'Heavenly Sight' Documentary Spotlights Blind Musicians

Heavenly Sight, a radio documentary produced by Murray Street Productions and Artemis Media, celebrates the soul that infuses all American music.

The hour-long radio music documentary excavates the roots of gospel and pop music through blind musicians.

"Blind people have often been seen as people who have special abilities, that in return for losing their sights, their other senses sharpen," said Stephen Rathe, a West Orange resident and owner of Murray Street. "The question that looms in the documentary is whether there is something special that comes from their blindness."

Rathe said the documentary, written and reported by David Marash, has been in production for more than two and a half years, funded partly by the National Endowment of the Arts.

"We share an interest in exploring and exposing this rich culture, this vein of folk tradition," Rathe said.

Lacing together music and interviews, the documentary features the Blind Boys of Alabama, modern piano wizard Henry Butler and numerous less-known musicians, with comments by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon (Sweet Honey in the Rock), folklorist Kip Lornell and playwright Lee Breuer (The Gospel at Colonus).

The project, though, still needs $10,000 to be able to market and distribute the documentary to various public radio stations.

The money will also be used to create a website, accessible to the visually impaired. The site, www.heavenlysight.org, will feature the documentary and include original interviews and performances.

Residents can donate online here to the Kickstarter project until March 12 and receive online premiums for their donations. Residents can also send donations to Artemis Media Project, 318 Satsuma Avenue, Foley, Alabama, 36535.

This weekend only, a donor will match dollar for dollar of every donation made.

For more information, email Steve@murraystreet.com.