Ryan Coogler demanded ‘Sinners’ composer find unique guitar for blues soundtrack
Ludwig Göransson, the Oscar-winning composer of Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster Sinners, travelled the globe to find a special guitar in order to imbue the blues soundtrack with mythical, devilish qualities.
Göransson told IndieWire that Coogler had an interesting stance on blues music. “I think what was so interesting about Ryan’s concept of this music is that when you hear it today on the old recordings, it sounds like dog shit,” he stated, quickly adding that the music had other charms.
He had to bring something special to the table to amplify the lost beauty of the blues, and Coogler had demands, but thankfully, Göransson was to obtain a slide guitar with a resonator specific to the era for Sinners.
Göransson first attended a blues tour from Memphis to Clarksdale with Coogler, members of the music team, and his father, a blues guitar player. He flew out from Sweden to join.
The composer carried out research and eventually found a 1932 Dobro Cyclops in Los Angeles that met Coogler’s demands. He managed to locate two more globally, one in Nashville and the other in London. This became the hero guitar in the movie.
It took Miles Caton, a newcomer who plays a young blues man, Sammie Moore, in the film, three months to master the guitar. From there, Göransson created the whole score on the Dobro. This includes Sammie’s crucial song, ‘I Lied to You’, in collaboration with Grammy-winning songwriter Raphael Saadiq.
Sinners, which also stars Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton and Jack O’Connell, is in cinemas now.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.