Anyone else watching the PBS Ken Burns Special on Country Music?

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
So we're three episodes into this 8-part documentary on Country Music; it contains a great deal of rare film footage and recordings, I will need to purchase the soundtrack. Just finished with the Hank Williams years. I find it fascinating. I thought I was pretty well versed in country music, but in typical Ken Burns style he uncovers wonderful bits and pieces of history to tell stories I've never heard before. This may be boring to some, but I'm lovin' every minute of it! So is Mrs. Dread; we're watching it together.

For me, Ken Burns is to film what James Michener is to novels.
 

gjmalcyon

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
4,181
Reaction score
2,419
Location
Gloucester County, NJ
Guild Total
13
So we're three episodes into this 8-part documentary on Country Music; it contains a great deal of rare film footage and recordings, I will need to purchase the soundtrack. Just finished with the Hank Williams years. I find it fascinating. I thought I was pretty well versed in country music, but in typical Ken Burns style he uncovers wonderful bits and pieces of history to tell stories I've never heard before. This may be boring to some, but I'm lovin' every minute of it! So is Mrs. Dread; we're watching it together.

For me, Ken Burns is to film what James Michener is to novels.

Just finished watching the 3rd episode. She Who Must be Obeyed will watch the 10 pm EDT broadcast since her routine hair maintenance appointment intervened. We're really enjoying it.

Been watching for Guilds - they're only up to '54 so it is still too soon.

And it helps explain why I love visiting Nashville - the air, ground, and water is just suffused with music.
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
Oh, and the instruments! :tongue-new:

Episode 3 also has great footage and history of Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. As they pointed out, Earl Scruggs is one of the most influential musicians in the history of music; he invented a whole new genre of music.
 

gilded

Senior Member
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
3,479
Reaction score
197
Location
texas
I’m watching Hank’s episode tonight.
They showed his birth certicate, 9/17/23.
That means it’s his birthday!!!!
Yahoo!
 

walrus

Reverential Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Dec 23, 2006
Messages
23,957
Reaction score
8,019
Location
Massachusetts
I'm not a big country fan, but I've been watching it and enjoying it. Although I think I knew this, I was stunned to find Hank Williams died at only 29 years old. He looked at least 50 in the film...

walrus
 

crank

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2009
Messages
1,229
Reaction score
862
Too sleepy and too much info for me. Tried to watch the second episode but was falling asleep. Decided to watch my Jets Fall To Pieces instead.

To be fair, I am pretty well versed in country music history, although, there were a lot of stories I did not know I felt a lot of them were really unnecessary to tell. Felt like they were trying to fill 8 episodes when maybe it should be a lot fewer. I know I am in the minority here.
 
Last edited:

12 string

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
1,513
Reaction score
413
Location
CA
Guild Total
5
Totally enjoying it. Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised, it's better than I expected.

' Strang
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
I saw some of those guitars in the Country Music Hall Of Fame in Nashville a couple years ago. Along with Bill Monroe's 1924 Lloyd Loar Gibson F-5 mandolin. :hypnotysed:
 

twocorgis

Venerated Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
13,923
Reaction score
6,520
Location
Lawn Guyland
Guild Total
18
All three are waiting on the TiVo. I'm so sick right now that I've mostly been sleeping, but looking forward to this. Much more than Ken's "Vietnam" series, which I found impossible to watch.
 

12 string

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
1,513
Reaction score
413
Location
CA
Guild Total
5
He looked at least 50 in the film...

walrus

Yeah, the coverage of his life story was pretty grim. And Jimmy Rodgers. And A.P. Carter. So much sadness and self destruction!
 
Last edited:

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
Seems like most of them grew up poor as dirt, a real common thread among the artists spotlighted in this series.
 

Stuball48

Senior Member
Gold Supporting
Joined
Oct 22, 2017
Messages
4,736
Reaction score
2,534
Location
Dickson, TN
Seems like most of them grew up poor as dirt, a real common thread among the artists spotlighted in this series.
Agree and seems Kris Kristofferin (sp) was one of a very few who had "younger years" advantages.
But how in the world did Don Williams ( not a controversial person, I guess) get left out. He, certainly, had the record sales to garner some attention - USA and Europe.
 

gilded

Senior Member
Joined
May 2, 2007
Messages
3,479
Reaction score
197
Location
texas
I enjoyed the parts of the special that I saw, but a friend of mine who makes a living playing western swing music says that a lot of the actual history was left out, as if 'they' got schooled early on by a relatively small group of country music sources with a particular point of view.

To the Writers of Revisionist History: "Nothing's worse than being damned with faint praise."
 

dreadnut

Gone But Not Forgotten
Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
16,082
Reaction score
6,442
Location
Grand Rapids, MI
Guild Total
2
I was also surprised they barely mentiond Jim Reeves, he was huge, and he was another one who went down in a private plane crash.

I suppose cramming 100 years of country music history into 8 episodes is going to be somewhat sketchy, but I still enjoyed it. It confirmed many things I already knew, and I learned a lot of new stuff as well.
 
Top