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An enjoyable evening watching "Country Music Live At The Ryman" on AZ PBS.

Last night, the wife and I had a most enjoyable evening, gratis our comfy couch and AV system, watching a AZ PBS broadcast of "Country Music Live AT The Ryman" 

A wonderful tribute to the history of Country Music and the many artists, writers  and producers who helped pave its way. It was hosted by producer Ken Burns with tribute performances of the music of such iconic legends as Hank Williams. Johny Cash, Maybelle Carter and many others, performances by Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Kathy Matea, Marty Stewart, Dwight Yoakam, Holly Williams and other noted artists.
It was both educational and entertaining and inspired me to dig out some of my old favorite Country LPs and CDs and spend the night enjoying some almost forgotten, wonderful tunes. 

Whether or not Country Music is among one's favorite genres, it definitely has deep roots in America's musical landscape.
For those who haven't had a chance to enjoy this great broadcast, check your local PBS for possible re-broadcasts and follow up additions of the history and artists of American Country Music, as well as specials on the many other genre of music. 

Jim
 
jhills
jhills OP
613 posts
 
@schubert  I know in the pasty PBS American Masters did segments on Copland, Gershwin, Andrew Loyd Webber and others, so may be something coming up.

Over the past couple of years we saw specials on Andrew Loyd Webber, Katherine Jenkins, Leonard Cohen and wife's favorites, Celtic Thunder and Celtic Woman. All were very good.

If I see something on American Classical composers coming up, I'll drop a post...........Jim

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

If the band’s drummer looks familiar, it’s 'cause he’s Chad Cromwell, Neil Young’s drummer for his Prairie Wind show, also taped at The Ryman. I would have preferred they had Harry Stinson (the drummer/singer in Marty Stuart’s band The Fabulous Superlatives), imo a much better player. It was great seeing and hearing Marty in the Show. Quite a mandolin player, ay? He turned pro at the age of 13, being offered a job in Lester Flatt’s road band. 13! Marty owns the Fender Telecaster Clarence White played in The Byrds, and Hank Williams’ Martin acoustic.

This was a pretty good show, lots of excellent artists, There were some major practitioners of the music missing (no Emmylou Harris?!), and why did they have Kathy Mattea, a mediocre singer, doing a Loretta Lynn song instead of Loretta herself? Loretta’s still alive and well, her last two albums having been produced by Jack White.

I love Burns’ documentaries on The Civil War and Mark Twain, and am really looking forward to this one. The reason he did a documentary on Country music and not Classical is because Country is an American art form, Classical a European one. The Civil War, Mark Twain, Baseball, Jazz, Country music. Get it? Burns specializes in U.S. History. I thought everyone knew that ;-) .

schubert
7,386 posts
 
And he knows very little about it and issues half-truths which is worse than lies .
American Classical music is American ! Most country roots are Scottish and Irish .
Everything is part of every thing else .
GET IT ?
jhills OP
613 posts
 
Thanks bdp24, for all the good info.
I too wondered why Loretta didn't perform and would have loved to have seen something on Emmylou Harris. Not only a great singer, song writer, musician, in her own right, but I think, at one time or another, over the past four decades, about every relevant pop or country star, sang a duet with Emmylou.
In all though, was a great show.

Jim
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

Jim, I assume the full documentary will include Emmylou, and Gram Parsons, Steve Earle, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, Commander Cody, The Byrds, Dylan, maybe even The Band---the whole Rock ’n’ Roll/Country convergence of the late-60’s/early 70’s and beyond.

In the 1980’s, the radio station operating out of the Community College in Northridge, California had great programming of Roots music---Hard Country, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Blues, Jump Blues, Rockabilly, some Jazz, and much more. Some guys with attitudes like that of schubert considered such music below the dignity of a college, and moved to change the station to an all-Classical format. You know, music more befitting an institution of higher learning. Snobs.

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