their foot-stompin’ repertoire of songs, including some passed down through generations- twisted tales of moonshining and adultery alongside heartfelt stories of faith and life.
Sumptuously shot on Super 16 film and embellished by old photos and archival footage, Homemade Hillbilly Jam is both a celebration of modern-day hill folk and a vivid reminder of their hellraising, bootlegging ancestors - all in all a salute to the hillbilly spirit, which refuses to die.
Featuring Big Smith, The Waymakers, The Pine Ridge Singers, The Baldknobbers & More!
Here are some press reviews of the film:
“Big Smith, a hippie-tinged roots band is the nominal focus of (Homemade Hillbilly Jam), but (it) captures an extended family, descended from Ozark "hillbillies" and bound together by music…the clan keeps the old mountain repertoire alive, singing with a passion and grace that need no elaboration.” -Peter Margasak, CHICAGO READER
“4 STARS…vibrant, well-shot documentary explores the roots of hillbilly music… efforts of Big Smith, a set of bearded young men who perform their elders' songs with all the respect they're due.” - Jason Anderson, TORONTO WEEKLY
“As their music evolves, so does their audience, but they never forsake their hillbilly DNA on this rich journey through a cultural legacy.” -Johnny Leahan, INDIE WIRE
“A portrait of dying musical traditions…quirky insight into an America that most Americans would barely recognize.” –Steve Dalton, LONDON TIMES
“Homemade Hillbilly Jam passes the test of a great documentary.” -Mike Armitage, CHART ATTACK, Canadian Music Source
“(Homemade Hillbilly Jam) fully captures how an unyielding faith in music, family and religion keeps one family grounded enough in the past to ensure that their heritage and culture will have a future. Entertaining, enlightening and special.”
-WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL
“…rare breed of documentary: a sophisticated yet entertaining film that has the potential to resonate with broad audiences of all backgrounds.”
-Andrew Rodgers, Director of River Run Film Festival, Winston-Salem, NC
“The entire state received an injection of pride when closing-night film Homemade Hillbilly Jam beautifully portrayed the Ozark countryside and the music it has nurtured through generations of families such as the Bilyeus, whose most well-known progeny are members of Big Smith.” -COLUMBIA TRIBUNE
“Homemade Hillbilly Jam introduces us to Mark Bilyeu, Big Smith's unpretentious, rootsy and soon-to-be-legendary singer-songwriter.”
-Paul Sturtz, Director of True/False Film Festival, Columbia, MO
“Mark Bilyeu and his cousins from Big Smith are refreshingly anachronistic in today’s frenzied world, and a vivid reminder of the hell-raising antics of their bootlegging ancestors. Big Smith’s firm commitment to preserving their family’s musical heritage has earned them accolades from fans of all persuasions.”
–International Documentary Festival Amsterdam
“Mark Bilyeu makes a wonderful center point for the film: combining gentle humor with deep feeling about his home and his family. The close-harmony family singing was beautiful and uplifting, and the sense of community and tradition inspiring. All of this soundtracked with music that was by turns haunting, ancient, raucous, comic, patriotic, and deeply religious.”
-Nick Pett, London, England
