Includes Guest Q&A with Ron Chapman
In 1969, there were three music festivals that changed the world. “The second most important event in rock & roll history” was a one-day event held at the University of Toronto’s 20,000 seat Varsity Stadium called the Toronto Rock & Roll Revival. An incredible back-door story of how – against all odds – a life-changing concert came together. Director Ron Chapman reveals a series of colourful characters, murky deals and broken promises, culminating in John Brower, a young struggling promoter, putting his life on the line (literally) in order to achieve his goal. Included in the lineup were: Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Gene Vincent, The Doors, Alice Cooper, and John Lennon with The Plastic Ono Band.
Director Ron Chapman
Director and producer Ron Chapman is an award-winning Toronto filmmaker. His feature documentaries have garnered acclaim worldwide and have aired on major networks and platforms. They include: Who the F**K is Arthur Fogel, featuring Lady Gaga, U2, The Police, Madonna, Rush, and key music industry insiders; The Poet of Havana, with Carlos Varela, Benicio Del Toro, Jackson Browne; and The Forbidden Shore, an in-depth exploration of Cuba’s top musical artists.
Ron’s latest concert film, Carlos Varela Live in Havana was released internationally in January 2021, along with a special limited edition boxed set including The Poet of Havana, Carlos Varela Live in Havana, and a double album of the live concert.
Shelter is one of three films Ron has produced and directed being released 2021. It will have its world premiere as the opening film of the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, June 3, 2021.
His other documentary feature From Earth to Sky, the story of seven Indigenous architects from Turtle Island, will have its world-broadcast premiere on TVO, June 21st 2021, National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Ron is currently in production on a new music documentary investigating 1969’s The Toronto Rock N Roll Revival – what Rolling Stone called "the second most important event in rock history" – with John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, Bo Diddly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, The Doors, Chicago and more, for release 2022.
Ron has had a lifetime of creative entrepreneurship, starting out as a musician, he became an artist manager, record producer, club owner, and concert promoter; and evolved to develop his own film production company, and advertising agency, where he produced and directed commercials for international brands. His album of original songs, As Worlds Collide, is on Current Records, with recent single and video "Turn Away".