Back in 2001, Ken Burns released a television history of jazz music. I was a big fan of that series when it first came out. I never imagined then that Mr. Burns would later be doing a television history of country music. But, in 2019, the series “Country Music” was released on PBS. Ken Burns’ “Country Music” is actually 16 hours long. This isn’t as long as his “Jazz” series, which was 19 hours long. Nonetheless, one can certainly learn something about the music’s history in 16 hours. There are some kinds of history that could probably be better explored in books. This seems to be because books can go into greater depth than even the longest of television histories. But you’d have to be pretty good at reading sheet music, to get much out of a book on this subject. And, even then, there’s no substitute for carefully listening to the period musical recordings. The visuals can certainly help, too, and Ken Burns is a master at finding period visuals – such as photographs and film footage from the time. But, in an inherently audio-centered subject like music, the advantages of the television medium seem to outweigh the disadvantages. The chief drawback of a television history like this one is usually its relative brevity. But, with a series that’s a full 16 hours long, this seems to be less of a problem here. You can see and hear the musical history in all its glory, and also learn something about the nation as a whole in the process.
I was happy to discover that, like me, Ken Burns has some real respect for country music
I should give a disclaimer that, regarding the music itself, I count myself more of a jazz fan than a country music fan. Nonetheless, I still enjoying listening to country songs, particularly those with its characteristically irreverent humor. Some country songs achieve heights of uproarious laughter, while others can almost bring you to tears. But, as one of this film’s commentators puts it, what country music seems to offer most is nostalgia. Even at the times when it’s talking about real suffering, it seems to be offering a sort of nostalgia – of returning to the past, whether one’s own past or that of the larger nation. I was afraid that Ken Burns, being a liberal, would have some “contempt” for country music. But, thankfully, his coverage is surprisingly sympathetic to the music itself. He covers the conservative politics of certain parts of the country music world, and the liberal politics of certain other parts thereof. For example, Johnny Cash famously got into certain parts of the sixties, including anti-Vietnam-War-activism. And references to drinking (often humorous ones) have long been a major part of the music’s lyrics. In more recent years, country music (like other forms of music) was sometimes affected by other drugs. And the music itself ranges from the religious devotion of Southern gospel hymns, to wild carousing and shameless womanizing. And, as this series takes pains to point out, country music has never been just “one” thing, any more than has the United States as a whole. The music is filled with subcultures and distinctive stories, just like the nation that gave it birth.
The original Carter Family in 1927
The origins of country music, with influences from both the Old World and the New World
The first episode sets the tone for the series. It is entitled “The Rub,” and it goes from the music’s beginnings to 1933. Country music was affected by many prior forms of music. These ranged from Old World influences like British folk music and German polkas, to African American influences like the blues. One of the surprises for me was how strongly African Americans influenced country music, particularly in the South. Country tunes certainly borrowed heavily from the blues, and so did the style of some of its lyrics. When you hear country artists talking about their problems in song, you can see the strong influence of the blues, and its approach to dealing with hardships through music. Jazz had first been audio-recorded in 1917, and much of America had then become jazz-crazy. But there was another market that had yet to be served. This was the predominantly-White rural population of the South and the West. They disliked the “highfalutin” fanciness of jazz, and preferred a simpler approach that was more down-to-earth. They wanted to hear the songs on which they had grown up, and they were willing to pay something to hear them. But the industry needed a marketing term, with they could use to appeal to this untapped market. Thus, the music was originally called “hillbilly music.” The term “hillbilly” has since been viewed as something of a pejorative. At times, this word could even be “fightin’ words,” depending on where you said it. But, despite its earliest choice of names, hillbilly music took off in the 1930s. Only later would it be renamed “country and western music” – and, eventually, simply “country music.” From very early on in its history, the music was centered around Nashville. The Grand Ole Opry was originally performed at the Ryman Auditorium, and was only later moved to another location. Country music was then able to take advantage of the new technology of radio. Later on, television would also be used to broadcast country music. By the later episodes of the series, the music had even hit the Internet – where it would find some new life. (But I’m getting ahead of myself here.)
Jimmie Rodgers, the first country music superstar
The offshoots of country music, and the biographical dramas of individual artists in this series
Country music has produced a number of important offshoots – such as bluegrass, honky-tonk, and rockabilly. The Nashville sound and the Bakersfield sound were other major trends in the music’s long history. It would have been mighty boring for the listeners of the music, if country music had just remained static – replaying only the hits of earlier generations. Certainly those earlier hits could be re-vitalized by a new artist, but country music also produced some real creativity – leading to some new developments. Nonetheless, country artists seem to return often to their roots, by trying to maintain some connection with their forbears. This is as it should be, and it’s one of many ways that country music produces its aforementioned nostalgia. Ken Burns interviews a number of major country artists in this series. These include Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton. Some music historians are interviewed as well (including Wynton Marsalis), but the series gives far more airtime to the composers and performers themselves. As many have noted, this series can move the viewer at certain sad moments of an artist’s life. At times, these biographies can even rival the music itself in their drama. Many of these artists were able to turn their problems into hit songs, as great artists in many genres have always done. Some of them came from college, while others were high school dropouts – or even former prisoners. Some were unlikely country-music converts from the East. Country music had a great influence upon rock and roll, particularly in its use of the guitar. And it would later be influenced by rock and roll in its turn, with some country hits being “rocking” enough to cross over into the pop genres.
Hank Williams publicity photo for WSM in 1948
For someone like me who plays piano by ear, it helps to be exposed to different styles of music
I’ve mentioned in some other blog posts that I actually play the piano by ear. As far as my amateur musicianship goes, I consider myself to be primarily a jazz musician who occasionally does some other styles of music. For example, I am often called upon to play piano at church, usually playing traditional hymns and Primary songs. Nonetheless, I feel that any musician can learn something from being exposed to other styles. For someone like me who can’t sight-read, there is certainly some benefit to studying the audio-recordings of the music itself, and trying to absorb what you hear. When your only musical talent is to play piano by ear, studying the recordings is usually the only way that you can learn a song. I certainly tried to listen closely to what I heard, and was able to learn much about the music’s history in the process. Some charge that “all country songs are the same,” and you can certainly detect some common patterns therein. But, as Ray Charles once said, country songs are distinctive in the kinds of stories that they tell. Country artists can offer us some moving stories from their own personal experiences and from national history. And, as mentioned earlier, they can also be gut-splittingly funny at times, bringing tears of laughter as well as joy. Lyrics seem to be central to country music, to a degree (and with a frequency) that is seldom found in other kinds of music. Indeed, they seem often to achieve poetry of very high quality. I’m glad that Ken Burns was able to cover the history of country music in a relatively sympathetic way, and I certainly enjoyed the series. Even the later episodes are good, which is a rare achievement for an epic television history. Most of these series see their quality decline as they get into more recent history, and sometimes degenerate into political soapboxing of one sort or another. But this series avoids these things, which is a real achievement – even an astonishing one. Instead, this series stays focused on the music itself, and what it tells us about the United States of America.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in 1969
Conclusion: I greatly enjoyed learning about the music’s colorful stories and history
I still consider myself more of a jazz guy than a country music guy. But I greatly enjoyed learning about the music’s colorful history. It may have even increased my appreciation for the storytelling qualities of the music itself, and for the insights that it offers us into the Southern and Western United States.
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