BLUEGRASS SONS
A TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
BLUEGRASS SONS is a documentary based on Erin Chandler’s book, Bluegrass Sons, A True Crime Memoir, about her uncle, Bradley Bryant, and her father, Dan Chandler. The film unpacks the glamorous yet perilous drama of drug trafficking, corruption, and murder that unfolded between Lexington, Kentucky, and Las Vegas, Nevada, in the 1970s and early 80s. The players moved seamlessly between Philadelphia, El Paso, Savannah, Columbia, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Fortunes were made, and careers were crushed; some went to prison, and others died mysterious deaths.
SYNOPSIS
Here’s to the ones that ruined us...
In 1970, 25-year-old U.S. Marine Bradley Bryant was recruited by the CIA, along with his best friend, Army paratrooper Drew Thornton, to infiltrate the escalating drug scene in Lexington, Kentucky. By 1975, they were tasked with gathering information about El Paso drug lord Jimmy Chagra. Brad's brother-in-law, Dan Chandler, was his point of access. Dan Chandler (son of Baseball Commissioner, U.S. Senator, and two-time Kentucky Governor A.B. Happy Chandler) was Vice-President of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas at this crucial moment when their dangerous lifestyles intersected.
Many have tried to tell the story of Sewanee Military Academy buddies Brad Bryant and Drew Thornton, from Sally Denton's salacious Bluegrass Conspiracy to the 2023 film Cocaine Bear. There has long been speculation about Dan Chandler and his Las Vegas dealings with the infamous Chagra Brothers of El Paso. Finally, the story is told by those who lived it. BLUEGRASS SONS weaves together firsthand accounts from family, friends, lawyers, governors, the mayor of Las Vegas, CIA experts, FBI agents, and other notable figures.
The filmmakers have full access to a treasure trove of information from both the Chandler and Bryant families, including 36 hours of interviews with Bradley Bryant, Dan Chandler, and Larry Bryant; family lawyers Dick Crane (former FBI), Oscar Goodman (criminal defense attorney and former Las Vegas Mayor), and Fred Morelli (former judge and Bryant's Chicago lawyer); Gene Ganucheau, key eye-witness in the Chagra trial; Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, and Lexington, Kentucky, nightclub owner Jimmy Lambert, as well as many others. Countless personal letters, 8mm and 16mm films spanning the 1940s to the 1970s, along with present-day film and video footage, drive this incredible true story of BLUEGRASS SONS.
Meet The Filmmakers
John Bosch
DIRECTOR & EDITOR
John Bosch is a filmmaker, musician, composer and mix engineer. His films include Sahel Calling and the documentary A Wilderness of Mirrors as well as numerous shorts and music videos. He is the co-founder of the recording studio Ground Control Studio in Brooklyn and Old Yard Studio in Woodford County, Kentucky. He is an MFA candidate for Media Composition at Art University Bournemouth.
Erin Chandler
WRITER & PRODUCER
Erin Chandler is the author of Bluegrass Sons, A True Crime Memoir, June Bug Versus Hurricane, and Cinderella Sweeping Up, a collection of essays. With two decades of experience in Los Angeles working as an actress, playwright, and producer, she produced the award-winning Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel with Leslie Jordan, which received the "Best Independent Film" honor at the New York Independent Film Festival and was selected as one of the twelve "Best Films" at the Seattle Film Festival. Erin returned to her native Kentucky in 2015 to focus on the literary arts. She received her MA in Theatre from the University of Kentucky and her MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from Spalding University. Erin teaches screenwriting, memoir, and independent filmmaking privately and for the Carnegie Center in Lexington, Kentucky.
Peter Buntaine
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Cinematographer Peter Eliot Buntaine's award-winning film and advertising work has earned the Emmy, Cannes Lion, and Grand Clio among other prizes and nominations. He has conducted cinematography workshops at institutions such as the Tribeca Film Fellowship, New York University, and the New School. In his commercial work-for-hire, he has collaborated with organizations looking to make a positive impact in the world including Toyota, Bose, United Nations Foundation, The World Bank, Timberland, The Sierra Club, and The Network State. Peter also curates screenings of avant-garde and documentary cinema.
Erica Friis
RESEARCH & INTERVIEWS
Erica Friis is a historic preservationist and content creator specializing in Central Kentucky's cultural heritage. As producer and co-host of the award-winning "The Lexington Podcast" since 2019, Erica has demonstrated expertise in researching, writing, and presenting compelling narratives about Lexington's past, present, and future through history, true crime, news, and local storytelling. Erica cultivates relationships with key sources and community figures, conducting interviews that make historical content accessible and engaging to diverse audiences. Through strategic social media presence and visual storytelling, Erica has built a strong platform that not only educates viewers about local history but also promotes and supports Central Kentucky businesses and cultural initiatives.
Executive Producers
William Broberg
William Carl Broberg II is a Lexington, Kentucky native. Educated at Cornell Law School, he won the Stanley J. Gould Prize for public interest law and was Co-founder of National Lawyer’s Guild chapter. William began his private practice, Law Office of William Broberg, in 2000, with a focus on criminal defense, appellate work and civil rights litigation. Early in his career, he was a Public Defender for the Western District of Washington, Seattle Division, and started a legal clinic aiding hundreds of low-income residents. He also spearheaded a newsletter with circulation to 8,000 homeless adults in the municipal shelter system with the Coalition for the Homeless in New York, NY. Upon return to his old Kentucky home, William enjoys his semi-retirement by traveling the world and involving himself in passion projects such as bringing the fascinating true story of the Bluegrass Sons to life.
Emily Wilhoit
Emily Wilhoit has been a publisher with Rabbit House Press since 2023. She brings a wealth of radio broadcast experience spanning nearly four decades, focusing on news, sports, community and entertainment features. Emily has developed programming and hosted shows for 88.1FM WRFL, Lexington, since 1989 as well as produced, hosted and guest-hosted shows for talk and sports radio at 97.3FM WVLK, Lexington, since 2021. In her parallel professional life, she has worked as an RN since 1993. Her experience in healthcare spans emergency care, cardiac care, trauma, orthopedics and hospice. Recent endeavors include sharing her passion for the arts with family, friends and community.
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas is a Lexington, Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Kentucky. He returned to the bluegrass state after living in Washington, DC, for twenty five years. There, he worked for ten years at the Smithsonian Museum’s National Portrait Gallery. He then turned his attention to the hotel, bar, and restaurant industry in Dupont Circle where he created inviting atmospheres alongside world-renowned chefs such as José Andres and Gregory Hill. His love of art, travel, history make him a natural fit to help bring BLUEGRASS SONS to the screen.
Patrick Wilhoit
Patrick Wilhoit is an acclaimed chef at Guiseppe's Ristorante Italiano in Lexington, Kentucky, a fixture in fine Italian dining since 1994. With a background as a professionally trained chef, he has opened and developed several restaurants in Kentucky, including The Metropol. His original and lauded recipes, skill, and dedication have been favorably reviewed in food and culture sections of the Herald Leader and Chevy Chaser magazine. In addition to his accomplished culinary career, he is a talented working musician and a member of several bands in the Lexington area, most recently collaborating with Chad Hurley and China Town Kites who released their debut album, In Light We Grow.
Support the creation of BLUEGRASS SONS, a True Crime Documentary
Thank you for collaborating on BLUEGRASS SONS! We appreciate your support.
For your contribution of $50 to $5,000, you will receive a Patron Credit at the end of the film and Kentucky's incredible Tax Incentive for film.
For larger investments, film credit, and profit participation, please contact the filmmakers at erin@bluegrasssonsfilm.com.
Filming is scheduled to commence in the fall of 2025, with a projected completion date of September 2026. Thank you for making this project possible—we invite you to be part of the creative conversation as we bring this incredible story to life.
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