UPDATED 5/2 2:20 p.m.
St. Petersburg-raised Sterling Magee went from busking on the streets of Harlem to becoming a blues music pioneer, and a film about his journey has garnered recognition at more than a dozen film festivals — including Tribeca and the Nashville Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.
The 82-year-old Magee — better known as “Mister Satan” for his role in the trailblazing Satan and Adam duo with Adam Gussow — calls Gulfport home these days, but he managed to play with Ray Charles, James Brown, and The Illusions That Create Confusion along the way. Now locals will get to see the documentary at Gulfport’s Catherine A. Hickman Theater, which is just down the street from Magee’s home.
Directed by V. Scott Balcerek, Satan and Adam follows Magee and the harmonica-playing Gussow through the highs and lows of their musical journey while asking fans like U2’s The Edge, the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Harry Shearer and journalist Peter Noel to chime in along the way. It was a cameo in U2’s Rattle and Hum rockumentary that led to increased exposure for Satan and Adam.
The May 18 screening will celebrate Magee’s 83rd birthday (he was born on May 20) and is being presented by a South Carolina creative agency, Carroway+Rose, along with the Bay area Enroy Foundation nonprofit. The screening is open to the public, and there’s a suggested $20 donation at the door. All proceeds from the event will be distributed to Mr. Magee’s family.
“The first time I listened to ‘Mister Satan’ playing with Adam and learned more about their unique journey, I was very moved,” James Briggs, owner and creative director of Carroway+Rose, who recently moved to Gulfport, said in a statement. “To be able to celebrate his blues legacy with him in person is a deep honor.”
Et Cultura and Daddy Kool's Listen Up Film Series is also screening the doc at St. Petersburg's Hideaway Café on May 13 and in Tampa on May 14 at Hooch and Hive.
More information is available on the Gulfport screening is on Gulfport Chamber of Commerce’s website, and you can watch a trailer for the film below.
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This article appears in Apr 18-25, 2019.
