Middleton debuts new country music documentary on Rob McNurlin
The latest documentary from Steven Middleton (Class of 2004, 2008), instructor of mass communication at Morehead State, examines the life of an unsung hero in country music.
Middleton will premiere his newest release, "From the Cowboy's Boot Heel: The Musical Journey of Rob McNurlin," at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at the Morehead Rowan County Arts Center. The documentary screening will also feature a talk and performance from McNurlin himself.
McNurlin is a Kentucky native who has recorded multiple albums and performed at music venues worldwide over a career spanning three decades. Middleton describes him as a "songwriter, performer, cowboy poet, beatnik, and all-around music historian" who he first met as a college student working at a coffee shop in Morehead in 2004, where he occasionally ran sound.
"I recall being intimidated to run sound for Rob. I already knew of the legend of Rob McNurlin even then," Middleton recalled. "Rob was immediately the kindest person to me. He introduced himself to me. He asks my name and then asks how they could help me with the sound setup. Rob told me exactly what they needed for their show. After that I immediately wanted to know more about Rob and just visit and talk music. Rob is an encyclopedia of knowledge of music, especially folk and country."
After seeing a post on McNurlin's Facebook page that sounded like he was retiring from music, Middleton reached out to see if he could do a film on the musician. After McNurlin agreed and Middleton began digging into his life in music, he said he ended up with his longest film on a single subject at 56 minutes.
"It takes a lot of interview footage and b-roll to fill out that much time," Middleton said. "Rob was so well documented his entire career. Rob performed in so many shows that were recorded. Rob also hosted his own TV show for three years. So, it was a treasure trove of b-roll that I sifted through. It was so much fun to see Rob in all the previous decades."
McNurlin proved to be a compelling subject for Middleton, and he got to talk to several interesting interview subjects who expounded on the songwriter's creativity, personality, and impact. This included Chris Stapleton bassist and MSU alum J.T. Cure (Class of 2003), country legend Marty Stuart and his long-time bandmate Kenny Vaughn, and Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassady (Jefferson Airplane) among others.
Middleton also utilized the talents of MSU faculty to complete this documentary, including department colleagues John Flavell (Class of 1987), instructor of speech and media production & journalism, and Matthew Kistenmacher, lecturer, and studio supervisor. Media production and journalism students who gained practical experience contributing to Middleton's documentary include Danyon Snell, Connon Hammonds and Luke Dixon (all from Hazard), Evan Glover from Pikeville, and Zakk Whiting from Paintsville. The aerial drone footage came courtesy of Craft Academy alum Alex Masterson, creative director of A.J. Productions LLC.
Middleton can now add "award-winning" to his documentary on the accomplished musician. He entered "From the Cowboy's Boot Heel: The Musical Journey of Rob McNurlin" in the Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and the film won the prize for Best Musical Film.
"From the Cowboy's Boot Heel: The Musical Journey of Rob McNurlin" is currently airing on West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Following its public premiere in Morehead, the documentary will also screen at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland and as the featured film at the 2025 Appalachian Film Festival at the Foundry Theater in Huntington, West Virginia, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. It will be shown at the Kentucky Theatre in Lexington at 7 p.m. on May 6.
Middleton, a musician with the band, The New Beckham County Ramblers, said working on this documentary allowed him to combine his passion for music and film while doing his part to document an influential figure in his life.
"Rob left an exceptionally large impression on me with music. It meant a lot to me to be able to tell Rob's story to others," Middleton said. "Rob's legacy can live on forever in his music and now this film."
Contact Middleton at s.middleton@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-9583 to learn more about the film.
To learn about MSU's Department of Communication, Media, Art & Design programs, email cml@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2457.
