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Country Music Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
8 Episodes 2019 - 2019
Episode 1
The Rub (Beginnings - 1933)
Sun, Sep 15, 2019 120 mins
Ken Burns' history of country music begins. First up: How "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.
Episode 2
Hard Times (1933-1945)
Mon, Sep 16, 2019 120 mins
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.
Episode 3
The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945-1953)
Tue, Sep 17, 2019 120 mins
How the bluegrass sound spreads in post-war America. Also: honky-tonk star Hank Williams, whose songs of surprising emotional depth are derived from his troubled and tragically short life.
Episode 4
I Can't Stop Loving You (1953-1963)
Wed, Sep 18, 2019 120 mins
Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America's racial divide by recording a country album. Patsy Cline shows off Music City's smooth new Nashville Sound.
Episode 5
The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968)
Sun, Sep 22, 2019 120 mins
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.
Episode 6
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (1968-1972)
Mon, Sep 23, 2019 120 mins
How country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.
Episode 7
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973-1983)
Tue, Sep 24, 2019 120 mins
Witness a vibrant era in country music, with Dolly Parton finding mainstream success; Hank Williams Jr. and Rosanne Cash emerging from their famous fathers' shadows; and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings launching the "Outlaw" movement.
Episode 8
Don't Get Above Your Raisin (1984-1996)
Wed, Sep 25, 2019 120 mins
How "New Traditionalists" like George Strait, Randy Travis and the Judds help country music stay true to its roots. Witness both the rise of superstar Garth Brooks and the return of an aging Johnny Cash to the industry he helped create. The series finale.
