Piano Keys and Big Tall Trees!
A homegrown documentary film about legendary Georgia musician Chuck Leavell is flying high as the #1 Most Watched Film on Delta In-Flight Entertainment!
Directed by Allen Farst, “Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man” provides an epic, in-depth look into Leavell’s life both on and off the stage. Leavell has played and toured with the Rolling Stones since 1982, and his status as rock royalty may be equaled only by his stature within the world of environmental forestry, where he previously has been named the National Tree Farmer of the Year in the United States. It’s this fascinating combination of passions, coupled with more than 80 gripping interviews from legendary musicians with a combined 58 Grammy Awards, that has already produced quite the buzz for the film.
The documentary originally captivated crowds at both the Macon Film Festival and Sedona International Film Festival, the latter of which recognized the film as the 2020 People’s Choice Award. Then earlier this year, with capabilities of reaching more than 100 million homes in North America and nearly 1 billion homes worldwide, Gravitas Ventures acquired the digital streaming rights to the make this must-see movie available on several VOD platforms, including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, VUDU and Delta Studio (where it now sits at #1.)
The soundtrack alone is worth the 102 minute run time and many of the passengers on Delta Flights have been attracted by the music. The documentary is full of star power with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Dickey Betts, Paul Shaffer, Chris Robinson, Charlie Daniels, Miranda Lambert, Charlie Watts, Bruce Hornsby, Juliann Lennon, Mike Mills, John Bell, Pat Monahan, Ronnie Wood, Warren Haynes, John Mayer, David Gilmour and more.
While the music and star power might attract viewers, people are loving the film as they continue to watch because of the man, Chuck Leavell.
There is no doubt that Leavell is a master musician. He’s had an incredible career and his contributions are many, spanning across musical genres. But Chuck’s story is more than music. It’s about life, love and the precious world we live in. While Leavell’s advocacy for environmental forestry and tree farming is also a noteworthy contribution to the documentary, it’s Chuck’s heart and warm personality that truly takes the film to the next level.
Perhaps the greatest take away is that the film is a grand testimony that finding love and life is possible in a career known for its devastating impact on many musician’s lives. The balance that Chuck Leveall seems to have found between his talents, passions and the love of his life, Rose Lane White, is a rare story to find in a “rock-u-mentary.” It almost contradicts the “fame, fall, and comeback” formula that most of these kinds of films rely on for structure. In ‘Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man’ we learn that being generous with talent, serving others with a smile, and loving with all your heart, is actually what it takes to make it to the top…and stay there!
