Ken Burns has made what stands now as the definitive story of country music that neatly doubles as a crash course on the history and culture of the United States through his expert narrative craft, Dayton Duncan's immaculate writing, the monumental efforts of their researchers, the depths of their archival treasure trove, and the generosity of their interviewees. There is no separating the music as heard on a record from the people doing the listening, seeing it performed live, actually performing it, and living the songs. This miniseries lays out in careful detail how country music came to be and what it represents.
The story begins by honestly assessing the racial melting pot that is the U. S. and how disparate cultures came together originally from afar to produce an authentic American artform. Songs and what we call the fiddle traveled from the British Isles, and the percussive banjo ultimately derives from Africa, whose enslaved people and their descendants' worksongs and both Black and White gospel music richly permeated the old time music that evolved into country. Credit is also given to Latin-American vaqueros for their bordertown cowboy songs as well as German immigrants for the influence of polka. The filmmakers confront head on the deep ties to minstrel acts so popular at the turn of the century. All of this and more is given due coverage for their role in creating country music.
From this basis, Burns and team chronologically cover every key style and figure, from every kind of musician to singing stars to songwriters, producers, and the industry that sprang up around the increasingly popular genre, all the while tying the story of the music to what was going on around the country itself. History tells us these were hard times indeed, and the deliberately unfolding stories of these beloved icons together with their music frequently feel like 16 hours of heartbreak. As the film points out, don't dare call country people hillbillies unless you are one. They, both the hardworking performers and devoted country fans, know the struggles they've worked to overcome to make a life for themselves and how country music brings them joy and fellowship through their trials and tribulations. Country clichés exist for a reason, not because they are always true for everybody but because there is more than a ring of truth to them generally. The jokes about the drinking, the wife walking out, and the dog dying don't come from nowhere. For some of these artists, these may be the least of their problems, as there is the recurring theme of coming from deep poverty and broken homes. Hard luck and self-destruction follow many of country's best known and loved, cutting short their lives and careers. As documentary viewing, this grimness and impending doom can be intense to overwhelming and feel repetitive, but there is no getting around this truth, it wouldn't do justice to the subjects not to tell their story, and Burns wisely weaves the stories together and adds touches of light and frivolity. That educates and engenders deep sympathy and a sense of the character of each subject, many of whom truly are characters. Classic songs and milestone albums are given sharp focus for their cultural and musical significance and popularity.
For those not necessarily country inclined, notable peripheral figures are always included along the way like Dylan and the Byrds but also Louis Armstrong, skillfully exploring links between country and jazz. Care is taken to put country music into context with other popular contemporary music and entertainment and the give and take between them.
Particular attention is also paid to the debt owed to now lesser-known but innovative African-American musicians who may not have even been recording artists but whose deep influence and mentorship to rising, young White musicians and song gathering made possible some of the biggest and brightest stars in country music and helped build its repertoire.
Bluegrass music is also not treated as somehow separate and parallel to another genre called country; its story and stars are deeply entwined here throughout, even as what is more popularly considered and listened to as country music morphs with shifts in demographics, economics, and technology, from acoustic instrumentation to the so-called Nashville Sound and onward.
Music aficionados should thrill at not just the rich history given to individual subjects and how they connect to each other, but also the musical characteristics that made these men and women great in their day and still worthy of appreciation decades later. Perhaps you've seen music documentaries that are all cult of personality and don't move beyond the superficial biographical details, gossip, and hyperbolic praise to actually examine the instrumental, vocal, or lyrical developments that set a performer or songwriter apart and perhaps even above. This isn't one of those. That shouldn't surprise anyone even faintly aware of Ken Burns' reputation for thoroughness and respect for his subjects. Still, there is no shortage whatsoever of everyone giving their opinion of what makes country music great. The interviews keep the show fun and moving.
The on-screen interviewee MVP is Marty Stuart, trailed by Vince Gill. These sweet guys are immense talents who know their music history and are eager to share it. Rosanne Cash is also notably candid, especially about "Daddy" but chiming in throughout on her family tree and the people she grew up and worked with. Repeat interview subjects from episode to episode serve as your very affable guides and constant companions and complement actor Peter Coyote's pitch-perfect series narration. Big names lent their time to give the inside story. It may even bring a tear to your eye to see Merle Haggard and Ralph Stanley appearing on camera, now posthumously.
For many, this goes without saying, but if you are a fan of classic or more recent country music and feel tempted to skip to the middle or end, do yourself a favor and make time to watch the episodes in order. With all of the people in the archive footage and newly interviewed, it's like Game of Thrones keeping track of all the players. Even so, each episode builds beautifully to the next. It's a storytelling marvel, laying a solid foundation accented by grace notes of sometimes subtle details that reveal their significance as the series progresses. See it.
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