Stephen Limbaugh III composes music, takes part in anti-Hillary Clinton film

Pianist Stephen Limbaugh III comes from a rock-solid Republican family. Known for his YouTube piano videos, the Cape Girardeau native’s latest venture is tied to an anti-Hillary Clinton film.

Limbaugh, who lives in Los Angeles, composed new music and arranged old patriotic tunes for Dinesh D’Souza’s “Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party.”

The film opened nationwide this week on 1,500 screens, including at Wehrenberg Theatres Cape West 14 Cine in Cape Girardeau.

Stephen Limbaugh III

Limbaugh said Wednesday he even has a brief speaking part in the film, appearing on camera at the beginning and the end of the movie.

The movie takes viewers through the history of slavery and the Jim Crow era, arguing the Democratic Party has a racist past. Critics have panned the movie.

Limbaugh said he readily agreed to participate in the movie after being approached by D’Souza about composing the music for the film.

The movie poster for the Dinesh D'Souza film "Hillary's America."Courtesy

“He knew I was a conservative,” Limbaugh said.

The political bent of the movie is clear from the start, he said.

“It is obviously a right-wing film,” he said.

“The film opens with me,” Limbaugh said, explaining he is shown seated at a piano. The opening song is in the vein of a Mel Brooks number, he said.

“My dad (U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr.) thought the opening number was absolutely hilarious,” Limbaugh said.

Most of his original music serves as an underscore, setting the mood for various scenes in the movie.

“You really don’t want to take away from the underlying narrative,” Limbaugh said. “You really want to stay out of the way.”

The music was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee. Limbaugh also arranged a version of the “Star Spangled Banner” for the film. It featured a 75-piece orchestra and 100-member choir.

“I played the piano on that,” Limbaugh said.

He said fellow musician and conservative Larry Gatlin told him it was “the best arranged” version of the song he ever had heard.

Limbaugh said he enjoyed working on the film and would like to do musical scores for other movies.

“I think it would be very fun to score a horror movie and an animated film,” he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641