The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time

An enormous influence upon the US folk boom of the late '50s and early '60s, the Weavers also brought a breath of fresh air to the charts when the quartet's version of Leadbelly's 'Goodnight Irene' became a No. 1 hit single. Formed in the late '40s when mainstream popular music was big band slickness and moon-in-June love songs, the group began by singing in such uncommercial venues as trade halls. When the group's resident wit, double-amputee Lee Hays, decided that it was time for a last reunion before he died, he invited documentarist Jim Brown to film the picnic performance. The result is a fascinating and very moving mix of concert film and historical reminiscence (Hays: 'If it weren't for the honour, I'd just as soon not been blacklisted').