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Country Series by Ken Burns on PBS....

I've enjoyed into E6. I'm not much of a country music fan, but a lot interested in history. Didn't know how the recording business of it began nor that Gene Autry was leader of the western part of C&W. Also didn't know how the demises of so many stars came about. No idea Me & Bobby McGee was originally a country tune nor that it was by Kris Kristofferson Who knew he was a captain in the Army?) . And music writing in general is a mystery to me.
 
I've enjoyed into E6. I'm not much of a country music fan, but a lot interested in history. Didn't know how the recording business of it began nor that Gene Autry was leader of the western part of C&W. Also didn't know how the demises of so many stars came about. No idea Me & Bobby McGee was originally a country tune nor that it was by Kris Kristofferson Who knew he was a captain in the Army?) . And music writing in general is a mystery to me.
Same with me when Ken Burn's "Jazz" came out.
Never owned a jazz record and Charlie Parker was the only jazz musician I knew anything about and that was from watching"Bird".
Like you the history aspect drew me in and I was blown away by how good it was.
 
Outstanding - Johnny Cash was definitely the star with Hank second.
 
I thought some Burns documentaries got a little long. This was very good.

One guy early on was questioning whether country music was stolen from the British Isles. You can't steal from yourself.
 
I've been watching as well, not finished yet. Just to the part where Kristofferson came on the scene. It's been glorious. The UK band should learn the fast version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and play it every time the UT band plays "Rocky Top" as a response.
 
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Amazing how many icons spotlighted in the series are from Kentucky. Off the top of my head from memory: Bill Monroe, Tom T Hall, Everly Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, The Judds , Patty Loveless, Dwight Yoakam. I am sure I am missing some. And they stopped at 1996......so the list has grown. Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Chris Knight.
 
Nothing to add to the thread, I just wanted to have my name listed as the last to comment in the top four threads.
 
Amazing how many icons spotlighted in the series are from Kentucky. Off the top ofl my head from memory: Bill Monroe, Tom T Hall, Everly Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, The Judds , Patty Loveless, Dwight Yoakam. I am sure I am missing some. And they stopped at 1996......so the list has grown. Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Chris Knight.
 
Taped it and been watching it. All episodes were good except the one they taped at the Ryman.
 
The Civil War
Jazz
Country Music
The National Parks
The Vietnam War
Baseball
The War

You can pretty much learn to be an American from all these. I think if he did the Revolution and Constitution, and Civil Rights, you’d have it all.
I want to watch The War, but refuse to buy it. But not sure how it would rank after watching The Pacific.
 
Amazing how many icons spotlighted in the series are from Kentucky. Off the top of my head from memory: Bill Monroe, Tom T Hall, Everly Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Keith Whitley, Ricky Skaggs, The Judds , Patty Loveless, Dwight Yoakam. I am sure I am missing some. And they stopped at 1996......so the list has grown. Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Chris Knight.
Ever heard of Sturgill Simpson?
 
I haven't watched the whole series but have seen bits and pieces of all of the episodes; some in full. It is very good. I personally (as primarily a rock fan) like the inclusion of Gram Parsons and focus on more "intellectual" songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and related performers like the Byrds, Emmylou Harris, and Rodney Crowell. Having said that, my parents who were huge country fans in the 70s and 80s would have had no idea who Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt were. And, the focus on these types means little to no focus on the really popular country from that era like Conway Twitty, Mickey Gilley, the Urban Cowboy stuff, and so forth. I like that, but others might not.

IMO, this is much better than Ken Burns' Jazz. In Jazz, he focused on the swing era and basically ignored much of the stuff that happened in the 50's onward (Miles, Coltrane, post bop, fusion, etc.). Too much reliance on the advice of traditionalist Wynton Marsalis for my taste (and Wynton curiously shows up in Country Music too).
 
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