Ken Burns Country Music Documentary

[rfisher]

A number of us are watching this fascinating documentary on PBS. Here's a thread to discuss this amazing history of music in the US. I suspect Burns will earn another Emmy. This documentary covers the evolution of unique American music genres.


Episode three is the late 40s and early 50s with a lot of focus on the career and tragic life of Hank Williams. Williams songs make you either cry or want to dance. Or both.

 

[Wyliefan]

I've been watching and enjoying with my parents. It's doing a great job of weaving race, religion, economics, and cultural conditions in general in with the history of the music. Not sure how many episodes we get this week, because my channel guide keeps changing things around. But right now it looks like four this week, and I assume four next week.

 

[annie720]

We're watching but we're behind by a day. We watched episode 2 last night and it was fascinating hearing about the radio stations and how they were able to control so much.

 

[rfisher]

I've been watching and enjoying with my parents. It's doing a great job of weaving race, religion, economics, and cultural conditions in general in with the history of the music. Not sure how many episodes we get this week, because my channel guide keeps changing things around. But right now it looks like four this week, and I assume four next week.

This week brings back so many memories of my parents, especially my mother. She said she had a big crush on Eddie Arnold as a teenager. And, both my parents used to dance to Hank William's music. His death was to them what Elvis Presley's was to another generation.

I'm watching episode 4 on demand. Johnny Cash and Elvis and the Memphis sound.

 

[Wyliefan]

We're watching but we're behind by a day. We watched episode 2 last night and it was fascinating hearing about the radio stations and how they were able to control so much.

And the goat testicles. Who knew??

 

[rfisher]

Apparently Bill Monroe was incensed when Elvis recorded Blue Moon of Kentucky right up until the royalty checks started coming in. He suddenly became a big fan.

And, now sweet Patsy Cline. Her music is as heartbreaking as Williams. What an amazing voice. No autotuning here.

 

[Peaches LaTour]

I am absolutely loving this special! The "old-time" country music is such a favorite of mine & the next episode brings Patsy Cline whose music I completely adore.

It amazes me the overwhelming amount of talent that represents country music. Foot-stomping, tear-jerking, yahooing music - what's not to love.

 

[overedge]

I <3 Marty Stuart. He is so freakin' talented, he is well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a great sense of humour and showmanship. I really don't understand why his music hasn't crossed over to rock/pop like other less talented and interesting country music has.

 

[Peaches LaTour]

I <3 Marty Stuart. He is so freakin' talented, he is well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a great sense of humour and showmanship. I really don't understand why his music hasn't crossed over to rock/pop like other less talented and interesting country music has.

I love Marty too but hope he never goes over to the pop music scene that, sadly IMO, represents today's "country" music.

 

[rfisher]

I <3 Marty Stuart. He is so freakin' talented, he is well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a great sense of humour and showmanship. I really don't understand why his music hasn't crossed over to rock/pop like other less talented and interesting country music has.

He's married to Connie Smith and I think they prefer to be "true" country like Vince Gill. I saw Stuart in concert once and he's great live on stage.

 

[rfisher]

He's married to Connie Smith and I think they prefer to be "true" country like Vince Gill. I saw Stuart in concert once and he's great live on stage.

According to Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley who played a huge role in the change to the Nashville Sound was all about money. Country radio stations dropped in the 50s, and Atkins, who was a producer by then, along with others set out to turn the music into a business. But, there has always been the purists, and by the 70s we get to the outlaw country.

And, now we have Loretta!

 

[overedge]

I love Marty too but hope he never goes over to the pop music scene that, sadly IMO, represents today's "country" music.

I totally agree. I when I see acts like Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini. I'm sure they are very nice people, and they both seem to have decent voices, but their songs are cr*p.

 

[rfisher]

Oh, God. I'm . I'll wait till the rest of you catch up. but just

 

[skatfan]

I <3 Marty Stuart. He is so freakin' talented, he is well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a great sense of humour and showmanship. I really don't understand why his music hasn't crossed over to rock/pop like other less talented and interesting country music has.

He’s a gem on this show - great knowledge combined with insight (loved his commentary on Guthrie being totally country).

 

[Wyliefan]

I <3 Marty Stuart. He is so freakin' talented, he is well-spoken and incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a great sense of humour and showmanship. I really don't understand why his music hasn't crossed over to rock/pop like other less talented and interesting country music has.

My dad's a big fan from way back. I'm glad they got Stuart and so many other knowledgeable people for these interviews. Not just Loretta and Dolly and the other famous people, though that's really special, but others who know and love the genre and remember it's roots.

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh, God. I'm . I'll wait till the rest of you catch up. but just

The Patsy part was tough enough, but the part about Johnny Cash's mother nearly ended me.

 

[PRlady]

The end of that episode was so heartbreaking.

But the Johnny Cash Elvis impersonation made my night. Also, I and the rest of the country are wondering if Italian is a placeholder for black. Johnny’s wife does not look Italian.

 

[Wyliefan]

But the Johnny Cash Elvis impersonation made my night.

YES!

Also, I and the rest of the country are wondering if Italian is a placeholder for black. Johnny’s wife does not look Italian.

There's been a lot of speculation over that over the years. There's a really disturbing story here about how hate groups harassed them: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hi...te-groups-went-after-johnny-cash-in-the-1960s

 

[Artistic Skaters]

He's married to Connie Smith and I think they prefer to be "true" country like Vince Gill. I saw Stuart in concert once and he's great live on stage.

I'm a day behind watching the documentary because I actually went to a Vince Gill concert on the evening of the first episode. I have been going to see Vince Gill since he was a member of Pure Prairie League. This concert, following his tour with the Eagles, is the best of his I ever attended. He has a stage full of talent (all ages!) this time around and as always, he helps them shine by featuring them. He has always been a master of the guitar, but his musicianship right now is truly outstanding. If you like Vince Gill, it's a great year to see him in concert.

He also played in the band they put together for the PBS concert they did for this documentary series. I bet he's in the documentary when it gets to Merle Haggard.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Rolling Stone had an interview with Marty Stuart about making the documentary.

Marty Stuart on Making Ken Burns' 'Country Music'

Marty Stuart is the secret weapon of Ken Burns' 'Country Music' series, airing on PBS.

www.rollingstone.com

 

[Peaches LaTour]

Ken Burns is on Brian Willliams right now.

I would love to see Stuart in concert, did see Vince Gill once in a very small venue. He sang for three hours straight. Awesome.

Another singer who does country the way it should be done is Dwight Youkum. I have seen him twice and he, too, is awesome in concert. And if you want to "lust" while enjoying C & W music, Dwight wears his jeans so tight, I held my own breathe for him whenever he moved.

 

[overedge]

@Artistic Skaters Mr.Overedge and I saw Vince Gill last year with his western swing band the Time Jumpers. Holy freakin' hell, that was one of the best shows I've ever been to. Not only him, but the other members of the band are among the best Nashville studio musicians. Totally worth seeing.

 

[Peaches LaTour]

And I love the opening segment where they pass the banjo down the line. I believe the first player is blind.

 

[rfisher]

The end of that episode was so heartbreaking.

But the Johnny Cash Elvis impersonation made my night. Also, I and the rest of the country are wondering if Italian is a placeholder for black. Johnny’s wife does not look Italian.

I couldn't help think that she was besutiful and June just didn't compare. And, having Carlene Carter and Roseann Cash doing the interviews about their respective parents was fascinating. Especially, when Roseann talked about him wtiting I Walk the Line for her mother. The look on her face when she said, except he didn't, was poignant.

 

[Susan1]

I wondered if anybody was going to write about this. I absolutely do not like country music, but the stories and the old pictures and scenes are really neat. I don't know if they just took pictures out of old history books or black and white movies about the 30's and 40's (watching DVRd episodes off and on so I'm not caught up), but it's really interesting where some of these people came from. Some worked in the cotton fields and some were college educated. So many of their speaking voices don't have a country twang. I've just always pictured them as hillbillies growing up in shacks, sitting around playing music with their families and saying I want to be a country star. (I know, not, really!) I know the story of Elvis and Loretta Lynn, and my best friend growing up's father's family were neighbors of the Partons in Sevierville, Tennessee.

I like that Marty Stuart. I wouldn't know anything about or listen to his music, but as a person he seems really intelligent and well-spoken. Is he going to have a story of how he got to where he is? I know, I could read it on Wiki or something............

 

[MacMadame]

Vince Gill since he was a member of Pure Prairie League.

I didn't know that! That means I've seen him concert!

I absolutely do not like country music,

I prefer the older stuff -- I went through a big folk period in HS and College and has been pointed out, there isn't always a lot of difference between what people consider folk vs country -- so this special is great for me.

Mr. Mac is controlling our viewing of it and we seem to be about an episode behind so you guys are always talking about stuff we haven't seen yet.

 

[Susan1]

I have been going to see Vince Gill since he was a member of Pure Prairie League.

Hey. I have the first Pure Prairie League album! Because of the song Amie that they played on the popular radio station all the time. And sometimes they'd play Falling In and Out of Love right before it, which I liked better. And I thought they were from Ohio? Is Vince Gill from Ohio?

p.s. I wonder if they are going to get to Southern Rock - Blackfoot, Lynard Skynard, etc. That's the only kind of "country" I like. I've only seen through 1962ish?, but I liked some cross-overs like Glen Campbell and John Denver later, so maybe they will show them too.

It's funny that the earlier singers and groups took other people's melodies and changed the words and had a whole new hit. They'd get sued if they did that today. That stuff still all sounds alike to me anyway.

Mr. Mac is controlling our viewing of it and we seem to be about an episode behind so you guys are always talking about stuff we haven't seen yet.

There are more episodes next week, and I haven't even gotten caught up with the end of last year's programs before they start up again. I fall asleep in the evening watching current stuff and DVRd stuff.

Something else I was thinking about that's funny. A lot of these people had outhouses and no electricity, but they had a record player or radio and a guitar.

 

[rfisher]

I wondered if anybody was going to write about this. I absolutely do not like country music, but the stories and the old pictures and scenes are really neat. I don't know if they just took pictures out of old history books or black and white movies about the 30's and 40's (watching DVRd episodes off and on so I'm not caught up), but it's really interesting where some of these people came from. Some worked in the cotton fields and some were college educated. So many of their speaking voices don't have a country twang. I've just always pictured them as hillbillies growing up in shacks, sitting around playing music with their families and saying I want to be a country star. (I know, not, really!) I know the story of Elvis and Loretta Lynn, and my best friend growing up's father's family were neighbors of the Partons in Sevierville, Tennessee.

I like that Marty Stuart. I wouldn't know anything about or listen to his music, but as a person he seems really intelligent and well-spoken. Is he going to have a story of how he got to where he is? I know, I could read it on Wiki or something............

I always wonder when someone says they don't like "country" music given there are multiple styles that fall into the genre, what aspect they don't like. Did you like Elvis? Ray Charles? Ever listened to George Strait (smooth as butter...I recommend Amarillo by Morning). Did you like early rock? The Beatles or Stones, both of whom had records that were originally performed by country artists. Maybe you don't like Bluegrass, or classic country, but like outlaw country, western swing, the Bakersfield sound (Dwight Yokum), Louisiana (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Linda Rondstadt, Dolly Parton (Jolene is my absolute favorite). All of these have had country hits many of which crossed over to pop. Dolly Parton wrote and sang I Will Always Love You before she let Whitney Houston record the song. I always preferred Dolly's version as I thought her delivery was more moving than Houston's.

 

[MacMadame]

I always wonder when someone says they don't like "country" music given there are multiple styles that fall into the genre, what aspect they don't like. Did you like Elvis? Ray Charles? Ever listened to George Strait (smooth as butter...I recommend Amarillo by Morning). Did you like early rock? The Beatles or Stones, both of whom had records that were originally performed by country artists. Maybe you don't like Bluegrass, or classic country, but like outlaw country, western swing, the Bakersfield sound (Dwight Yokum), Louisiana (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Linda Rondstadt, Dolly Parton (Jolene is my absolute favorite). All of these have had country hits many of which crossed over to pop. Dolly Parton wrote and sang I Will Always Love You before she let Whitney Houston record the song. I always preferred Dolly's version as I thought her delivery was more moving than Houston's.

Don't forget Johnny Cash! Many people who say they don't like "country" like Johnny Cash.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Hey. I have the first Pure Prairie League album! Because of the song Amie that they played on the popular radio station all the time. And sometimes they'd play Falling In and Out of Love right before it, which I liked better. And I thought they were from Ohio? Is Vince Gill from Ohio?

Vince Gill is from Oklahoma but his parents were divorced and his father was a federal judge who worked in Columbus for over twenty years until his death. Vince Gill was not in the original Pure Prairie League which is the album you have for the group that originated in southeastern OH. He joined as the lead singer around 1978, after Amie when the album with Let Me Love You Tonight came out. Pure Prairie League probably appealed to him because they wrote that song I'll Fix Your Flat Tire Merle and Merle Haggard is his favorite. ("I'll fix your flat tire Merle … Don't you get your sweet country picking fingers all covered with oil … You're a honky I know but Merle you've got soul … I'll fix your flat tire Merle" That was a standard cover song at every country rock bar I went to in the 1970s )

Louisiana (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

I love Mary Chapin Carpenter. She will be playing with Shawn Colvin in Springfield near Susan1 next month. Not too late to jump on the country bandwagon!