Columbia Records To Release 20 Feet From Stardom: Music From The Motion Picture On June 18

AVAILABLE DIGITALLY ON JUNE 11

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May 28, 2013, 12:16 ET

NEW YORK, May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Columbia Records will release 20 Feet From Stardom: Music From The Motion Picture, the soundtrack from the compelling new film from award-winning director Morgan Neville on June 18. The album will be available digitally on June 11 via all digital service providers and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon http://amzn.to/13tUnbQ.

Among the songs included on the album is a new recording of the classic song "Lean On Me," featuring Darlene Love, as well as an original song, "Desperation" performed by The Voice finalist Judith Hill. The iconic Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter," is performed by Merry Clayton, a rare recording from her 1971 debut album of the same name. Also highlighted on the soundtrack are two time-honored backup singer tracks, "Young Americans" performed by David Bowie and "Walk On the Wild Side," performed by Lou Reed.

20 Feet From Stardom shines the spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21^st century. Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film is both a tribute to the unsung voices who brought shape and style to popular music and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others. These gifted artists span a range of styles, genres and eras of popular music, but each has a uniquely fascinating and personal story to share of a life spent in the shadows of superstardom. Along with rare archival footage and a peerless soundtrack, 20 Feet From Stardom boasts intimate interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and Sting to name just a few. However, these world-famous figures take a backseat to the diverse array of backup singers whose lives and stories take center stage in the film.

Although these singers are usually relegated to the margins, and few, if any, become household names, their work has defined countless songs that remain in our hearts and collective consciousness. 20 Feet from Stardom juxtaposes the interviews with industry legends and the relative unknowns who support them like Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, and Judith Hill as they illuminate the art of melding their own distinct voices with lead vocals and reveal their desires for careers as solo artists. It is a celebration of the voices from the edge, which brought shape and style to the soundtracks of our lives.

The film, which is in select theatres on June 14 before expanding in the weeks to follow, traces the backup singers' history from the Phil Spector produced pop tunes and soul-inspired British Explosion acts (Joe Cocker, the Rolling Stones) of the 1960s, to their reversal of fortune when the recording industry changed in the 1990s, and into today. Filmmaker Morgan Neville's unprecedented look at the moving personal journeys of these normally uncelebrated artists pays tribute to their indelible role in popular music.

"Morgan Neville's irresistible look at rock 'n' roll's premier backup singers features joyous powerhouse vocals as well as the kind of sad stories they write songs about."- LA Times

"20 Feet From Stardom features some of the catchiest and most memorable refrains, riffs and hooks sung by background vocalists, and tells the personal stories of some of the best voices in the business. It intersperses rare archival footage with the comments of the musical stars they sing with, including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and Sting. But in this film the stadium-filling rock stars play second fiddle." – USA Today

"The power of Neville's work, a chronicling of the lives of background singers who sang on era-defining records from the 1960s into the 1990s, is such that it transcends the typical music documentary."- Billboard

20 Feet From Stardom Track Listing:

"Walk On the Wild Side" performed by Lou Reed
"Slippery People" performed by Talking Heads
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" performed by Merry Clayton featuring Oren Waters, Judith Hill, Tata Vega and Charlotte Crossley
"He's a Rebel" performed by the Crystals
"Space Captain" performed by Joe Cocker from the film "Mad Dogs and Englishmen"
"Gimme Shelter" performed by Merry Clayton
"Sure On This Shining Night" performed by Lisa Fischer
"Let's Make The World A Better Place" performed by Tata Vega and Judith Hill
"Young Americans" performed by Davie Bowie
"Southern Man" performed by Merry Clayton
"Desperation" performed by Judith Hill
"Fine Fine Boy (with intro rehearsal)" performed by Darlene Love
"Lean On Me" performed by Darlene Love featuring Lisa Fischer, Jo Lawry, and Judith Hill

About Columbia Records
One of the most respected and successful record labels in the world, Columbia Records is home to established superstars and exciting new talent. Columbia Records is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment.

About RADiUS-TWC
RADiUS-TWC, the boutique label from the Weinstein Company (TWC) is the first studio division dedicated to multi-platform distribution. Utilizing both traditional and digital media, RADiUS-TWC brings the highest quality film and other specialty entertainment to a wider audience than ever before. Led by Tom Quinn and Jason Janego, the label will continue to develop innovative distribution strategies to make marquee content available where, when and how consumers want. The label's inaugural slate includes such acquisitions as BACHELORETTE and ONLY GOD FORGIVES directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling and Kristen Scott Thomas. Other upcoming titles include: ERASED starring Aaron Eckhart, Errol Morris' THE UNKNOWN KNOWN, Morgan Neville's TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM, Stacie Passon's CONCUSSION, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's LOVELACE, Jacob Kornbluth's INEQUALITY FOR ALL (Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking) and CUTIE AND THE BOXER (Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Directing Award Winner) the latter five of which were Sundance pick ups.