Roadies, they’re one of the most taken for granted sluggers on a musician’s touring circuit who often deal with a lot of shit, and do some of the most frustrating work, it’s a wonder that many of them stay in profession for long – but lo and behold, there’s a man who’s been in the game for over half a century.
Let us introduce to you 90 year-old Ben Dorcy, a roadie who has been in the game for a staggering 64 years and is currently the subject of a documentary entitled King of the Roadies, as Rolling Stone reports.
Dorcy, who is more affectionately known as Lovey, has worked for some of music’s biggest names, including Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Kinky Friedman, Jack Ingram and many more, and has a very special working relationship with Willie Nelson.
It’s Dorcy’s longstanding history with Nelson that has lead to the creation of the feature length documentary that has been directed by Nelson’s grand-nephew Trevor Doyle Nelson and his youngest daughter, Amy Nelson. Narrated by Nelson and it chronicles the life of Dorcy, exploring six decades of music history that he helped shape.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, Nelson noted on the forthcoming film, “I’m really proud of Amy and Trevor for doing it. Ben’s my old buddy. We’ve been together for a long time and I’m glad to see him get a little recognition.”
Director Amy Nelson sharing heartfelt comments on the hard worker, “He has no living relatives, yet he is the patriarch of a family of artists, and fellow roadies who love him dearly, despite all odds, he shows up to work on tour after tour after tour. Ben was a part of my family before I was. He met my dad in the Sixties when they were both working for Ray Price. Dad was the bass player; Ben was the roadie. And they became good friends. When Dad’s solo career took off, he took Ben with him.”
Dorcy provided some humble and oh-so loveable commentary on the documentary, “I appreciate everything that’s being done for me, It’s a very nice thing to do. And it will be a good movie. When the movie comes out, be sure and watch it. I think everybody will love it.”
The film is nearing completion, but to get make it to the finish line, the team have made a Kickstarter campaign to fund the final touches, check out all the info and trailer here.
