There have long been amazing documentaries about popular musicians. Many of the biggest stars ever have been the subject of some of the best docs ever made, like the ones on this list. From Bob Dylan to Taylor Swift, these are some of the best of those. A quick note to start though, I've left amazing concert films like Stop Making Sense and The Last Waltz off this list, it's really meant to be true documentaries.
Don't Look Back (1967)
Filmmakers have been trying to understand the enigmatic Bob Dylan since the mid-'60s when D.A. Pennebaker turned his camera on Dylan as he toured the UK in 1965. It was a groundbreaking time for Dylan, but singer/songwriter doesn't come across all that well in the movie. It's an amazing look into Dylan in that era though.
20 Feet From Stardom
The winner for Best Documentary at the Oscars in 2014, 20 Feet From Stardom, is an incredible look into the oft-overlooked background singers in popular music. It is easily one of the best films on this list and worthy of anyone's time.
DiG!
There is an old saying that great documentaries come from a combination of great filmmaking and luck. The filmmakers behind DiG! in 2004 were "lucky" enough to see a band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, in full meltdown with constant bickering between the band's leader Anton Newcombe and everyone else in the band. The Dandy Warhols, frenemies of BJM, feature prominently as well, as they rise to stardom during the same period,
Sample This! (2012)
Questlove directs this documentary about the most important drum break in hip hop history and how the break, discovered by early DJs in New York in the '70s, helped launch an entire genre. It's a wild story that includes murder, and though it wasn't wildly disturbing, it's worth any music fan's time to seek out.
Searching For Sugar Man (2012)
In 2012, an amazing story came to light for the first time in decades when filmmakers told us all about the life of the folk singer Rodriguez in Searching For Sugar Man. Though the history in the movie isn't 100% accurate and it overplays what Rodriguez didn't know about his fame in South Africa, it's an incredible movie and worthy of the Oscar it won.
Long Strange Trip (2017)
The history of the Grateful Dead is indeed a long, strange trip as the name of the documentary about them says. Taken from the lyrics of their hit "Truckin'" those three words sum the Dead in the best way possible. The documentary, made with the participation of all the surviving members, is the best look into one of the most unique bands of all time. It's just a must for Deadheads, any serious fan will love it.
Hype! (1996)
Seattle in the late '80s and early '90s was a magical time for bands and music fans. Grunge, that epic hard rock genre that was born in the Pacific Northwest exploded onto the scene in 1991 with the release of Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Mudhoney's Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, and Pearl Jam's Ten (among others). Hype! is all about the heady days and features tons of cool interviews with key players in the movement.
Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster (2004)
Sometimes you just get lucky when making a documentary. That is the case with Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster, which was filmed at a time when the band was barely hanging on amongst internal fighting. It's a raw, incredible look into the most popular metal band of all time.
George Harrison: Living In The Material World (2011)
In many ways, George Harrison was the most mysterious Beatle. He was the one who was most uncomfortable with the fame and so he rarely gave interviews or really, even played publicly. George Harrison: Living In The Material World, directed by Martin Scorsese, is by far the best look inside the life and career of "The Quiet One" as he was known in the early days of Beatlemania.
It Might Get Loud (2008)
It Might Get Loud is really just three dude having a conversation about music and guitars. Those three guys, however, happen to be three of the most legendary music in rock, The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White. it's a really cool film to watch if you love musicians breaking down their most famous riffs and melodies.
Miss Americana (2020)
It's easy to think that Taylor Swift might be a little over-exposed these days, but with Miss Americana she really let down her guard and let her into some pretty private moments. There is no need to sell the film to Swifties, but I can tell you that even as just a very casual fan, it's a great movie to watch and you're sure to learn something.
Standing In the Shadows Of Motown (2002)
Motown Records is, without question, one of the most important record companies in the history of popular music in the 20th Century. The company's influence is immense, and in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, viewers learn exactly how they did what they did. It's a very cool documentary with interviews with tons of the surviving musicians who worked and recorded at that famous studio in Detroit.
Gimme Shelter (1970)
1970's Gimme Shelter was supposed to be a celebration of The Rolling Stones triumphant tour of the US in 1969. Instead it turned into a nightmare when a concert-goer was killed after pulling a gun at the tour's final stop at the infamous Altamont Festival.
Echo In The Canyon (2018)
Laurel Canyon is a sleeping part of LA that became very popular as a place to live for some of the biggest musicians of the '60s and '70s. It was, as described in Echo In The Canyon, a magical place to live where artists spent their days interacting with each other and bouncing ideas back and forth.
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (1986)
The 1986 short documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot has become more legend than great documentary. It's an amazing moment in time-type doc that really captures exactly what it was like to be a parking lot before a Judas Priest show in the mid-'80s. It's also a little disturbing at times, but super funny to watch today.
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
Director Penelope Spheeris, who is most famous for directing Wayne's World, burst onto the documentary scene with The Decline of Western Civilization, which wrote the book, so to speak, in a lot of ways about the early days of Punk music in the early '80s.
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (2002)
Some of the best documentaries are the ones that catch a band in freefall, only to redeem themselves. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is about the near-self-destruction of Wilco who, while the filming was happened, got dropped by their record label, only to get signed for more money by another label owned by the same company all while the two creative forces in the band, Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy, were bickering and fighting so much that Bennett eventually quit. It's an amazing story.
Bad Reputation (2018)
Joan Jett has been a superstar in rock for many decades and has one of the most incredible stories, as rising through the ranks and becoming a star is especially hard for women in the business. Bad Reputation, named for one of her most famous songs, became the theme song for Freaks And Geeks, is a great look into her life and career.
Buena Vista Social Club (1990)
Cuban music had a hard time breaking through in the US in the last half of the 20th Century due to the political realities of the world. In 1999, guitarist Ry Cooder traveled to the island and discovered the Buena Vista Social Club. The movie based on his trip is incredible and filmed with amazing music.
American Hardcore (2006)
2006's American Hardcore tells the dirty truth about the hardcore scene, especially in Washington DC, in the early 80s. Bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Minutemen, and others are all featured in this amazing look into the influential scene.
We Jam Econo (2005)
The Minutemen were only together for five years before guitarist and singer D. Boon was tragically killed in a van crash. Their reputation and influence, however, are immense as one of the early purveyors of West Coast Hardcore. We Jam Econo is all about those heady days and features the two surviving members of the band, Mike Watt and George Hurley.
Style Wars (1983)
1983's Style Wars isn't strictly a music documentary, but music fans will still love it. It's about the broader hip hop culture and its origins in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s. It's about the graffiti, and clothes, and, of course, the music.
The Wrecking Crew (2008)
In LA in the 1960s, there was a crew of studio musicians who played on dozens and dozens of hits. Though hardcore music fans might have known some of their names, their contributions were largely mysterious until the curtain was pulled back in The Wrecking Crew. It's an amazing look into the studio process and all these incredible musicians whose playing you know, but not their names or faces.
The Velvet Underground (2021)
Without question, The Velvet Underground were one of, if not the, most influential bands of all time. Lou Reed, John Cage, Sterling Morrison, and Mo Tucker weren't wildly popular in their day, but their shadow over rock music is immense. The 2021 Todd Haynes-directed The Velvet Underground tells the whole story by the people who were there, including the surviving band members
808 (2015)
Without the Roland TR-808 drum machine, it's safe to say hip hop would sound a whole lot different. 808 explains why the drum machine was so crucial to the development of the genre and just how important it was to music and culture for decades after it was panned by other musicians when it was released.
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)
A few years after she directed The Decline of Western Civilization Part about punk rock, director Penelope Spheeris returned for The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years, chronically heavy metal in the mid-'80s with the biggest names in music at the time. It's a very different scene, and equally wild in totally different ways.
The Devil And Daniel Johnston (2005)
Outsider art has always been part of music in the late 20th Century and there is no finer example than the incredible Daniel Johnston whose mental health and unique way of looking at the world has made him one of the most interesting characters in music in recent decades. His work has been widely covered, but until 2005's The Devil And Daniel Johnston, his story hadn't really been told.
Festival Express (2003)
In 1970, a tour of Canada headlined by The Grateful Dead, The Band, Janis Joplin, and others traveled by train, and while everyone was traveling, all the musicians set up incredible jam sessions on the train. For years, the myth of this tour was told by the participants until finally, in 2003, a documentary featuring incredible footage was released. If you like the music of the late '60s, Festival Express is a must see.
Scratch (2001)
The birth of hip hop has been well documented from a lot of angles in documentaries, but if there is one "must see" it has to be Scratch from 2001. It deftly breaks down how DJs in the '70s set the template for the whole genre with interviews from the groundbreakers and most important DJs in music.
Madonna: Truth Or Dare (1991)
Madonna was at the peak of her fame when she let the cameras in for a documentary about her Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990. Like much of what she did, she did all she could to make Madonna: Truth Or Dare over-the-top and somewhat controversial, but it's an amazing look into her life on one of the most successful tours of all time.
Bittersweet Motel (2000)
In Bittersweet Motel, Phish guitarist laments that the band is most ignored by the music press despite having one of their most successful tours ever. That has long been true about the Vermont band, but for the documentary they granted a young filmmaker named Todd Phillips (he of Joker fame) all access for their tours of Europe and the US in 1997 and 1998. It's not a perfect take on the band, but it is a fascinating look at a band playing huge concerts while no one but their fans were watching.
Moonage Daydream
For years, David Bowie and later his estate were very careful about what was presented to the public. In 2022, they opened up the archive for director Brett Morgan who put together an incredible retrospective of the legendary musician's life and career and it is, like Bowie himself, magical.
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