Bobby Rush documentary King of the Chitlin’ Circuit arrives this August on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, offering an intimate look at the three-time Grammy winner’s extraordinary seven-decade journey through American blues. Director Al Warren and producer Taiwo Gaynor spent two years filming the 92-year-old legend on the road, capturing performances, late-night reflections, and the quiet moments that define a life lived in music.
A Career Unlike Any Other
Rush — born Emmett Ellis Jr. in Homer, Louisiana, in 1933 — grew up picking cotton on his family’s farm in a home without electricity or indoor plumbing. He moved to Arkansas in the 1940s before landing in Chicago in the early 1950s, where he immersed himself in the city’s thriving blues scene. However, Rush carved a path entirely his own, blending blues with funk, soul, and comedy into a style he calls “folk-funk.”
Over the decades, Rush built his reputation the hard way — performing relentlessly on the chitlin’ circuit, the network of venues that sustained Black entertainers during and after segregation. Consequently, he earned the nickname “King of the Chitlin’ Circuit” and amassed more than 400 recordings across 27 studio albums. Furthermore, his trophy case includes three Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Blues Album — for Porcupine Meat (2017), Rawer Than Raw (2022), and All My Love for You (2024) — along with 16 Blues Music Awards from 56 career nominations.
From the Oscars to PBS
The documentary’s timing couldn’t be sharper. Rush recently gained mainstream visibility through Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners, where he performed the harmonica parts for the character Delta Slim. Meanwhile, he took part in the on-stage Oscar night performance for the movie, introducing his artistry to millions of viewers who may have never heard of the chitlin’ circuit.
King of the Chitlin’ Circuit will premiere in August 2026 on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, with national distribution details expected this fall. For blues fans who’ve followed Rush’s career, the documentary promises personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes moments from one of the genre’s most resilient performers. For everyone else, it’s an overdue introduction to a man who’s been doing this longer than most people have been alive.
