Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson show off their musical chops in “Song Sung Blue,” a biopic about Mike and Claire Sardina, the real-life Milwaukee couple who performed together in a Neil Diamond tribute concert.
The musical drama, directed by Craig Brewer, will hit theaters on December 25 and will focus on the thrilling highs and heartbreaking lows of the Sardinas' combined personal and professional lives. The film is about a couple's group, Lightning and Thunderbecame a favorite regional act in the 1980s and early 2000s.
“Song Sung Blue” explores how the couple's strong bond helps them cope with financial problems and devastating health problems, including a horrific 1999 accident that left Claire Sardina losing her leg.
It also depicts the tragic death of Mike Sardine from a head injury in 2006 at the age of 55.
Read on to learn more about the true story of “Song Sung Blue.”
Who are Mike and Claire Sardina?
Mike and Claire Sardina were a married couple from Milwaukee who performed Lightning & Thunder, a tribute to the music of legendary pop icon Neil Diamond.
As part of the duo Lightning, singer-guitarist Mike Sardina impersonated Diamond, wearing long sideburns and colorful stage clothes. Claire Sardina, his wife of 12 years, played keyboards and sang as Thunder.
After graduating from Pulaski High School, Mike Sardina enlisted in the United States Marines. He formed a rock band while serving in Vietnam in 1970, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in 2006.
Vietnam was also where his decade-long battle with drug and alcohol addiction began before he got sober in 1980, the outlet reported.
Claire Sardina began singing as a child, performing in school choirs and musicals before taking formal singing lessons as an adult, she told the publication. This is Milwaukee site in October 2024.
The couple has four children: Mike Sardina's children from a previous relationship, daughter Angelina and son Michael Jr., and Claire Sardina's children from a previous relationship, Rachel and Dayna Cartwright, according to Obituary of Mike Sardina.
The couple's story was also chronicled in Greg Kos's 2008 documentary, also called “Son Son Blue.”
How did lightning and thunder originate?
Mike Sardina approached former Claire Stingle, who performed at a Patsy Cline tribute concert, about forming a band in 1987, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
The couple met to discuss the topic “Lightning and Thunder.” Towards the end of the meeting, Mike Sardina invited his future wife to join him at a baseball game.
“Look, this is going to be all business,” Claire Sardina remembers telling him in a 2006 interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“But by the end of that night it turned into something more,” she said. “It turned into a love story.”
The couple tied the knot while performing at the state fair in 1994, according to the site. This is Milwaukee. More than 1,000 friends and fans attended the ceremony.
Lightning & Thunder gained regional fame, performing at local festivals and other events in Wisconsin and Illinois.
The performance also attracted the attention of touring rock bands, including Pearl Jam, Garbage and Urge Overkill, who invited Lightning & Thunder to perform with them, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Why did Claire Sardina have her leg amputated?
In 1999, 37-year-old Claire Sardina was hit by a car while gardening in the couple's yard. As a result of the accident, her left leg was amputated below the knee.
She also became severely depressed.
“I just fell apart,” she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “And I filed for divorce.”
The couple soon abandoned the idea of ending their marriage. “We just couldn’t live without each other,” Claire Sardina told the publication. “We picked up the pieces.”
They even returned to the stage together.
“I haven’t lost my voice. I only lost my leg. But I can still perform, I can still have passion and I can still sing,” Claire Sardina recently told an NBC affiliate. VNCH4 News in Milwaukee.
How did Mike Sardina die?
Mike Sardina died in July 2006, a week after he fell and hit his head on a dresser drawer at home, Claire Sardina told the publication. This is Milwaukee website. He never sought treatment.
Hours before his death, Lightning & Thunder performed on the pre- and post-game evening shows at the Madison Mallards baseball game in Madison, Wisconsin.
“He didn’t want to cancel our concert in Madison. He sang “Sweet Caroline” during the seventh inning of a Madison Mallard baseball game, and on the way home he started throwing up and became disoriented, Claire Sardina said. “We got to the hospital. He had a brain hemorrhage and never woke up.”
She added: “He was my soulmate. The time we spent together – 17 years – was not enough for me. When I see couples together for over 50 years, I get so jealous. I wanted to be married to him for the rest of my life.”
