Poverty and suffering know neither color nor anything else that separates one person from another. Slaves and indentured white laborers once made common cause, terrifying the slave owners into driving them apart.
Humanity's great strength has been its ability to suffer and struggle through hardship, and all artistry therefrom is to be celebrated and cherished.
12
Don't miss a few songs by Orville Peck.
Country has had its contradictions, Waylon back in 1975 "Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way?" criticizing the slick commercialization of the music. So many great bluegrass pickers moved to Nashville and went electric. The Outlaw sound went against the grain, the liberal Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash against the right-wing jingoism of the genre and fans, forming their own fan base. The Bakersfield (California) sound too, interesting stuff.
The old timers Hank, Jimmy Rodgers, a few others were really awesome. Other than that, except for a few "roots country" artists, it's all the same story, drinking and cheating, embarrassingly corny, and mindless flag-waving. Back in the day, if you were a longhair, black, or Latino you steered clear of that crowd.
9
The riveting, bare bones, authenticity, of Mother Maybelle Carter, singing and " Carter Scratching " her autoharp, through the haunting "Wildwood Flower ", is an epiphany producing portal, to a vanished time and place.
7
I like the author but she'll never make me think country music is worth listening to. Any of it.
1
Another feel-good column from Margaret Renkl. Feel-good is fine – as long as you tell the whole truth.
One Charlie Pride does not constitute a melting pot. How many black country performers are there today – a handful out of hundreds. Walk down the main thoroughfare, Broadway, in Nashville, or around the Country Music hall of Fame, and how many people of color will you see? Not many.
Country music surely is “a uniquely American art form,” but it reflects America’s racism as much as any institution. There’s a Confederate monument in Nashville just a short ride from Ryman Auditorium.
And women in country music are also under-represented. NPR and PBS both recently did stories on how country music excludes women. They reported on a University of Southern California's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study which showed that “only 16 percent of country artists are female, and only 12 percent of country songwriters are women,” and only 15 percent of Country Music Awards nominees are female. The NPR article noted: “Critics say that Nashville's country music industry is filled with gatekeepers whose vision for the genre is centered on WHITE [my emphasis] and male artists…”
And let’s not forget the fate of the Dixie Chicks who were ostracized by country music for not keeping their place country music’s paternal hierarchy.
I love Patsy Cline, George Jones, and Hank Williams – but if you want a real melting pot, you’ll have to go down the road to Memphis.
17
This piece is, unfortunately, romantic drivel. Robert Altman's masterpiece film, Nashville, is much closer to the truth and it ain't pretty when it comes to African-Americans and country music. The genre's demographics are overwhelmingly white, southern and western plains, and very Trumpian.
In their many memoirs, the Freedom Riders of the 60s say when they heard country music coming from an establishment they were considering going into, they made a beeline the other way.
You can't spin this any other way.
10
I learned to love country music in three different ways: my dad was a big Willie Nelson fan, I'm a big Grateful Dead fan, and I watched the heck out of both "Coal Miner's Daughter" and "9 to 5" (not strictly country but it had Dolly) as a young teenager, because they were always on HBO at that time (early 80s). I don't see much to enjoy in the shiny emptiness of new country music.... except maybe "Old Town Road," a cheeky send-up in the vein of David Allen Coe's "You Never Even Called Me By My Name." I do listen to and enjoy what sounds like classic country music but is now referred to as "Americana." As Duke Ellington said, if it sounds good, it is good. Looking forward to this documentary.
8
"Country music, Mr. Burns explained at the concert, is “a uniquely American art form"
No it isn't. Jazz is uniquely American. Country has roots way back in any number of foreign homelands too numerous to go over. And this idea the country is an an ethnic melting pot is totally ridiculous. How many obligatory Charlie Pride photos and stories can you have. Or Black Female Country Legends, a shortest book ever written. And any mention of how racially tolerant it is must have an obligatory photo of Charlie Pride - or better, Charlie Pride and Shoji Tabuchi.
1
Another tidbit about Merle Haggard is that he was a ward of the state of California and placed in the notorious Preston School of Industry for boys in Ione, CA.
As fans of old architecture we toured this building (aka Preston Castle) a few years ago and loved seeing what these facilities were all about. What looked like a swimming pool was what new arrivals had to swim through but it was full of de-lousing chemicals. Boys were not allowed to talk. Beat-downs and sexual abuse were rampant.
One of Haggards fellow alumni was Caryl Chessman, who later was executed by California for being the "red light bandit" who raped women after bumping into their cars at red lights.
It's no wonder Merle Haggard landed in San Quentin where he once saw Johnny Cash appear.
FWIW: Jazzman Dave Brubeck lived in Ione, CA and helped fund restoration of Preston Castle.
Music does weave a thread through most of our lives.
3
Please see Lil Nas X and his recent phenomonal hit, "Old Town Road". You're welcome.
1
Go to YouTube and watch Blanco Brown's "Git Up!" It's the best thing I've seen/heard in a very long time.
1
The racism Charley Pride experienced was also present in other music genres.
Booker T & The MGs had African-Americans performing on drums and Hammond organ, with two Caucasian guitarists. They—and their management—refused to break up the group despite all sorts of pressure from outside forces.
In jazz, African-American jazz musicians endured one indignity after another for years, when all they wanted to do was share their extraordinary talents with the world.
Music is color blind. Congratulations to Ken Burns for reminding us that the focus of music should be enjoyment and appreciation.
2
"Thinking of Southerners as stupid rednecks and toothless hillbillies has become the last acceptable prejudice in America."
I can think of a few more acceptable prejudices in US society. In any case though, I call Ms. Renkl's attention to :
Pop Culture Places: An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture by Gladys L. Knight, originally published in 2014, Vol. 1, p. 53- which describes the transition in depicting hillbillies in various media. By the 1990s (!!) the toothless stereotype was being phased out. This is not to say that it has been entirely phased out (a few seconds in the internet brings numerous images), but as prejudice goes, M'thinks Ms. Renkl doth exaggerate.
1
WHERE WERE YOU by Alan Jackson (Part II)
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages
And speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on I Love Lucy reruns?
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Stand in line to give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you
The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
And the greatest is love
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turnin'
On that September day?
2
GOOD-BYE EARL by Dennis Linde (Part II)
So the girls bought some land and a roadside stand
Out on highway 109
They sell Tennessee ham and strawberry jam
And they don't lose any sleep at night, 'cause
Earl had to die,
Goodbye Earl
We need a break, let's go out to the lake, Earl
We'll pack a lunch, and stuff you in the trunk, Earl
Is that alright? Good! Let's go for a ride, Earl, hey!
Ooh hey hey hey, ummm hey hey hey, hey hey hey
Rhiannon Giddens' rendition of "Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man" was spine-tingling. Too bad this front woman of the Carolina Chocolate Drops (whose Genuine Negro Jig album won a Grammy) was one of the few African-Americans in the 2000-plus capacity Ryman.
2
Enjoyed this Margaret, as I do all your columns. And yet...The former states of the Confederacy have earned the disdain of the rest of us. They hold us back by their anti science, extremist Christian views. TheDr low population states hold outsized political power due to our unwillingness to update a government that no longer works for we the people. Their regressive treatment of women and black people hurts us as individuals and harms us as a society. The many cultural contributions of the South to our national tapestry simply do not mitigate all the harm they have done and do today.
6
If Sunday night's program was a sample, it was disappointing. Everything was a shade too white collar and suburban. Names of original artists were sprinkled among the numbers, but they presented post modern interpretations of the tunes.
If this is typical, the series is crying for Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash performances not nice current folks with new versions of old favorites. The millennials need to hear the real thing.
2
When my son broke his arm last summer, I still drove his basketball teammates to some of their tournaments because their parents needed to work on weekends. To make the time pass, we would alternate songs- I would play my favorites and then they would play theirs. The hands down favorite of one car ride? 'Hey Google, Country Roads, YouTube.' Just a few bars in, and the teenager in the passenger seat shouted out I love that song! I love that song! My teacher plays it in school!
We must have played it nine or 10 times -by the last time they all knew every word, and belted them out with gusto that I know would have made Mr Denver proud - because I sure was.
6
The preview show, Night at the Ryman, was wonderful for many of the reasons the author cites. But, really, is country music the story of America? Maybe in a twisted way. It's the story, or used to be, anyway, of the rural white underclass, celebrating its ability to rise above its misery. Every underclass tries to do the same but only some succeed. Country music today is the music of one of those that succeeded.
Nothing wrong with that unless you forget the larger context. Part of that context is that in spite of all the songs last night about the pains of being downtrodden, about respecting simple poor people even though the larger world doesn't, about hardworking people knuckling down and working hard to better themselves, the homes of those songs, from Butcher Holler to Bakersfield, are soaked today in Trumpism, race hatred, and right-wing evangelistic poison. As I listened I imagined, bitterly, Oxacan and Norteno and Syrian and Kenyan musicians singing the same lyrics, every song as true to immigrants' lives today as it was then.
The show ended with "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" Sad to say, yes, it will. It has been. They broke it, they betrayed it, clinging to their myths. That's one of the sorry stories of this America after all.
4
I had the joy of watching the performance from the Ryman on our local PBS station last night and eagerly await the full documentary. This column hits at how and why the genre of country music--itself including a wide variety of subgenres and styles--can help us transcend our ideological differences to connect at the human level. Rooted in real life experiences, with many songs and artists (especially in the foundational years) coming from impoverished, hardscrabble backgrounds, country music speaks to universal human experiences. Anyone can find a country song that resonates with some life experience with honesty and creativity.
Another encouraging element is the diversity of many up and coming country performers; another documentary on Bluegrass music reveals many amazing performers from the millennial generation. Performers like Charlie Pride, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash in their own way challenged conventions and addressed issues of inclusion and diversity, upholding the disadvantaged and oppressed, through great music and writing. While it won't solve all our differences, at least music can bring people together in ways that facilitate understanding and mutual respect.
1
Loved this article. Anything by Ken Burns will be worth watching.
I’m not sure he belongs in this category but my favorite of all, including the exalted ones noted here is the great John Prine.
1
As a life long Democrat and a retired physician who grew up in Northern KY I studied with the radio on listening to WSAI in Cincinnati which played country music.
I was enchanted by how the songs told a stories of love found and lost, bad and good behavior, love of place and family and even faith and especially striving against the injustices of the 1%. These are often songs of rebellion against the man.
I learned as much listening to that music about human nature as I did reading the classics in Latin and Greek in high school.
As my wife and I watched the show last night I told my wife I wished that every Democratic candidate and their advisors were watching the show.
Hank Williams was a tragic figure worthy of a Sophocles or a play. by Shakespeare.
5
Of course, Stardust was a staple of the Big Band era, so Wilkie Nelson’s wonderful rendition would hav been an apt bridge for your Big Band-loving parents.
I hope Netflix picks up this series.
1
Ken Burns is a national treasure and he and his hardworking team deserve the thanks of all Americans for the wonderful and different documentary series they have made over the years. The photos, music, history lessons, interviews and narration have all been perfect. If you watch them on commercial-free PBS then please contribute money to help pay for them.
6
Am a huge fan of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams, country artists that can touch my heart and soul.
6
Thank you for this timely report, and of course to Ken Burns' documentary, trying to bring together the rich diversity of "Country Music". Some of us recall the insidious ethnic prejudice (which some call racist, a concept I rebel against, as there is only one race, the human race) of yesteryear, pretty much subsiding now, when there is really only one question to be asked about participation: "Can she/he play"?
1
There has never been a Ken Burns documentary series that wasn't a rich source of education, entertainment and enjoyment.
5
The most striking thing about the Country and Western music genre, which I hope Burns covers, is that the artists themselves have on average been much more progressive, tolerant, and accepting of diversity than either the recording establishment or the fan base has been.
Not to paint everyone with the same brush, of course, but the way people like Charlie Pride and Freddy Fender were initially treated (never mind Kinky Friedman), and the way the Dixie Chicks were when they dared to criticize a Republican President's policies, does seem to indicate that those who package and listen to these artists are more than a little less evolved.
23
Then there’s Willie Nelson’s song about gay cowboys...
1
I am glad to see this piece and the inimitable Ken Burns come to the rescue (again) to educate Americans. What is Country music? A little bit of this- and a little bit of that.
When the late Chet Atkins (often known as the father of the Nashville Sound) had the audacity to record an album featuring Jazz greats like George Benson and Larry Carlton and rock legend Jeff Porcaro- the world was supposed to end; it didn't.
Music genres are hardly created in a vacuum. Thank goodness for that.
2
Of al the bands and artists I have ever loved, not a single one came from Nashville. Every song I've ever heard coming out of that town sounds like something I've heard before decades earlier. It a factory town that makes music in a production line. It is marketing. It is not what I consider art. And that twang is just plain annoying. Country music is to be mocked.
4
@John WIlliams
You'd be surprised by the range of musicians with Nashville connections. Dylan recorded some of his most important work there, starting with portions of Blonde on Blonde. Ditto for much of Neil Young's Harvest album. Steve Winwood and the Irish traditional singer Maura O'Connell, among others, moved there.
4
@John WIlliams
Absolutely, you are right, and thank God someone has said this. What, after all, was Ray Charles thinking when he recorded Modern Sounds In Country and Western? What a sell-out! I mock that record every time I play it, which is fairly often.
4
@August West
Modern Sounds is one of the greatest albums in US music history. It is a keystone album, not merely great.
2
Thank you. There is much more to country music and especially to the history of country music than most people think. Especially now, we need to understand what pulls us to together, not apart.
7
At least when it comes to popular music in the circa 1925 to 1975 era, I've come to the conclusion that all American music is more or less one (and that its most critical ingredients come disproportionately from African American culture). And over the years, I've come to appreciate much of the country music from that meta-era. I'm looking forward to watching the series.
5
Find and visit a bluegrass festival sometime. Take a day trip. Many are 3-day events or longer. For a truer experience, camp and experience the after midnight life.
Amateur pickers find a suitable group to hang with, better players find like mates. The traditionalists and the progressives socialize well with each other.
I'll have to wait to see it. Burns hasn't disappointed me.
12
With regard to Johnny Cash's willingness to have Pete Seeger on his show, two things need to be noted.
1. The Smothers Brothers had already broken the blacklist against Seeger appearing on network TV.
2. When Cash's career was down, Seeger had him on his TV program which was a local show in NJ later shown on a few PBS channels. Reportedly Cash was on drugs at the time and anyone who ever saw it saw a very thin man.
I do assume that they program will show how welcoming The Grand Old Oprey was to Nixon when he was running for re-election. I know that there were people like Cash and Kris Kristofferson who strongly opposed Nixon but it doesn't seem they were given a chance to voice their opinions that night. It seems that Burns program may be trying to rewrite history with country music musicians \as a bunch of Bernie Sanders supporters with racial tolerance.
4
I read the article and I read through all the comments, and not one mention of Guy Clark, arguably one of America'd greatest songwriters and a Nashville fixture for many years. I sure hope Mr. Burns wasn't that myopic. For my money, the best country music comes from Texas. I don't know why -- it just does.
7
@RR
Magnolia Wind is as pretty a song as has ever been written. Add Townes Van Zandt to the great Texas song writers list as well (and Blaze Foley, before I forget).
5
@ToddTsch
Amen to that. No way I would try to pick the prettiest Guy Clark song, or the prettiest TVZ song. (But if I had to, I'd pick Magdalene and Lover's Lullaby, respectively.)
5
@RR
Magdalene gives me goosebumps. For TVZ, well, we bade my Dad farewell from this Earthly existence with Snowin' on Raton.
But you're right. You can't go wrong with those two.
3
I have liked some country music (Emmylou Harris is one of the great vocal artists) but it appears that the Burns series will total about fifteen hours. This might be overkill or too much of a good thing. Even the great Burns series on the National Parks had baggy elements. I will watch it but, if there are a lot of PBS pledge breaks, there is only so much time to wonder where PBS finds the manic types appealing for contributions. To be on the safe side, record the series so one can fast-forward where necessary.
Uhhhggg...modern "country" music, with the shiny black hat urban cowboys and glossy cowgirls who all seem to learn to sing in the same place.
Similar to blues, which the white, mainly english groups respectfully borrowed and made their own, modern blues and modern country played by modern commercial groups is awful and shouldn't really be called blues or country.
I have not seen the documentary, and will withhold judgment on it, but any music beyond 1980 will tarnish the history.
5
@Mike "...modern 'country' music, with the shiny black hat urban cowboys and glossy cowgirls who all seem to learn to sing in the same place" isn't really COUNTRY music -- it's COMMERCIAL music. I don't like it, either. But I love country music, which is the music that Little Richard correctly called "the white man's blues." Oh, and Guy Clark died in 2016 and wrote/performed amazing songs nearly until the end -- WAY beyond 1980.
15
@Mike There's a ton of country music being made besides the generic radio stuff that I believe you are referring to. Jason Isbell, Holly Williams (granddaughter of Hank Sr.), and Sturgill Simpson are all turning out great music, as are many, many others. They are often labeled "Americana" or "alt-country." Whatever -- they are killing it.
6
Country music is nothing but the blues with twang. Give credit where it is really due.
7
@No one
With all due respect, there is not one ounce of twang in any ballad Patsy Cline ever sang.
2
It wasn’t until I went to Country Western Dance Halls that this music really became something for me to love and appreciate. The Two Step and Country Waltz make up most of Country dancing; they both require practice and attention to learn. You can’t just get out there and wiggle around. The result is something for all ages of people to enjoy and is breathtakingly elegant to watch when good dancers are dancing, of which there are many many “regular” folks who qualify.
Country Western Line Dancing is often pretty silly actually, but watching my Mom with some Japanese tourists learning how to do it in Hawaii was hilarious and just the sort of good time that does make you feel better!
Country Western Dancing is really a pleasure in life and I hope the Series shows this.
3
It appears that this article is by someone simply unfamiliar with country music, instead weaving personal anecdotes with Ken Burns version of history.
Country music is very big in cities all over, not just the rural south. This is because much of it it deals with the human condition across momentary cultural categories. Rather than write more about it, I will include the lyrics to a couple songs in follow-up comments, though without the music they lose a lot.
Ken Burns lost all credibility with me when his series on baseball used non-baseball "names" as fan authorities. (e.g. George Will, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Stephen Jay Gould).
4
I've tried to post the lyrics to "I Love This Bar" (by and recorded by Toby Keith) "Where Were You?" (by and recorded by Alan Jackson), and "Good-Bye Earl" (by Dennis Linde and recorded by the Dixie Chicks.) The paper does not seem interested in posting them. I'd suggest that those of you not really familiar with country music go online and listen to them. These were not minor songs but major hits by major artists.
3
@Steve Fankuchen
He had no problem rewriting Civil War history, either (Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a relatively small figure at the battle of Gettysburg yet one would have easily gotten the impression that he won the battle),
so I guess we shouldn't expect too much accuracy from this or any of his programs.
2
There is "Country Music" and there is "country music".
"Country Music" such as played on "Country Music" radio stations is as Republican as the current US Senate.
The other "country music" is really Americana and reflects the varied interests and influences of the nation and most of its inhabitants.
27
Sorry. This is a hard sell. And pointing to Charly Pride, the recent success of "Old Town Road" or anyone who has had to change their name to find an audience isn't going to change the perception that Country Music, much like this country, is the domain of southern white people who don't want it any other way.
That said, as an art form Country Music is something distinctly American, and no one can dispute the greatness of many of its performers.
And while not necessarily a fan of it, I'd take Patsy Cline singing "Crazy" or "I Fall to Pieces" over a lot of music we're hearing now any day.
18
@N. Smith
Well, to be fair, country music is distinctly American only in that it's borrowed from the home cultures of major immigrant groups (Celtic and African), then mashed up into something sort of newish. I suppose that's American in the sense that the US is part of the Americas.
@N. Smith
Jeez, I'm reading all these comments and don't know where to begin. So I'll start with you.
Patsy Cline was a great singer, and Wille Nelson ("Crazy")
has written some really great songs; but country music (a business from the first time a musician accepted money for services) was just going truly industrial in the early 1960s with the development of record-company Nashville-Sound Pop in the songs that you cite: the kind of material that was fashioned with your kind of listener in mind: the "not necessarily a fan of it" give-me-less-twang audience.
The A&R men made a decision to get rid of the fiddle and steel and the tenor harmony and bring in the soothing strings and the easy-listening back-up chorus hoping to sell more records to a crossover audience. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge and over the dam, but there's a direct music-business line from Patsy Cline to today's Nashville; though, indeed, her early Nashville Sound and Contemporary Beat-Detective/Auto-Tune Whatever- "Country" are time-warped sub-genres in the chronology of an industry where art takes a backseat to the marketing and merchandising of a state-of-the-science product.
1
Many years ago, I took voice lessons with the famed singer, Joyce Bryant, and I mentioned to her how much I loved country music and in particular, Patsy Cline. So, that day, instead of singing our usual standards from Tin Pan Alley, we sat there together, two black women of a certain age, belting out Sweet Dreams, Crazy, I Fall to Pieces and other songs at the top of our lungs. We had so much fun and giggled like schoolgirls, when we were done. One of my favorite memories! Like a lot of other black people, I have always loved country music, so I can't wait to watch this new documentary.
24
@Donna Bailey Donna, you might like the album "Rhythm, Country & Blues". It is an album of rhythm and blues artists, performing country duets with "Country" stars. There are some very good songs on the album by seemingly ill-suited singers: Gladys Knight with Vince Gill & Sam Moore with Conway Twitty are only two. The good thing is that most, if not all, work. You might also want to check out Rhiannon Giddens' cover of Patsy Cline's "She's Got You". Wonderful!
3
Well this white lady of a certain age would have loved to be in that room with you and your voice coach and the late/great Patsy. Mixing it up and hitting the harmonies. Music at its curative best!
4
Ol' Town Road shook up the airwaves this summer. Listeners craved it so it got played and was #1 for 16 weeks on Billboard.
I loved "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" - great song with Charlie Pride's smooth voice. And has there ever been a more talented song writer than Hank Williams, Sr?
And Dolly Parton wrote "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" on the same day--which would be an outstanding career with just those two megahits (over and over again as new artists record both)
7
@PJ I've still never once heard this old town road song. Where are people listening to this?
2
@PJ
There was no Hank Williams, Sr.
There was Hiram King "Hank" Williams
whose son, Randall Hank Williams,
took the stage name Hank Williams, Jr.
There was the one and only Hank Williams,
and there's Hank Williams, Jr.
From Jr.’s “Standing in the Shadow”
I know that I'm not great and some say I imitate
Anymore I don't know I'm just doing the best I can
After all I'm standing in the shadows of a very famous man
As I travel around from town to town
I have a lot of dad's fans and friends come around
They say I know Hank would be proud of you if he were here today
Now well we're all so glad and we know he would be too
That you're carryin' on his music this way
Yes they say Hank was the all time great
And we know you'll be just as good as your dad
But I just smile and say there'll never be another Hank Williams friends
That's the part that always makes them sad
Country music, more so than any genre, tells stories of positive connection. It routinely celebrates love, friendship, children, marriage and family. I've listened to it--along with every other genre but opera which I've never learned to love--through my decades as a wife, mom, friend, sister, and daughter.
And yes, the greats are great. But many many newcomers are too. Kasey Musgraves is flat out brilliant. Americana artist Lera Lynn is mesmerizing on stage, up and comer Dylan LeBlanc's songs are gorgeous.
5
Country music may not be considered an African-American art form but African-Americans were essential in its creation. The late Leslie Lee's play "Ground People" explored just that among other themes. Would somebody only revive it.
13
@mb I've heard old recordings of music from Ethiopia that sounded just like country music
We will never be able to purge the shame of slavery, it is intrinsic to us. But the mingling of black and white created cultural expression unique in the world, the incredible vitality of our music, art and food are the unexpected consequences of a relationship so fraught and unresolved.
8
@Mexico Mike: No, slavery is not "intrinsic to us". Of the approximately 1.5 million slaves which were imported to the Americas, only 500,000 or so lived in the US. The only people who view slavery as "intrinsic" to our country are the ones who benefit from a victimization posture.
3
@Stanley Gomez While it is true that approximately 500,000 slaves were brought to the United States, the number of slaves reached a total of approximately 4M in the decade before the civil war broke out. 4M out of a US population of 30M sounds pretty intrinsic.
8
@Angmar Bokanberry Intrinsic: belonging naturally, essential.
Slavery certainly WAS intrinsic to us as a nation. There's still work to be done to put that behind us, to become more than the product of a system that enslaved human beings.
5
I can't wait to see all 8 episodes.
I'm from West Virginia. I grew up listening to country music and Bluegrass. Still listen to it - and play guitar and sing it still on stage.
A bucket list item for me? Play to a live audience at the Ryman. When that happens, call me home!
10
Music that is created from the heart and soul has no boundaries for music is its own unique melting pot of melody, lyrics and rhythm.
8
Loved watching this last night - knew some of those stories, but was happy that Ken Burns dug a little deeper. I spent my midwest summers on a dairy farm and it was always on in the barn. I didn't like it then, but rediscovered it in my 30's and even managed to work for a bit in Nashville. I love country music because you cannot get a better crafted story in 3 minutes. And country muscians are the best anywhere. Vince Gill has had some side gigs with the Eagles and the Grateful Dead (or rather the abbreviated version). And thankfully, Marty Stuart is the self appointed keeper of many famous artifacts. https://www.npr.org/2014/10/01/352991803/marty-stuart-country-musics-historian-goes-to-church
4
@TLDavis773 Another side project Gill has been involved with is the Time Jumpers. They play traditional Western Swing, with instrumentals that sometimes veer into jazz, along with country music classics. They were just a group of Nashville musicians getting together for practice. A nightclub owner whose stage was empty on Mondays let them practice there. People started showing up to listen. This led to regional performances, a couple of albums and several Grammy nominations. They are worth checking out -- you can find them on Youtube.
I wonder if the documentary will gloss over the commercial side of country music, how the ruling powers in the music business and the Grand Ol'Opry, tamped down the careers of dozens, if not hundreds, of artists who wanted to expand and occasionally include dissonant voices.
If you listened to country, the Vietnam war was all about patriotism as were the wars in Iraq. Country has served as a social mechanism helping to divide the nation by essentially saying, "You are right and those other people are dead wrong."
Now, as far as I can tell, country music has flown away and become a bastardized version of rock, seeking the fame and money that once went to rock stars. It had to change to adjust to new generations but, to my ears, it has a rock beat, a southern accent, nothing else.
Ken Burns is highly successful and to be envied for that success but he celebrates things and doesn't spend a lot of time questioning them, one reason he is so beloved.
There is a lot more to this story. Like any successful entertainment genre, country music became a big business and those in power worked assiduously to extend and expand that power, limiting change. Willie Nelson, country legend, made the best move of his career when he left and went to Austin.
As for traditional country, all that "America" would need to see and understand country music, as it was, would be to know the story of Johnny Cash, the Carter family and throw in Hank Williams. Job done.
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@Doug Terry
There's more to it than this--neither Patsy Cline nor Loretta Lynn were slouches, but you are otherwise correct.
The only active country artists I'd pay to see are Dwight Yoakum and Willie Nelson (Lynn and maybe Dolly Parton, if they're still performing). Other than that, it's all bubble-gum pop country.
Burns seems to have a knack for weighing in after due perspective/passage of time. His series on jazz is a good example. I'm hoping that's the case here--the genre seems past its heyday, and so it is a good time to take stock.
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@Doug Terry
Like many forms of art, the best quality or most interesting lies in the margins.
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Johnny Cash was an extender of country music, not an excluder. He was unique as a voice for inclusion and for embracing the full story of America, not just to side that resented people different from themselves. He was a great man and a real talent.
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We cannot to watch this.
I can't help but recall the very recent, in documentary years, 'shut up and sing' response to the Dixie Chicks and their experience of being eaten by their own.
I hope country musicians understand themselves as much as they yearn to be understood.
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Funny, i dont give a hoot about modern contemporary country music, but Hank and Patsy always got this baby boomer rocker’s attention.
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Never was attracted to the technical way Burns tells a story so I did not see it, not mentioned in this article, I hope Burns did,
the harmonica player Deford Bailey.
the only black performer on the Grand Ol’ Opry (before they moved from the old church house to the air condtioned tent).
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Since Ted Nugent has taken the place of the banjo player in "Deliverance" as the symbol of right wingers maybe Country Music isn't so red neck anymore.
In 1976 I was stage manager for a country music/rodeo extravaganza in Denver. I had the privilege of working with Marty Robbins (a real gentleman); telling Ray Stevens on the phone how to get to the venue; walking Tammy Wynette to the stage; helping Buck Owens manage his autograph hounds; and many other magic moments.
I hope that Ken Burns' film might remind US of what we share; unlike so many Southern politicians who live to divide US.
Long live Hank Williams and Johnny Cash.
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When I listen to Patsy Cline sing "Crazy", "I Fall to Pieces" and "Sweet Dreams", I don't hear country western music. I hear beauty, class, elegance, and a true genius and artist at work.
Ms. Cline could squeeze more emotion, pain and honesty out of a single ballad than all of the vocalists combined in her day.
Country music is about as honest and pure as any story that was ever told.
I'm a Wisconsin farm gal, grew up listening to Bach and his Baroque buddies, and still have plenty of room in my heart for heart wrenching and soul searching country music.
I love Willie Nelson's songs, but I'm still trying to get used to his twainy, nasally, "you can hear the sound of Texas in his voice" kind of style. But he is a gifted song writer. And I always love him for that.
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@Marge Keller
I’m not a big Country music fan. Grew up in the Seventies, so a classic rock fan. BUT, I absolutely love Patsy Cline. I can’t even carry a tune, but appreciate great voices.
SHE can make you cry, with just a few words.
Cheers.
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@Phyliss Dalmatian
The 70s? My you're young!
I long had the New Yorker's disdain and condescending attitude toward country music.
Eight years in Greenville, SC didn't make much difference (kind of scary time there, when the students at Furman University protested the teachers' protest of George W when he visited Greenville - as the students were cheering on the incipient fascism of the Cheney regime).
But after hearing dozens of buskers here in Asheville sing and play the most creative, "Keep Asheville Weird" type "country" and blue grass music - among which some soulful "can make you cry with just a few words" singing - I've gained a new and profound respect for country - at least, the unique country of Western North Carolina.
As the waiters and waitress of our local Indian street food restaurant say, "Namaste, y'all."
and cheers!
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@don salmon
Yes, I’m not prejudiced in actually listening to music. But I guess it’s true that your favorite is always when you discovered “ music “.
Major Neil Young Fan, also the Beatles, and of course the best voice in history: ELVIS.
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It's not a uniquely American form of music. Australia has long had a very vibrant country music scene that's an integral piece of the national character.
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A Ken Burns documentary is always a treat so I look forward to this latest one. I think of country music as a refuge for white singers since the pop and rock genres are no longer what they used to be, look how quickly Taylor Swift abandoned country when she caught on as a pop singer. It is not a melting pot either notwithstanding the Lil Nas X publicity stunt. R&B singers are mostly reduced to singing the hook on rap "songs." I long for the return of melody-driven songs as mainstream music but that will happen when you kids get off my lawn.
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Bob Dylan went to Nashville and country a very long time ago. Why? In part because they have some of the best session men and women in the world. A session musician, for those who don't know, is someone who is a professional at playing in recording studios, hired talent, paid to play the existing compositions or, as in the likely case of Dylan, to help develop the music surrounding the words. They are invaluable and, in truth, they make many a hit recording that would otherwise languish.
There are some touches on some Dylan recordings that can't be beat. Unfortunately, Dylan does not particularly value those touches when he plays in concerts and he ignores them. He denigrates his recordings as not being the authentic sound he wants and changes up the music behind songs all the time to the point that not even lifelong Dylan followers can tell what he is singing.
I grew up with country music in the background and so I was exposed to many of the greats, though I certainly did not appreciate most of them as a child. It is in my blood and I still know the lyrics, having revisited some as an adult.
During the Vietnam war, country music covered itself with stiff neck patriotism that bordered on crypto-facism. This was music politics of the money making kind. It probably was kicked off when Merle Haggard recorded "Okie from Muskogee" which lit a fire under country that showed being against hippies, freaks and college students was good business. That unfortunate stance lives on.
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@Doug Terry
Well-said. And it sure 'lives on' in the ultra-jingoistic, flag-pandering/waving songs of Toby Keith. There is some music that I - a pretty staunch, gritty country fan - really like, but when he starts firing up the MAGA base......get me a bowl and get me out!
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@Doug Terry - I agree, and it's sad. I remember when Merle came out with that, and how things were changing rapidly under Nixon and the so-called silent - but surprisingly violent - majority. I feel the same sadness listening to old 80's Outlaw concerts, when Johnny Cash would rally his crowds with "if anyone insults the flag in front of me I'll shoot 'im!" , and the crowd would go crazy. We didn't start this. And today's Republican Conservative and NRA-backing of newer country music stars is sickening to me, literally promoting it as a Country Lifestyle. I love older country music, but steer clear of most of the new stuff.
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@arjay Every genre has its narrow-minded. Country today is full of stars who are advocating for gay rights, #MeToo, addressing structural racism, etc....
Yeah, Keith is out there but so is Kenny Chesney, Kasey Musgraves, and the sublime Mary Chapin Carpenter. It does no one any favors when we judge a group by the worst and ignore the best.
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Ken Burns is not only a generational documentary filmmaker, he's also one of the greatest storytellers of our time. He chooses topics that are uniquely American and then he and his staff perform exhaustive research to bring the topics to life and provide context for them.
In a time when most of us are terribly thirsty for something authentic to celebrate or even consider about our country, Mr. Burns delivers, as he and his team always do.
Ms. Renkl is another invaluable resource that delivers. Thanks, as always, for another timely, incisive and very well-written essay.
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Mr Burns
Although it arguable has non-American roots, the literature genre of Science Fiction is a quintessential American art form. I suggest you consider it for your next project.
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First, I must say that any documentary which Ken Burns creates will be the highlight of any TV year, most especially this one as we are bombarded by unpleasant and disheartening news from our nation's capital. But to my point, my husband was born in the South Side of Chicago and then eventually made his way to the SF Bay Area where we met over 50 years' ago. A city boy with a country heart. To this day, his favorite music genres are country and classical. Now how is that for an ecumenical mix?! His favorite albums, whether CD or vinyl, were Johnny Cash and Willy Nelson ones mixed right in there with Chopin and Strauss. Mine? You guessed it..Ms Dolly Parton. (I love her, right with Joan Baez, Streisand, and Lady Gaga.) These artists, all of them, have soul; their songs tell stories of the human condition of love, including unrequited love, human weakness from being sent to jail to drinking too much. Their music tells us a universal truth. That is that we are all human beings, imperfect but still trying. And thank you for giving a shout out to Ken Burns, Ms Renkl, as well as these genius creators of music from the soul.
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I was born in northern LA in 1946 and started high school in 1960. I abhorred country music which was all my father listened to. Now, in the autumn of my life, I am a fan, especially of the genre's historical perspective and the cultural impact it had on my family ties. The Ryman concert Monday night brought tears (Larry Gatlin), surprise (Willie's and Dolly's stories), and hearing mind-soaring talent that I had not heard before (Rhiannon Giddons & ?Keach Sorick?). I just wish I could have had my Dad and brother in the room with me, although I felt their presence. This concert is bound to become a classic TV event.
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@Michael McKee Ketch Secor is a musician with Old Crow Medicine Show. https://crowmedicine.com/press-kit/. He got permission from Bob Dylan to complete the song "Wagon Wheel" which they had success with before it was recorded by Darius Rucker. Rhiannon Giddons was in a band called Carolina Chocolate and is a MacCarthur Genius recipient.
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Mom was from a small town in West Virginia, Dad from the Boston area. We lived just south of Boston, and when Mom would get a little homesick, she would take a couple of us teens and head to the "hillbilly Ranch" in Boston. Get her fill of Country n' Western and then head back home.
In later years, after their retirement in the 80's, Mom and Dad would make an annual trek to Branson, Missouri, I think that was the place, for a big shindig of headliner singers. Her favorite was Johnny Cash.
Ken Burns documentaries are always great, his research is exemplary, and the subject matter will make this one another one for me to watch.
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I am so excited to watch this documentary! My dad introduced me to Johnny Cash's music when I was around 9 or 10 years old. That introduction opened me up to a love for a variety of country artists and greatly shaped my current music taste. I hope this documentary will remind Americans that no matter what our differences may be, we are truly not at all that different. After all, isn't that the power and magic of music?
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It happens that this morning I finished reading an article about Indian-American teenager brother and sister duo, Giri and Uma Peters from Nashville. They are blues and folk singers, and are making waves around the USA. Now that is a great example of melting pot America that not many are not familiar with. Ken Burns, as usual, depicts real America, not the one we find in the media everyday.
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Country Music is a Choir, with solos.
Uniquely and fiercely American.
Thank you, Margaret.
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@Phyliss Dalmatian - So is Gospel, literally, so not actually uniquely. Likewise Jazz, without the choir. Country music is pretty much uniquely white though. Even classical Opera has more black artists.
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@Phyliss Dalmatian
I read your comment so fast, I thought I read "Country Music is a Choir, with souls".
I honestly think it has both - solos and souls.
I'm not a big country music fan, but my oldest brother was. I didn't know that until after he passed. All the music in his truck was country and country western.
Every time I listen to one of those tunes, regardless the artist, I think of him. I feel closer to him during the entire tune.
I see country and country western music as a gift from my brother. I really miss him these days.
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@Jrb
Listen to Rhiannon Giddens (and her earlier band The Carolina Chocolate Drops) about the sizable contributions of Black Americans to country music. I think you would both appreciate Giddens (she's a marvelous musician) and what she has to say. Many of her lectures can be found on Youtube.
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