Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows

2022 • 83 minutes

About this movie

Soul singer Syl Johnson struggled for decades before leaving the music business in the 1980's to open a Chicago fried-fish chain. Since then, he's become one of the most-sampled artists in hip-hop. The list of artists who've used his 1967 song Different Strokes includes Run-DMC, NWA, Public Enemy, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Beastie Boys, Kid Rock, Michael Jackson, Jay Z and Kanye West. With a lively soundtrack and an original score by Yo La Tengo, this documentary celebrates one man who can't stop the music.