DEEP ROOTS is music filmmaker Robert Mugge's feature-length portrait of respected Southern artist, photographer, and musician Bill Steber.

DEEP ROOTS is a 2025 feature-length music doc directed by Robert Mugge, and produced by Mugge with his partner Diana Zelman. It is intended as a companion piece to Mugge's acclaimed 1991 film DEEP BLUES, which examined blues traditions of the Mississippi Delta and North Mississippi Hill Country. DEEP ROOTS explores the life and work of highly regarded Southern artist, photographer, and musician Bill Steber, while showcasing Black and white musical traditions of the 1920s and 1930s, rural music scenes of Mississippi and Tennessee, and connections between music and the visual arts. The film's first half takes place largely in Steber's home base of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and its second half largely in the Mississippi Delta, which is a major focus of Steber's work. Included are interviews conducted at a Murfreesboro gallery exhibit of Steber's art and photography; visits to Clarksdale, Mississippi's Juke Joint Festival and Leland, Mississippi's Highway 61 Blues Museum; and public performances by three of Steber's primary music groups: Jake Leg Stompers, Stoop Down Rounders, and Hoodoo Men. Informative commentary is provided by music historian Scott Barretta, museum operator Billy Johnson, festival director Roger Stolle, and gallery curator Shannon Randol, as well as by Steber himself, whose witty musings enliven scenes throughout.

Media

Watch trailer »

Bonus Materials

Jake Leg Stomper performances of 'At Last.'
Jake Leg Stompers performance of 'Careless Love.'
Jake Leg Stompers extended performance of 'St. James Infirmary Blues.'
Stoop Down Rounders extended performance of 'Mary Don't You Week.'
A brief feature about a miniature version of Junior Kimbrough's juke joint.

Cast & Crew

Actors:

Bill Steber

Director: Robert Mugge

Producer: Diana Zelman

Track Listing

Jake Leg Stompers - My Four Reasons
Jake Leg Stompers - Sweet Lovin' Old Soul
Jake Leg Stompers - Rooster Sam
Jake Leg Stompers - Love Sick Blues
Jake Leg Stompers - The Yellow Dog Blues
Jake Leg Stompers - Crazy Blues
Jake Leg Stompers - Big Road Blues
Jake Leg Stompers - How Long, How Long Blues
Jake Leg Stompers - St. James Infirmary Blues
Hoodoo Men - If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
Hoodoo Men - Rollin' and Tumblin'
Stoop Down Rounders - Devil's Backbone
Bill Steber; Pat Thomas - Catfish Blues
Stoop Down Rounders - Bentonia
Stoop Down Rounders - Black Cat at Midnight
Stoop Down Rounders - Any Kind of a Man Would be Better than You
Stoop Down Rounders - That's No Way to Get Along
Stoop Down Rounders - Murder of a Blues Singer
Stoop Down Rounders - Mary Don't You Weep
Jake Leg Stompers - Beale Street Holiday

Additional Details

Label: Mug-Shot Productions

Genre: Blues

Language: English

Run Time: 112 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 11/07/25

UPC: 760137184133

Mug-Shot Productions

Deep Roots: The Art And Music Of Bill Steber And Friends (DVD)