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The BMI Snowball, an annual musical event that is affiliated with the Sundance Film Festival, is close to having a finalized list of guests.
Performers, who will celebrate the film "Muscle Shoals," will include John Paul White of The Civil Wars, American jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard, Percy Sledge, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame keyboardist Spooner Oldham, among others.
The world premiere of the film "Muscle Shoals," directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier, will be Jan. 26. Here is a description provided by Sundance: In a tiny Alabama town with the curious name of Muscle Shoals, something miraculous sprang from the mud of the Tennessee River. A group of unassuming yet incredibly talented locals came together and spawned some of the greatest music of all time: "Mustang Sally," "I Never Loved a Man," "Wild Horses," and many, many more. During the most incendiary periods of racial hostility, white and black came together to create music that would last for generations and gave birth to the incomparable "Muscle Shoals Sound." At the heart of the story is Rick Hall; overcoming crushing hardship, he managed to entice talent like Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett to come to Muscle Shoals and record what became their hit albums, backed up by the funkiest white men ever - the homegrown house band, The Swampers. As the word spread about the electrifying musical chemistry in this unexpected place, the likes of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Staple Singers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Simon and Garfunkel magnetically followed suit. Interviewing an incredible roster of musicians, director Greg Camalier unearths a rich history of this unheralded gold mine of American music.
The Snowball is open to festival credential holders and invited guests only. Tickets will not be sold.
The event will be Jan. 23 at the Sundance House (638 Park Ave., Park City). It will start at 8 p.m.