HBO has announced a new documentary that will take a look at the smooth sounds of "yacht rock," the nickname given to the soft rock music that that dominated FM radio in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
As part of HBO's Original Documentary series, Music Box, Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary will reportedly make its debut on November 29. According to the network, the film "chronicles the emergence and popularity of the West Coast, soft rock pop culture epitomized by musical artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto."
"Retroactively dubbed 'Yacht Rock' in 2005 by a parody website series, the easy listening, relaxing sounds of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which were beloved by many, came to be gently mocked and even dismissed by rock lovers and critics, but have since reclaimed their legitimate place in music history and are celebrated in this groove-infused film from the Music Box anthology series," the logline reads.
Directed by Garrent Price and produced by HBO Documentary Films and Ringer Films, according to story producer and music journalist Steven Hyden, the doc features interviews with Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, Kenny Loggins, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, David Paich, Gary Katz, Jay Graydon, Tom Scott, Brenda Russell, David Pack, Questlove, Prince Paul, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Fred Armisen, among others.
Hyden adds the doc will feature a number of the genre's biggest songs, explaining, "Getting rights to music is kind of a nightmare with a movie like this. But we were able to get pretty much every song we wanted, with just a few exceptions. That includes A LOT of Steely Dan tunes, which as you might expect wasn't easy!"
Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary will get its world premiere next month at the DOC NYC Festival on November 13. More info can be found here.
I’m proud to be the Story Producer of a great new doc airing next month on HBO. It’s called YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY, & it’s about the generation of musicians who flourished in L.A. from the mid-70s to the early 80s. It debuts at @DOCNYCfest 11/13-14, then HBO starting 11/29. pic.twitter.com/MEguKGi66C
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) October 29, 2024