Mary Wilson

Only the Strong Survive -- In the winning spirit of Standing in the Shadows: of Motown, Only the Strong Survive brings together an amazing array of musical icons! With living legends such as Isaac Hayes, Jerry Butler, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett and Mary Wilson performing together on one stage, it's a dream revue of original artists and songs that won America's heart.

Filmmaker D.A. Pennbaker showcases great r&b and soul music from the 1950's to the 1970's in concert: The Chi-Lites, Wilson Pickett, Isaac Hayes, Jerry Butler, Rufus Thomas, Sam Moore and more.

In the winning spirit of Standing in the Shadows: of Motown, Only the Strong Survive brings together an amazing array of musical icons! With living legends such as Isaac Hayes, Jerry Butler, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett and Mary Wilson performing together on one stage, it's a dream revue of original artists and songs that won America's heart... and filled it with soul. Also featuring the Chi- Lites, Ann Peebles and Carla and Rufus Thomas... the night these legends come together will be a night you'll never forget!

Roger Friedman is an entertainment journalist and music fan with a particular love for R&B and soul music from the mid-'50s to the pre-disco era of the early '70s. Owing in part to segregated booking policies and simple lack of proper archiving, Friedman discovered there is little or no surviving film footage or videotape of many of the greatest artists of the era performing on-stage. However, a large number of the performers in question were still active and performing on a regular basis, and with the help of documentary filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, Friedman set out to capture some of his favorites on film while they were still in good form. Only the Strong Survive features knockout performances from such R&B legends as Wilson Pickett, Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lights, Carla Thomas, Mary Wilson, Ann Peebles, and many more, as well as interviews in which the artists discuss the ups and downs of their lives in music. Only the Strong Survive also features performance footage of Memphis R&B pioneer Rufus Thomas, who had passed on at the age of 84, less than two months before the film was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.