Biographic Material
- Contact the filmmaker.
- Booking information.
- Film information, including synopsis.
- Film information (in German), including synopsis.
- Blaze’s bio, containing a timeline of his life (note: work in progress, timeline to come).
- Information about the film, how it came to be, how long it took, and the filmmakers.
- Wikiepedia article about Blaze Foley.
- Living in the Woods in a Tree: Remembering Blaze Foley from UNT Press by Sybil Rosen.
- Telling Stories, Writing Songs, an Album of Texas Songwriters from UT Press by Kathleen Hudson.
- Kevin kept a diary while making the film.
Reviews
- Jim Bessman saw the film in NYC at the American Folk Art Museum and writes about his experience. Thanks Jim!
- Mary Colurso with the Birmingham News wrote about the film and music event. Thanks Mary!
- Write up in the Chicago Reader
- Review from our Nashville show via Too Much Country blog.
Fan Sites
- The official Blaze Foley website (work in progress).
- The FaceBook page for the movie.
- Steve Wells had the very first website running in tribute of Blaze (no longer available).
- Follow the movie on our Twitter account, BlazeFoleyMovie.
Archival Material
Zephyr Bio page 1
Bio page 1 from Blaze’s original Zephyr Records PR folder
Zephyr Bio page 2
Bio page 2 from Blaze’s original Zephyr Records PR folder
Zephyr Bio page 3
Bio page 3 from Blaze’s original Zephyr Records PR folder
Muscle Shoals Liner Notes
Blaze got Townes in trouble during the recording of this album. Blaze told everyone, “The FBI has the masters.” It was a typical Blaze Foley project.
Zephyr Press Release
Blaze Foley press release from Zephyr Records
Blaze promo for Soap Creek
Promotional flyer for Blaze’s showcase at Austin’s premiere songwriter venue (sorry, it closed long ago).
San Angelo Standard
San Angelo Standard newspaper article from 1979 about Blaze Foley at Kerrville music concert
Strange Singer
A rare article, written for the Daily Texan by Mark McKinnon. Courtesy of the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas, Austin.
Blaze at Anti-Draft Protest
Apparently, Houston was not a hotspot of youth unrest during the 70s. Or maybe Blaze arrived in Houston too late. At any rate, an interesting read.
Photo Gallery
Film Promo Photo
Promotional photo for the film, this photo is cropped to 16:9 aspect ratio, is featured in the film at an emotional climax when Blaze writes his signature song If I Could Only Fly. (Photo credit: Dana Kolflat)
Blaze Redbone Sarducci Foley
Photo: Dana Kolflat. This is a very cool photo of Blaze circa 1981.
Blaze visiting family
Photo: Marsha Weldon. Blaze Foley circa 1983 visiting his sister Pat. Notice the stethoscope he uses for listening to his picking.
Zephyr Records Publicity Photo
Blaze Foley publicity photo from Zephyr Records. (Photo credit unknown)
Blaze Blue Eyes
Photo: C. P. Vaughn. Blaze Foley circa 1981.
Blaze at Soap Creek Salon
Photo: C. P. Vaughn. Blaze Foley circa 1983 at the famous songwriters venue in Austin.
Blaze at River Bottom Festival
Photo: C. P. Vaughn. Blaze Foley circa 1988 in the heat of summer at the River Bottom Festival.
Blaze at River Bottom Festival 2
Photo: C. P. Vaughn. Blaze Foley circa 1988, listening to a performance at the River Bottom Festival. (Photo credit: C.P. Vaughn)
Blaze at Soap Creek Salon 1988
Photo: C. P. Vaughn. Blaze Foley circa 1988 at Soap Creek Salon. (Photo credit: C.P. Vaughn)
Film and Event material
Film Poster US Letter Size (PDF)
Gurf and Blaze green
Green poster for the Gurf and Blaze event
Gurf and Blaze orange
Orange poster for the Gurf and Blaze event
Gurf and Blaze two tone
Two-tone poster for the Gurf and Blaze event
One Sheeter image
One sheeter image for the Gurf and Blaze show
Film Stills
Click on any thumbnail below to get a hi-resolution version.
Film still 1
Opening Title
Film still 2
From opening title sequence animation
Film still 3
From opening title sequence animation
Film still 4
Interview from one of the “Blaze’s Crazy Career” segments
Film still 5
Interview with Louis Black, Executive Producer for the film
Film still 6
Blaze Foley, from archival footage shot for access TV in 1988. (Photo credit: Hank Sinatra)
Film still 7
Motion graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen
Film still 7
Interview from one of the “Blaze’s Crazy Career” segments
Film still 7
Animation: Blaze Foley rescues Townes Van Zandt on stage
Film still 7
From Deputy segment, when he moved into a tree house and became a songwriter
Film still 7
The ill-fated Muscle Shoals recording session
Film still 7
Merle Haggard sings Blaze’s signature song, If I Could Only Fly (photo credit: Haggard Productions)
Film still 7
Animation, when Blaze gets ejected from a prominent folk music festival
Film still 7
Animation: Blaze pleased with himself after harassing a Nashville songwriter with an inflated ego
Film still 7
Animation: Blaze harasses a biker dude
Film still 7
An internal segment title card featuring Blaze’s artwork
Film still 7
Motion Graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen
Film still 7
Motion Graphics, showing our use of song lyrics on screen (Photo credit: Dana Kolflat)
Film Clips
OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE: It’s tempting to put in an opening title sequence — they can convey information about the subject, set the mood of the film and provide a nice jumping off point for the story. But they are risky because not everyone enjoys opening titles. There are lots of examples of films that have meandering opening titles that are too long, don’t set the mood, and are just a waste of the viewer’s time. Plus, if it’s a film made by no one famous, the opening credits are not important. So I tried to make the film’s opening title sequence fun, help set up the story and, above all, be as short as possible. I chose Blaze’s song “Big Cheeseburgers and Good French Fries” as the opening song because he wrote about his life and philosophy in this song and it’s bouncy and fun. Blaze liked to make people laugh, so I tried to add a bit of humor into it as well.
MIKE MOVES TO MEMPHIS: In the documentary, the teenage Mike Fuller (aka Blaze Foley) moves from Texas to Memphis to try and out run his father.
FROM MIKE TO BLAZE: The documentary contains segments called “Blaze’s Crazy Career” that are in the style of a TV documentary program. In the first segment, we quickly cover Blaze’s childhood and evolution as an artist into songwriter.