On Wednesday evening, the final segment of Ken Burns’ epic documentary “Country Music” aired on PBS.
Eight years in the making, the 16-hour, eight-part series chartered the birth, growth and evolution of this distinctly American music genre from the 1920s — when it arose as a mix of black Southern blues, immigrant folk songs and church hymns — through 1996, with the arrival of a new wave of popular country music dominated by superstar performers and perhaps not for the better. When Garth Brooks flies through above the arena, supported by wires, well, it ain’t Hank Williams’ country music anymore.
As someone who grew up in 60s and 70s in a household where country and gospel music dominated the home stereo/radio, I knew a fair amount about the genre. Even so, every episode either revealed information I had not known or recalled to memory artists, songs and events that clouded by time.
As a fan of all of Burns’ work, beginning with the groundbreaking “The Civil War,” his latest effort leaps to the top of the list as far as I am concerned.
After watching the series in its entirety, a few thoughts stayed with me.
· Country music, in popular form, is still a recent phenomenon — less than 100 years old, which is true of all forms of American music. Its history is directly linked to the invention of the radio. Without radio, popular music of all kinds would never have grown and evolved. Until radio, popular music was an unwritten language, bound by geography with no means of finding a mass audience or benefitting from the melting pot of styles that gives the music its broad appeal.
· Mississippi’s slogan — Birthplace of American Music — is no overstatement. Popular music of all kinds has been greatly influenced by the contributions of Mississippians. Nowhere is this more true than in Country Music, beginning with Meridian’s Jimmie Rodgers, who became County Music’s first superstar. You could argue that Rodgers — along with the Carter Family — invented the genre. Rodgers, particularly, helped shaped Country Music. He was the primary influence on Hank Williams, whose work in turn was as shaping influence on subsequent generations of artist.
Williams didn’t sing songs: He confessed them. The sincerity of his music set the best example for those who would follow. Yet, without Rodgers, there would have been no Williams. Without Williams, you wonder just where and how far Country Music would have gone and in what direction.
· Mississippi’s contributions go far beyond Rodgers. I noted that in all eight segments, sure enough, a Mississippian was right in the middle of almost every significant development in the genre.
One of those artists featured throughout the series — Marty Stuart of Philadelphia, Mississippi — did for this documentary what Shelby Foote — another Mississippian — did for “The Civil War.” Although his own contributions are notable — Stuart was a mandolin prodigy who began touring with legendary bluegrass artist Lester Flat as a 13-year-old — his most important contributions to the documentary were his insightful, sometimes poetic, observations of the people, places and music. Dozens of artists contributed in like manner, but Stuart stood apart. He’s a Mississippi treasure and a national treasure as well.
· Country music has always faced the challenge of walking the line between being fresh/relevant and keeping faith with its traditions. Just when it seemed the music was about to be swallowed up by other genres — rock or pop — there was always an artist that brought Country Music back. I think we’re still waiting for that artist today. For the past 20 years, most of Country Music seems to be written by algorithm, an imitation of the authentic, and a poor one at that.
The lesson of “Country Music” is that even now there remains hope that the music will return to what it really has always been at its best — simple songs written by simple folks with simple, authentic messages — or as, 1950s country singer Harlan Howard put it, “Three chords and the truth.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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