Co- producer Alan Slutsky, author of a bass instructional book/biography of Jamerson that inspired the movie, and director Paul Justman want to inscribe the deeds of Jamerson and his living colleagues into the rolls of history before it gets any later.
Jamerson represents the heart of this movie - he died, unrecognized for his immense musical contributions, an alcoholic wretch at age 47, only a couple of weeks after he scalped a ticket to watch the concert that was filmed for the 1983 television special, "Motown 25," from a seat in the balcony. Behind the credits, Jamerson is portrayed as a small child, playing a rubber band on a bow stuck in an anthill, trying to "make the ants dance." Another bassist tries in vain to re-create Jamerson's part for the Marvin Gaye record "What's Going On," exactly as Jamerson originally played it - lying flat on his back on the studio floor.