Country Music: New Burns documentary coming this fall

I’ve been a big fan of American filmmaker Ken Burns going all the way back to his 1990 award-winning PBS documentary “The Civil War,” which made him a household name, and his multi-part series on “Baseball” (1994) and “Jazz” (2001) were must-see TV in my home. Thus, I was excited to learn recently that the documentarian’s latest project, “Country Music,” is coming this fall to PBS. It will chronicle the history of a uniquely American art form, “rising from the experiences of remarkable people in distinctive regions of our nation,” by asking “What is country music?” and “Where did it come from?”

In following the evolution of country music from its 20th century origins to its present – from hillbilly and bluegrass to westerrn swing and rockabilly – viewers will learn how country music has emerged as America’s music.

The multi-episode, 16-hour journey “Country Music” series, which has been six years in the making, includes biographies covering a who’s who of country: Jimmie Rogers, Bob Wills, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard and Emmylou Harris. From southern Appalachia’s songs of struggle, heartbreak and faith to the rollicking swing of Texas to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, “Country Music” tells “unforgettable stories of the hardships and joys shared by everyday people,” according to the documentary’s website. More than 100 interviews were conducted for this documentary project with prominent country songwriters and musicians, including Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Reba McEntire.

Singer/songwriter and music historian Marty Stuart plays a prominent role as one of the principal commentators in “Country Music.” In one segment about the Grand Ole Opry, Stuart reflects on its role and importance as the mother church of country music. “All of his children had come to the mother church of country music. It was almost like a badge of honor that you had to bring your culture with you to the table. That’s why Bob Wills and his guys brought us western music. That’s why Hank Williams brought the south with him from Honky Tonks. Johnny Cash brought the black land dirt of Arkansas. Bill Monroe brought music out of Kentucky, bluegrass music. Willie Nelson brought his poetry from Texas. Patsy Cline brought her heartache from Virginia. I mean it was the most wonderful parade of sons and daughters of America that brought their hearts and their souls and their experiences, and it gave us a great era in country music.”

Directed and produced by Burns, “Country Music” is written and produced by Dayton Duncan; and produced by Emmy Award winner Julie Duffey, who has created some of Burns’ most-acclaimed and most-watched PBS documentaries, including “The Civil War,” “Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery,” and “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.”

According to Burns, “All the while, we will note constant tug of war between the desire to make country music as mainstream as possible and the periodic reflexes to bring it back to its roots.”