Acting
Taj Mahal
Born
1942-05-17 (84)
Place of birth
Harlem, New York, USA
Known for
Acting
Credits
53 titles
Taj Mahal is an American blues musician, a self-taught singer-songwriter and film composer who plays the guitar, piano, banjo, and harmonica, among many other instruments.
Known for
6.1Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
6.2Kelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well as emerging new talent and everyday people who are beacons of hope in their communities.
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
5.8The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
6.9A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
Saturday Night Live
1975
7.0Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.
Party of Five
1994
5.9Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland.
Later... with Jools Holland
1992
Film credits
2020s · 6 titles
6.8A confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson's young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band
2020
7.2Steppenwolf is one of the most legendary and at the same time most enigmatic bands in the history of rock music. On the border between mainstream and psychedelic underground, their song "Born to Be Wild" became the anthem of an entire generation. The new, hard sound of Steppenwolf was a stab in the heart of the "Summer of Love" and put an end to the hippie era. It is no coincidence that they were the very first band to use the word "heavy metal" in their lyrics.
Born to Be Wild: The Story of Steppenwolf
2024
8.0Eric Clapton, one of the world’s pre-eminent blues/rock guitarists, once again summoned an all-star team of six-string heroes for his seventh Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2023. Held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, the two-day concert event raised funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, the chemical dependency treatment and education facility that Clapton founded in 1998. With actor Bill Murray as the Master of Ceremonies, the 2023 festival featured outstanding performances by Clapton, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Eric Gales, H.E.R., Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Los Lobos, John Mayer, The Marcus King Band, Roger McGuinn, John McLaughlin, Santana, The Wallflowers, and many more.
Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023
2024
NRCelebrates the legendary – and largely forgotten – Canadian musician who fought for her right to play the slide guitar, a male-dominated instrument in a male-dominated world. Eight months after arriving in Greenwich Village with no prospects, she found herself opening for the biggest blues legends in the world, like Odetta, Richie Havens, and Mississippi John Hurt. But it’s the six magical nights that Ellen ignited the stage with Jimi Hendrix that changed the course of her life.
Goddess of Slide: The Forgotten Story of Ellen McIlwaine
2024
NRSong for Cesar is a documentary film with a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. The film tells a previously untold story about the musicians and artists who dedicated their time, creativity and even reputations to peacefully advance Cesar Chavez's movement to gain equality and justice for America's suffering farmworkers.
A Song for Cesar: Beware a Movement That Sings
2021
NRBuilt out of “a pile of radio junk,” Bethesda, Maryland’s WHFS was a music fan’s dream of a radio station: the place on the dial to hear music listeners loved and new tunes they soon would, all with an anything-goes mentality and an ear for the sounds of social change. This doc pays loving tribute to free-form radio and WHFS’s influence over FM stations across the US from the 1960s to the 1980s. All good things come to an end, and so did the disc-jockey-driven format that WHFS pioneered and made successful, but its legacy lives on. The station’s DJs relate its history with passion in this film that captures the tenor of an era, abetted by reminiscences of performers including Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, Jesse Colin Young, and others whose music found its way to ears and minds eager for something more than the same old Top 40 programming.
Feast Your Ears: The Story of WHFS 102.3 FM
2023
2010s · 9 titles
6.8Robert Johnson was one of the most influential blues guitarists ever. Even before his early death, fans wondered if he'd made a pact with the Devil.
ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads
2019
7.6Documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history, a little-known story built around the incredible lives and careers of the some of the greatest music legends.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
2017
7.0Jack White and T Bone Burnett invite today’s greatest artists to test their skills against the long-lost machine that recorded their musical idols and forebears. The producers have, over a decade rebuilt, a 1920s recording system, timed by a weight-driven system of clockwork gears. Stripped of the comforts and security of modern technology, Nas, Elton John, Alabama Shakes, Steve Martin Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, are among the artists who have three minutes and one chance to get their music etched into a revolving wax disc, before the weight hits the floor. The results are career defining performances and the very definition of "Lighting In A Bottle".
The American Epic Sessions
2016
7.0Loving, music-filled tribute to Chris Strachwitz, guiding force behind legendary roots music label Arhoolie Records. With Ry Cooder, Clifton Chenier, Richard Thompson, Flaco Jiménez and a new generation of roots musicians.
This Ain't No Mouse Music!
2014
5.8Captured across two nights at Madison Square Garden, the Crossroads Guitar Festival offers a variety of legendary guitarists performing a mix of sultry blues, classic rock and country jams.
Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013
2013
NRShake ‘Em On Down is a one-hour documentary film which aims to tell the story of Fred McDowell, who was first recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959, traveled to Europe with the Rolling Stones in the mid-1960s, mentored Bonnie Raitt, and served as the cornerstone of the unique and enduring North Mississippi- style of blues music.
Shake 'Em On Down
2016
4.0All My Friends: Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman captures a once-in-a-lifetime performance, honoring one of the most acclaimed and beloved icons in rock and roll history. A founding member of the Allman Brothers Band and successful solo artist in his own right, Allman possesses a voice that has resonated through four decades.
All My Friends - Celebrating the Songs & Voice of Gregg Allman
2014
NRAustin City Limits (ACL) heads to Nashville for a special broadcast featuring performance highlights from this year’s Americana Honors & Awards. ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2014 premieres this Saturday, November 22, on PBS stations across the United States and includes performances from Robert Plant and Ry Cooder, among many others. The show was recorded live at the Americana Music Association's 13th Annual Honors & Awards ceremony at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium in September.
ACL Presents: Americana Music Festival 2014
2014
6.5New York City's premier jazz venue got the blues when Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton performed together in Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center for two sold-out shows dedicated to vintage blues. The extraordinary collaboration, billed as Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues, paired these musical virtuosos with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra as they brought to life a repertoire of songs selected by Clapton and arranged by Marsalis. Reprise Records captures the magic of these unprecedented shows on CD and a CD/DVD combo that both feature selections taken from the two public concerts, as well a special performance for Jazz at Lincoln Center's annual gala.
Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues - Live from Jazz at Lincoln Center
2011
2000s · 8 titles
6.0In a sleepy Louisiana parish, a group of lifelong friends stage a rather unorthodox intervention to help a young playwright unravel the truth about her complicated mother and let go of her painful past.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
2002
8.5Martin Scorsese traces the roots of the blues from the Mississippi Delta back to West Africa, journeying from the juke joints of Mississippi to the banks of the Niger River in Mali. Featuring performances by Corey Harris, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, and Ali Farka Touré, along with rare archival footage of blues legends like Son House and Muddy Waters, the film offers a lyrical portrait of the music’s deep African origins.
Feel Like Going Home
2003
7.2A look at America's struggles with war, class, race and women's rights. based on Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."
The People Speak
2009
5.5A guitar playing car thief meets an autistic savant piano player, and together they transform a group of reluctant halfway house convicts into The Killer Diller Blues Band.
Killer Diller
2004
9.0Joined by friends and family for this very special celebratory concert -- a must-see event for country music fans -- the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performs selections from their highly acclaimed "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album series. One of the genre's most widely admired groups, the Dirt Band is accompanied here by country greats such as Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash, Alison Krauss, Earl Scruggs and many others.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Farther Along
2003
NRBuffy Sainte-Marie is best known for her protest songs (Universal Soldier) and her love songs (Up Where We Belong). This one-hour documentary chronicles her remarkable career as she rises to prominence in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk music scene and blazes a groundbreaking path as an Aboriginal-rights advocate, digital artist and Oscar-winning songwriter.
Buffy Sainte-Marie: A Multimedia Life
2006
NRTrack listing : 1 - Intro (1min05) 2 - TAJ MAHAL : Riverside (1min40) 3 - TAJ MAHAL : Sweet Mama Genise (1min16) 4 - TAJ MAHAL : Oh Susannah (3min30) 5 - JOHNNY WINTER : Johnny B. Goode (5min35) 6 - JOHNNY WINTER feat. EDGAR WINTER : Tell The Truth (5min23) 7 - IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY : Soapstone Mountain (5min10) 8 - IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY : White Bird (4min55) 9 - SANTANA : Medley (3min52) 10 - SANTANA : Soul Sacrifice (7min53)
Santana: Special Edition EP
2003
6.2After being denied a promotion at the university where she teaches, Doctor Lily Penleric, a brilliant musicologist, impulsively visits her sister, who runs a struggling rural school in Appalachia. There she stumbles upon the discovery of her life - a treasure trove of ancient Scots-Irish ballads, songs that have been handed down from generation to generation, preserved intact by the seclusion of the mountains. With the goal of securing her promotion, Lily ventures into the most isolated areas of the mountains to collect the songs and finds herself increasingly enchanted.
Songcatcher
2001
1990s · 7 titles
6.1In the South Pacific, in Polynesia, on the island of Makatea, Quinn Harris, a taciturn pilot, leads a quiet life, content to earn a living by transporting goods in his De Havilland Beaver. His life is exactly as he wants it to be—until he meets Robin Monroe, a sophisticated and determined woman, the assistant editor of a New York magazine, on vacation for a week with her boyfriend, Frank Martin. An urgent work assignment in Tahiti, the neighboring island, forces Robin to reluctantly hire Quinn to fly her there. But a violent storm forces them to make an emergency landing on a deserted island. This unlikely pair avoids each other at first, until they are forced to team up to escape the island... and evade the pirates who are after them. Danger and temptation are never far away...
Six Days Seven Nights
1998
6.3Amiable slackers Bill and Ted are once again roped into a fantastical adventure when De Nomolos, a villain from the future, sends evil robot duplicates of the two lads to terminate and replace them. The robot doubles actually succeed in killing Bill and Ted, but the two are determined to escape the afterlife, challenging the Grim Reaper to a series of games in order to return to the land of the living.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
1991
5.2A widowed trucker fends off isolation in the company of a dog named Girl, two bickering sisters try to reconcile their differences and a down-and-out circus clown and his stripper girlfriend must fight the temptation of crime on the road. Their common companion is an angry disc jockey at odds with a desperate boss. All these people will find their lives intertwined by the hand of fate. And before the night gives way to day, some will breathe their last breath... Outside Ozona.
Outside Ozona
1998
4.2A narrator tells the story of his childhood years in a tightly knit Afro-American community in the deep south under racial segregation.
Once Upon a Time... When We Were Colored
1996
7.4A 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The film is comprised of two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards.
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
1996
7.2"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
1997
Also known as Georgia Blues, this is a biopic of influential bluesman Blind Willie McTell.
Blind Willie's Blues: A Documentary Film
1997
1980s · 2 titles
1970s · 3 titles
7.5The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.
Sounder
1972
6.6The life story of Scott Joplin and how he became the greatest ragtime composer of all time.
Scott Joplin
1977
10.0Poor black sharecroppers band together to build a school for their children.
Sounder, Part 2
1976
Undated · 2 titles
NRLife Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson is a 2024 tribute concert held at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, featuring Eric Clapton, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Mavis Staples, Trey Anastasio, and more. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the filmed version captures an all-star celebration of Robertson’s enduring musical legacy.
Life Is a Carnival: A Musical Celebration of Robbie Robertson
—
Mr. Handy's Blues is the never before told story of W.C. Handy, known worldwide as The Father of the Blues. The film features performances of Handy's songs by current artists including Taj Mahal, Bobby Rush and Gary Nichols.
Mr. Handy's Blues
—
Series credits
6.1Stephen Colbert brings his signature satire and comedy to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1 show in late night, where he talks with an eclectic mix of guests about what is new and relevant in the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, music, technology, and more. Featuring bandleader Jon Batiste with his band Stay Human, the Emmy Award-nominated show is broadcast from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater.
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
6.2Kelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well as emerging new talent and everyday people who are beacons of hope in their communities.
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
5.8The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
6.9A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
Saturday Night Live
1975
7.0Five brothers and sisters are determined to stay together following the tragic loss of their parents.
Party of Five
1994
5.9Later... with Jools Holland is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland.
Later... with Jools Holland
1992
7.3Together with Cornfed, his portly, porcine partner in crime solving, this defective detective amazingly manages to solve crimes and be a single parent to his hilariously dysfunctional sons at the same time.
Duckman
1994
7.0The show revolves around the lives of 8-year-old Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.
Arthur
1996
7.8Three young monsters — Ickis, Oblina and Krumm — attends an institute for monsters under a city dump and learn to frighten humans.
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
1994
6.3Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre.
Austin City Limits
1975
5.1The Flip Wilson Show is an hour long variety show that aired in the U.S. on NBC from September 17, 1970 to June 27, 1974. The show starred American comedian Flip Wilson; the program was one of the first American television programs starring a black person in the title role to become highly successful with a white audience. Specifically, it was the first successful network variety series starring an African American. During its first two seasons, its Nielsen ratings made it the nation's second most watched show. The show consisted of many skits over an hour. It also broke new ground in American television by using a 'Theatre-in-the-Round' stage format, with the audience seated on all sides of a circular performance area. Wilson was most famous for creating the role of Geraldine Jones, a sassy, modern woman who had a boyfriend named Killer. Flip also created the role of Reverend Leroy, who was the minister of the Church of What's Happening Now!. New parishioners were wary of coming to the church as it was hinted that Reverend Leroy was a con artist. Wilson popularized such catchphrases as "What you see is what you get", and "The devil made me do it!".
The Flip Wilson Show
1970
7.2The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fifth installment of The Tonight Show, hosted by Conan O'Brien. It aired from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, succeeding The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and ended when Leno returned to the role of Tonight Show host.
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
2009
8.1The Midnight Special is an American late-night musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981. The ninety-minute program followed the Friday night edition of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The show typically featured guest hosts, except for a period from July 1975 through March 1976 when singer Helen Reddy served as the regular host. Wolfman Jack served as the announcer and frequent guest host. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts. As the program neared the end of its run in the early 1980s, it began to frequently use lip-synched performances rather than live. The program also featured occasional comedic performances such as Richard Pryor and Andy Kaufman.
The Midnight Special
1972
7.5The Blues (2003) is a seven-part documentary series produced by Martin Scorsese that explores the history and influence of blues music. Each episode, directed by a different filmmaker, traces a unique aspect of the genre’s evolution—from its African roots to its global impact. Originally airing on PBS, the series includes Scorsese’s Feel Like Going Home, Wim Wenders’ The Soul of a Man, Richard Pearce’s The Road to Memphis, Charles Burnett’s Warming by the Devil’s Fire, Marc Levin’s Godfathers and Sons, Mike Figgis’ Red, White and Blues, and Clint Eastwood’s Piano Blues.
The Blues
2003
9.0David Holt plays tunes and talks with modern masters of traditional music in Appalachia, showcasing not just the music but also the countryside that gave it life. Shot entirely on location, the program puts its featured performers in the context of the countryside that nurtured their musical traditions.
David Holt's State of Music
2016
7.4Travel the country in search of unknown 1920s artists, when the music of ordinary Americans was recorded for the first time, transforming music forever, in a three-part film narrated by Robert Redford, featuring Jack White, Nas, Taj Mahal and others.
American Epic
2017

