2 Seasons

Episode

The Rub (Beginnings -1933) (2019)

See 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.

Directed By: Ken Burns
Writer: Dayton Duncan

Hard Times (1933 -1945) (2019)

Watch 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.

The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 -1953) (2019)

See 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.

The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 -1953) poster

I Can't Stop Loving You (1953 -1963) (2019)

Travel 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.

I Can't Stop Loving You (1953 -1963) poster

The Sons and Daughters of America (1964 -1968) (2019)

See 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.