Country Music
Overview
Explore the history of a uniquely American art form: country music. From its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues and hymns performed in small settings, to its worldwide popularity, learn how country music evolved over the course of the 20th century, as it eventually emerged to become America’s music.
Key Crew
Top Cast
Peter Coyote
Narrator
Seasons
Season 0 (2019)
No overview available.
39 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: PBS Previews: Country Music
2019-06-14A special preview of the series. Meet the filmmakers, go behind the scenes, and enjoy exclusive clips from the films.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 2: Country Music: Live at the Ryman Concert
2019-09-03Join celebrated musicians for a concert celebrating the series. Hosted by Burns and featuring performances and appearances by Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Rhiannon Giddens, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakam and more.
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 3: Ketch Secor: Old Fiddle and Banjo Tunes
2019-09-06DVD Special Feature Disc 1 -1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 4: Rhiannon Giddens: The Mix in Country Music
2019-09-10DVD Special Feature Disc 1-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 5: Charlie Daniels: The Devil and the Fiddle
2019-09-13DVD Special Features 1-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 6: The Oak Ridge Boys: "Farther Along"
2019-09-17DVD Special Features 1-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 7: Old Hymns: Dwight Yoakam and Betty Johnson
2019-09-20DVD Special Features 1-5
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 8: Dolly Parton: "Pretty Fair Maid"
2019-09-24DVD Special Features Disc 1-6
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 9: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken": Country Music's National Anthem
2019-09-27DVD Special Features Disc 2 -1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 10: Wynton Marsalis: "Wildwood Flower"
2019-10-01DVD Special Features Disc 2-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 11: Betty Johnson: The Johnson Family Singers, 1930
2019-10-04DVD Special Features Disc 2-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 12: Ralph Stanley: The First Song Mother Taught Me
2019-10-08DVD Special Features Disc 3-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 13: Hank Williams: The Songwriter and Performer
2019-10-11DVD Special Features Disc 3-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 14: Randy Scruggs: The Carter Scratch, Travis Picking, Doc Watson
2019-10-15DVD Special Features Disc 3-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 15: John McEuen: Earl Scruggs' Banjo Style
2019-10-18DVD Special Features Disc 3-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 16: Don Maddox: The Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in the World
2019-10-22DVD Special Features Disc 3-5
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 17: Elvis: The Hillbilly Cat
2019-10-25DVD Special Features Disc 4-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 18: Patsy Cline: Tough Edges, Big Heart
2019-10-29DVD Special Features Disc 4-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 19: Mel Tillis: Learning to Talk Through Singing
2019-11-01DVD Special Features Disc 4-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 20: Johnny Cash: Poet Performer
2019-11-05DVD Special Features Disc 4-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 21: The Bryants and "Rocky Top"
2019-11-08DVD Special Features Disc 4-5
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 22: Music Row's A-Team
2019-11-12DVD Special Features Disc 5-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 23: The Genius of Roger Miller
2019-11-15DVD Special Features Disc 5-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 24: Jeannie Seely: Women in Country Music
2019-11-19DVD Special Features Disc 5-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 25: Loretta Lynn on Songwriting
2019-11-22DVD Special Features Disc 5-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 26: The Artistry of Merle Haggard
2019-11-26DVD Special Features Disc 5-5
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 27: "Help Me" Written by Larry Gatlin
2019-11-29DVD Special Features Disc 6-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 28: "Ruby, Don't Take your Love to Town" Written by Mel Tillis
2019-12-03Special Features Disc 6-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 29: Kris Kristofferson's First Song
2019-12-06Special Features Disc 6-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 30: "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine" Written by Tom T. Hall
2019-12-10Special Features Disc 6-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 31: "He Stopped Loving Her Today": The Story Behind the Song
2019-12-13Special Features Disc 7-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 32: Dolly Parton: The Songwriter and Celebrity
2019-12-17Special Features Disc 7-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 33: Johnny Cash: Following the Gospel
2019-12-20Special Features Disc 7-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 34: Hank Williams, Jr.: On His Own
2019-12-24Special Features Disc 7-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 35: Marty Stuart's Mandolin
2019-12-27Special Features Disc 8-1
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 36: Johnny Cash: His Legacy
2019-12-31Special Features Disc 8-2
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 37: Marty Stuart: Back to the Source
2020-01-03Special Features Disc 8-3
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 38: The Song Into Outer Space
2020-01-07Special Features Disc 8-4
Runtime: N/A minEpisode 39: Country Music — Behind the Scenes
2020-01-10Special Features Disc 8-5
Runtime: N/A min
Season 1 (2019)
No overview available.
8 episodes
Episodes
Episode 1: The Rub (Beginnings -1933)
2019-09-15See how what was first called “hillbilly music” reaches new audiences through phonographs and radio, and launches the careers of country music's first big stars, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
Runtime: 111 minEpisode 2: Hard Times (1933 -1945)
2019-09-16Watch as Nashville becomes the heart of the country music industry. The genre grows in popularity during the Great Depression and World War II as America falls in love with singing cowboys, Texas Swing and the Grand Ole Opry's Roy Acuff.
Runtime: 113 minEpisode 3: The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 -1953)
2019-09-17See how the bluegrass sound spreads in post-war America, and meet honky-tonk star Hank Williams, whose songs of surprisingly emotional depth are derived from his troubled and tragically short life.
Runtime: 113 minEpisode 4: I Can't Stop Loving You (1953 -1963)
2019-09-18Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in the era of rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America's racial divide by recording a country album. Patsy Cline shows off Music City's smooth new Nashville Sound.
Runtime: 111 minEpisode 5: The Sons and Daughters of America (1964 -1968)
2019-09-22See how country music reflects a changing America, with Loretta Lynn speaking to women everywhere, Merle Haggard becoming "The Poet of the Common Man" and audiences looking beyond race to embrace Charley Pride.
Runtime: 114 minEpisode 6: Will The Circle Be Unbroken? (1968 -1972)
2019-09-23Learn how country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.
Runtime: 111 minEpisode 7: Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973 -1983)
2019-09-24Witness a vibrant era in country music, with Dolly Parton finding mainstream success; Hank Williams, Jr. and Rosanne Cash emerging from their famous fathers' shadows; and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings launching the “Outlaw” movement.
Runtime: 139 minEpisode 8: Don't Get Above Your Raisin (1984 -1996)
2019-09-25Learn how “New Traditionalists” like George Strait, Randy Travis and the Judds help country music stay true to its roots. Witness both the rise of superstar Garth Brooks and the return of an aging Johnny Cash to the industry he helped create.
Runtime: 114 minVideos
Country Music by Ken Burns: Trailer | BBC Trailers
Official Extended Trailer
