“It’s a wonderful, touching and… hilarious film about the unsung stars of so many records that you carry in your heart.”
Elvis Costello
Los Angeles CA, August 8 2011 — They were the studio musicians behind some of the biggest hits in the 1960s and 70s. From “Be My Baby” to “California Girls;” “Strangers in the Night” to “Mrs. Robinson;” “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” to “Up, Up and Away;” and from “Viva Las Vegas” to “Mr. Tambourine Man,” the group dubbed The Wrecking Crew played on them all. Six years in a row in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the Grammy for “Record of the Year” went to Wrecking Crew member recordings. But like the Funk Brothers at Motown, who finally got the credit they deserved with the film “Standing in the Shadows of Motown,” the story of the Wrecking Crew and its influence on the West Coast Sound and pop music has largely gone untold. Until now. “The Wrecking Crew,” a documentary film produced and directed by Denny Tedesco, son of legendary late Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco, has played around the world in the festival circuit with over a dozen awards and rave reviews and other accolades.
On September 22nd, Wrecking Crew will make its Minnesota Premiere at AMC Block E 15 at 7pm & 9:30pm 600 Hennepin Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55403. The film includes studio performance footage, interviews and anecdotes from many of the Wrecking Crew members. Among them are drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, bassist Carole Kaye, guitarist Al Casey, percussionist Earl Palmer, saxophonist Plas Johnson, bassist Joe Osborn and pianist and keyboardist Don Randi. Those testifying to the influence of The Wrecking Crew include Brian Wilson, Jimmy Webb, Herb Albert and Glen Campbell, the latter a part-time member of the group.
Renowned musicians who have seen the documentary have raved. “’The Wrecking Crew' is the best documentary yet about the recording scene,” said Steve Miller. “I loved it." Peter Frampton added, “It was incredible! It had everything I wanted to see and more that I didn’t expect … it shows that these legendary musicians, who we listen to everyday, are anything but invisible.”
Why the film hasn’t reached a wider audience, even though it is championed by all who see it, is becoming a bit of lore itself. A labor of love by director Tedesco, the film is also ultimately a love letter to the legacy of his late father and musician friends in the Crew. Documenting the work of musicians on such iconic songs, however, can be cost — and distribution — prohibitive.
According to the American Federation of Musicians, the film may have one of the largest soundtracks of any film in history, with 131 music cues. With songs by Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, The Monkees, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and dozens of others, the cost of licensing the music for the film is estimated at more than $300,000. “The cost of licensing the music is the only reason the film has not been released,” says Tedesco. “But quitting was never an option. So the next mission was to raise the final funds to help pay for the licensing.” Tedesco came up with a unique solution: make “The Wrecking Crew” a non-profit. The film is now eligible for funding through 
the International Documentary Foundation, a California nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation. IDA's Fiscal Sponsorship Program has provided the 501(c)(3) nonprofit umbrella to more than 300 film/video projects, many of which have gone on to success at festivals and markets, getting distribution and/or broadcast, or even garnering prestigious awards from the film community.
So when Minneapolis film and music lovers attend one of the film’s screenings, they are not only buying a ticket to a film, they are making a donation to securing a legacy, and supporting the documentation of music history. It’s a chance to do for The Wrecking Crew what “Standing in the Shadows of Motown” did for the Funk Brothers, and have a blast doing it. As Vintage Guitar Magazine declared, “‘The Wrecking Crew’ is in a league with the best music documentaries ever made” and as Variety’s Joe Leydon declared, it’s “a treasure trove of witness-at-creation anecdotes and enduringly potent ‘60s pop classics … a well-nigh irresistible treat for aficionados of music from the era when acts like the Beach Boys, the Associations and the Monkees were topping the charts.”
