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• Based on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is

DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her youn! g children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother! . Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do som! e acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from ! his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsDown In The Delta brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community and friendship.
In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard, The Family That Preys)â€"a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhoodâ€"is sent to spend a summer at her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and wisdom of her hardworking uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. Also starring Loretta Devine (TV's Grey's Anatomy) and Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn! 's Finest).This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago ne! ighborho od with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama be! gins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimber! ly HeinrichsBlues singer/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter ! Paul Osc her's Down in the Delta was recorded live "the old-school way"--with no overdubs--and features Oscher on vocals, harmonica, guitar, piano and melodica with special guests including Levon Helm (drums), Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (drums), Calvin Jones (bass) and David Maxwell (piano). Down in the Delta captures the no-frills, down-in-the-alley, gutbucket, lowdown and lonesome deep blues of Oscher's live performances.

Paul Oscher first came to national attention as Muddy Waters' harmonica player from 1967-1972 (following in the footsteps of Little Walter, Junior Wells, James Cotton and Big Walter Horton). The first white musician to become a full-time member of a world-class black blues band, Muddy treated Oscher like a son. Oscher shared the basement in Muddy's southside Chicago home with the great Otis Spann. Working alongside Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Sammy Lawhorn, Pee Wee Madison and S.P. Leary, Oscher learned deep Blues phrasing and timing. He learned to! play slide guitar from Muddy--literally by looking over Muddy's shoulder--and piano from Otis Spann.

"I certainly draw from the time I was on the road with Muddy and the experiences I had living on the southside. I give thanks everyday for that--it's the biggest gift of my life and it's given me my foundation..."

Brooklyn, New York native Paul Oscher started playing the blues at the age of twelve when his uncle gave him a harmonica. By the time he was fifteen, he had hooked up with guitarist/singer Little Jimmy Mae and was playing professionally in soul revues at black clubs around NYC including the Baby Grand, The 521 Cub, Seville Lounge and the Nitecap.

Still in his early teens, Oscher met Muddy Waters back stage at the Apollo Theatre in the mid-l960's. A couple years later, Muddy came to New York without a harp player. Oscher sat in with the band and played two numbers: "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Blow Winds Blow." Muddy hired him on the spot.

With the Muddy Waters Blues Band, Oscher toured the US and a! broad an d played a range of venues from the rough and tumble juke joints of the chitlin' circuit to the major concert stages of the world. During that time he backed up blues luminaries John Lee Hooker, Earl Hooker, Son House, Fred McDowell, Lightning Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Albert King, Magic Sam and Big Mama Thornton. Oscher recorded a number of albums with Muddy for the legendary Chess Records label.

Paul Oscher toured with Muddy's band till late 1971 when he left to form his own band under the name Brooklyn Slim. In 1976, he toured Europe with Louisiana Red and continued fronting his own band in the New York area in addition to backing up Big Joe Turner, Doc Pomus, Victoria Spivey, Big Walter Horton and Johnny Copeland.

In the '80s, Oscher quit music and got a day job. But the blues kept calling and in 1992 he hooked up with piano players David Maxwell and Bob Gaddy and his old drummer Candy McDonald and started playing again. Still performing under the moniker Brook! lyn Slim, Oscher recorded for Mojo Productions and Lollipop Records. In 1994, Paul toured the US with Jimmy Rogers and the Muddy Waters Tribute Band.

In 1995 Oscher released his first solo CD, The Deep Blues of Paul Oscher, for Blues Planet Records. His follow-up, Knockin' on the Devil's Door (Viceroy Records), received a W.C. Handy Award nomination. In 2000, Paul Oscher received the L.A. Music Award for "Outstanding Blues Artist of the Year." Oscher's Alone with the Blues (2004/Electro-Fi Records), was nominated for four 2005 W.C. Handy Awards: "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year", "Blues Song of the Year", "Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year" and "Instrumentalist of the Year - Harmonica".

Paul Oscher appears on Mos Def's release New Danger (October 2004) and is a featured guest on the Mannish Boys' CD on Delta Groove (November 2004). Oscher appears on Mark Hummel and Johnny Dyer's Muddy Waters tribute CD Rollin' Fork Revisited ! (Mountain Top Records/November 2004) and is featured on the Ja! nuary 20 05 Hubert Sumlin release About them Shoes (Tone Cool/Artemis) along with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Levon Helm.

Nowadays, multi-instrumentalist Oscher performs primarily as a solo artist. "I really dig playing alone, I follow my own time, my feet are my drummer and I can play the harmonica and guitar together like the way I want to, and I can change up in the middle of a number without having to rehearse anyone. Plus me and the band is getting along real good. I don't have to worry about nobody getting drunk or not showing up for the gig and the only one I argue with is myself. Yeah, except for the guitar player--he's always fightin' with the harp, the harp player gets all the women".

There are only a handful of artists left that can carry on the tradition of the deep blues and Paul Oscher's one of them. "When I was a young man I played other peoples blues. Now that I'm older, I write and play my own and when I play a blues classic, I put my own sta! mp on it. And I always keep that lowdown and lonesome feelin' I learned in Muddy Waters' band--I keep it real and in the moment."Leland 1-Handle Pull-Down Bar Faucet in Oil-Rubbed Bronze - 9978-DSTBased on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is a celebration of the good things in life, no matter how tough times may be.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary with director George C. Wolfe and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Deleted Scenes
Featurette

Cool music, a wonderful atmospheric feel, and first-rate performances by a stellar cast distinguish Lackawanna Blues, a 200! 5, 90-minute film originally broadcast by HBO. Director George! C. Wolf e's theater background (as a writer and/or director he's been responsible for The Colored Museum, Jelly's Last Jam, and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk) is apparent; adapted by scriptwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson from his own autobiographical play, Lackawanna Blues is less a story than a reminiscence, told by a young man (an affecting performance by Marcus Carl Franklin) raised by the indefatigable Rachel "Nanny" Crosby (an equally fine turn by S. Epatha Merkerson, known to many from her role in TV's Law & Order) in that upstate New York town. The focus is on Nanny's rooming house, which is populated by all manner of colorful characters (played by the likes of Macy Gray, Jeffrey Wright, and many others, with Jimmy Smits and Carmen Ejogo as the boy's wayward parents). The roomers include drunks, hustlers, ex-cons, and other shady types, but while plenty of bad stuff goes on, it's all coated with a certain patina of sentiment that tends to! minimize the hard realities of life for African Americans in the early 1960s. That's fine; Wolfe, with the help of some superb editing by Brian Kates, gives the film such a delightful period vibe that it's easy to overlook its few shortcomings. The music (available on a soundtrack CD), ranging from downhome country blues to uptown swing, jump blues, and more, also makes a major contribution to the delightful diversion that is Lackawanna Blues. --Sam Graham