20 Feet from Stardom

20 Feet from Stardom (stylized in the film's title sequence as Twenty Feet from Stardom) is a 2013 American documentary film directed by documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville and produced by Gil Friesen, a music industry executive whose curiosity to know more about the lives of background singers inspired the making of the film. Using archival footage and new interviews, it details the behind-the-scenes experiences of such backup singers as Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Jo Lawry, Claudia Lennear, and Tata Vega. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 86th Academy Awards, 23 years after In the Shadow of the Stars (1991), a similar documentary that focused on the members of an opera chorus, won the same award. Lisa Fischer has said of backup singing: "I reject the notion that the job you excel at is somehow not enough to aspire to, that there has to be something more. I love supporting other artists." She added: "Some people will do anything to be famous. I just wanted to sing." Cast Lou Adler Stevvi Alexander Patti Austin Chris Botti Merry Clayton Sheryl Crow Lisa Fischer Susaye Greene Judith Hill Mick Jagger Mable John Gloria Jones David Lasley Jo Lawry Claudia Lennear Darlene Love Lynn Mabry Bette Midler Cindy Mizelle Janice Pendarvis Nicki Richards Bruce Springsteen Sting Rose Stone (née Stewart) Tata Vega Martha Wash The Waters (Oren, Julia, and Maxine Waters) Stevie Wonder