TV and Movies

[Suziepeach]

I'm very much enjoying this.. very well done..

Considering I'm from close to Bristol, TN., am very proud of the music and heritage from that beautiful area.

[golding76]

Suziepeach,

I'm loving it, too!  

I grew up in Maryland, below the Mason-Dixon Line, and I wonder if having country music in the background as we grew up had much to do with our embracing the sound.  Of course the emerging rock-and-roll as well as standards were more prominent, but having country music on the town's major radio station and hearing it often perhaps contributed to a love of this particular genre. 

There were a few boring moments for me in the first installment (when Ken Burns focused on one artist who was unfamiliar to me, but Burns saw fit to let us know the name of the man's wife as well as that of his newborn.  Was Burns simply overjoyed to learn such granular-level detail?).  Anyway, thank heavens for recordings because I just skipped ahead.

Haven't completed the second installment but it buzzes along at a brisker pace and has names far more familiar to me.  When I heard that one Carter Family tune, I thought to myself that it sounded like Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land..."   Sure enough, they explained that Guthrie loved the tune so much he borrowed from it for his beloved song.

Also, if you have a guitarist in your family, you have most certainly heard "Wildwood Flower" (another famous and well-loved Carter Family song), and the ditty brings warm feelings flooding back when you hear it.  I've attended some old-time rock-and-roll dances in my hometown as an aged adult, and invariably, a couple guitarists get together, pause the rock music, and play "Wildwood Flower."  Most of us remember that song growing up and going to the teen dances, where they mixed in an occasional country tune with the rock.

Our area was a onetime home of Patsy Cline, and we paid honor to her often, too.  One other thing, we not only had weekly teen dances that were based on rock-and-roll, but in a nearby hamlet, there were what we called "stomps," hillbilly hoedowns that were much fun. 

"Wildwood Flower"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM592cB_mkU

[golding76]

If this does not make you like (even love) country music, nothing will.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e0EHs4zFNI

[CatsyCline]

i like Peter Coyote and he has narrated many Ken Burns programs but his voice just drones on here and just to monotone for this series.  jmo.  Burns would have done well to feature someone more energetic to narrate, a woman perhaps.

trying hard to keep up with it but fell asleep several times. not a country music fan but i do enjoy the history

[author]

I was not planning on watching this, but ended up giving it a try and it is excellent.  I was immersed in it and the time flew.  Ken Burns never disappoints and the way he blended music, info, photos, history, etc. was masterful.  Even if you are not a current Country music fan this is definitely worth watching.

I loved folk music back in the 60's so this series is explaining so much of the various influences on all music from the very early days, and back to especially Great Britain and their folk traditions, fiddling, etc.

Wonderful program.  

[golding76]

miimosa,

I fully agree with you on this point.  It is his monotonous sound that grates after a bit.

Wish Burns had used several narrators, to tell the truth.

[froggy]

DH and I are both country music fans, especially the old stuff. We are really enjoying this show. Makes me want to go buy some Carter Family music.

[candyagain]

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Who captured the pain all of us felt on 9/11 better than Alan Jackson in his "Where Were You?"

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And who captured the resilience of us better than Tobey Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue"?

I went from New England to Virginia -- back and forth -- during my childhood with my military family. I had an appreciation for country music when many of my friends didn't because it was in the background wherever I went in the south. Hank Williams Jr., Tennessee Ernie Ford, a little Jerry Lee Lewis and Patti Paige.....

Patsy Cline (Crazy), Dolly Parton (Jolene and I will Always Love You), Willie Nelson (Georgia, and all the other hits), Tammy Wynette (Stand By Your Man) and other songs that went mainstream are noteworthy and began to bring country music into a wider appreciation.

Ladies, if you've never seen Toby Keith sing "Who's Your Daddy" you've missed a treat! His performance at an AMC Awards show was one of the best performances I've seen.

 Didn't like BlueGrass until Alison Krause brought it up to date.

BTW, I appreciate many kinds of music, enjoy the variety in life.

[Shawnie]

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@CatsyCline wrote:

i like Peter Coyote and he has narrated many Ken Burns programs but his voice just drones on here and just to monotone for this series.  jmo.  Burns would have done well to feature someone more energetic to narrate, a woman perhaps.

trying hard to keep up with it but fell asleep several times. not a country music fan but i do enjoy the history

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Yes, Peter lulled me right to sleep last night.

[Free2be]

I am very much enjoying Ken Burn's series especially how this music evolved with the influences of the times. It's almost unbelievable how simple people expressed themselves through music in sounds prior to and through the Great Depression that was not comperable to music anywhere else. The simplicity was so great that performers kept same melodies and changed only the lyrics to make "new" songs yet fans responded as if the song was new, an interesting indication of a fan base hungry for both the old familiar and a new story. Sad that TPTB insisted on playing on the country bumpkin perforance as a draw. But that is history and it worked for them. I was glad to see that some performers began to rebel (pun not intended).