News Archive: 2019

Posted June 14, 2019
Randy Fairman, The Second Disc

Filmmaker Ken Burns has tackled many subjects over the years, from the Civil War to baseball. His documentaries have garnered numerous awards over the years. In 2001, he took an in-depth look at the genre of jazz. Now, he is aiming to explore a different genre with Country Music, an eight-part, 16-1/2-hour documentary premiering September 15 on PBS. And as with Jazz, there will be an accompanying soundtrack. The most expansive of these is a 5-disc box set debuting on August 30 from Legacy Recordings. Other configurations of the set including a 2-CD, 2-LP and digital will follow on September 13.

Country Music will trace the genre's beginnings in the early 20th century through 1996. Along the way, over 600 music cues will be heard together with interviews with more than 100 people (40 of whom are in the Country Music Hall of Fame and 20 of whom have passed away since being interviewed). The 5-disc deluxe edition contains 105 tracks and features some of the biggest artists and hits in the history of country music. The discs break down as follows:

Disc One covers "Episode One: The Rub (Beginnings – 1933)" and "Episode Two: Hard Times (1933-1945)" of the film and includes performances from The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Charlie Poole with the North Carolina Ramblers, Gene Autry, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Roy Acuff and His Crazy Tennesseans, Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys, and more.

Disc Two of the collection brings together music from "Episode Three: The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945-1953)" and "Episode Four: I Can't Stop Loving You (1953-1963)" and features recordings by Hank Williams with his Drifting Cowboys, Kitty Wells, Little Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two, Ray Price, The Everly Brothers, Lefty Frizzell, Marty Robbins, Faron Young, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, and others.

Disc Three showcases recordings from "Episode Five: The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968)" and "Episode Six: Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1968-1972)" from artists including Roger Miller, Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Jeannie C. Riley, Tammy Wynette, The Byrds, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and more.

Disc Four focuses on "Episode Seven: Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973-1983)" and a new generation of country musicians including Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Townes Van Zandt, Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Jr., Rosanne Cash, and others.

Disc Five rounds out the anthology with "Episode Eight: Don't Get Above Your Raisin' (1973-1996)" featuring tracks by Ricky Skaggs, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, The Judds (Wynonna and Naomi), Dwight Yoakam, Kathy Mattea, Trisha Yearwood and more.

The booklet for the box set contains many rarely seen archival photos, posters, documents and memorabilia related to the artists and recordings in the film, originating from a variety of sources including Sony Music Archives, The Country Music Hall of Fame, artist estates, and country music photographers. The box includes a note from the film's producers Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, and Julie Dunfrey as well as essays by Bill Malone (the "dean" of country music historians and consultant/commentator for the film) and country music historians Colin Escott (covering the 1930s-1950s) and Tamara Saviano (covering the 1960s-1990s). The set features quotes from many of the artists who appear in the series including Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Vince Gill, and others.

Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns (The Soundtrack) will also be released in a variety of other versions, including a 2-CD, 41 track edition, a 2-LP vinyl edition, and on digital platforms. Wal-Mart will have an exclusive 1-CD, 20 track edition and Barnes and Noble will have an exclusive, limited red, white and blue colored edition of the 2-LP set with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Ken Burns. A companion hardcover book and DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film are also planned for September.

So if you would like to explore the history of country music along with Ken Burns, we've got the tracklistings (vinyl tracklisting TBA) and pre-order links below.

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Various Artists, Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns, The Deluxe Soundtrack
Sony/Legacy Recordings, 2019
Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1

1. Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)
   The Carter Family
2. Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
   Jimmie Rodgers
3. Barbara Allen
   Bradley Kincaid
4. I'll Fly Away
   James and Martha Carson
5. If the River Was Whiskey
   Charlie Poole with the North Carolina Ramblers
6. Fox Chase
   DeFord Bailey
7. Blue Yodel Number 9 (Standin' On The Corner)
   Jimmie Rodgers
8. Wildwood Flower
   The Carter Family
9. In the Jailhouse Now
   Jimmie Rodgers
10. Comin' Round the Mountain
    Uncle Dave Macon and Sam McGee
11. Pretty Polly
    The Coon Creek Girls
12. B. Blues
    Jimmie Rodgers
13. Mountain Dew
    Grandpa Jones and His Granchildren
14. Home on the Range
    Gene Autry
15. I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart
    Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
16. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
    Sons of the Pioneers
17. Keep on the Sunny Side / I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
    The Carter Family
18. The Great Speckled Bird
    Roy Acuff
19. Whoa Babe
    Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
20. New San Antonio Rose
    Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
21. Wabash Cannon Ball
    Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys
22. Mule Skinner Blues
    Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys

CD 2

1. Honky Tonkin'
   Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
2. It's Mighty Dark to Travel
   Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
3. New Mule Skinner Blues
   Maddox Brothers and Rose
4. I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)
   Eddy Arnold and his Tennessee Playboys
5. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
   Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
6. Molly and Tenbrook
   The Stanley Brothers
7. Lovesick Blues
   Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
8. I Saw the Light
   Hank Williams
9. Hey, Good Lookin'
   Hank Williams
10. It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
    Kitty Wells
11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
    Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
12. Jambalaya
    Little Brenda Lee
13. New Step It Up and Go
    Maddox Brothers and Rose
14. I Walk the Line
    Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two
15. Crazy Arms
    Ray Price
16. Bye, Bye Love
    The Everly Brothers
17. The Long Black Veil
    Lefty Frizzell
18. El Paso
    Marty Robbins
19. Night Life
    Ray Price
20. Hello Walls
    Faron Young
21. I Fall to Pieces
    Patsy Cline
22. Ring of Fire
    Johnny Cash
23. Crazy
    Patsy Cline
24. I Can't Stop Loving You
    Ray Charles

CD 3

1. Dang Me
   Roger Miller
2. I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
   Buck Owens
3. Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
   Loretta Lynn
4. Coal Miner's Daughter
   Loretta Lynn
5. Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'
   Charley Pride
6. Hungry Eyes
   Merle Haggard and the Strangers
7. Mama Tried
   Merle Haggard and the Strangers
8. Harper Valley P.T.A.
   Jeannie C. Riley
9. Don't Touch Me
   Jeannie Seely
10. Folsom Prison Blues
    Johnny Cash
11. Stand by Your Man
    Tammy Wynette
12. She Thinks I Still Care
    George Jones
13. You Ain't Going Nowhere
    The Byrds
14. Me and Bobby McGee
    Kris Kristofferson
15. Help Me Make It Through the Night
    Sammi Smith
16. Sunday Morning Coming Down
    Kris Kristofferson
17. Okie From Muskogee
    Merle Haggard and the Strangers
18. Man in Black
    Johnny Cash
19. Girl from the North Country
    Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash
20. Grand Ole Opry Song
    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
21. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

CD 4

1. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
   Waylon Jennings
2. Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
   Dolly Parton
3. Jolene
   Dolly Parton
4. I Will Always Love You
   Dolly Parton
5. We're Gonna Hold On
   George Jones and Tammy Wynette
6. Texas Cookin'
   Guy Clark
7. If I Needed You
   Townes Van Zandt
8. I Can't Stop Loving You
   Johnny Rodriguez
9. I've Been a Long Time Leaving (But I'll Be A Long Time Gone)
   Waylon Jennings
10. Love Hurts (Live)
    Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels
11. Boulder to Birmingham
    Emmylou Harris
12. Bluebird Wine
    Emmylou Harris
13. Whiskey River
    Willie Nelson
14. Miles and Miles of Texas
    Asleep at the Wheel
15. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
    Willie Nelson
16. Good Hearted Woman
    Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
17. Family Tradition
    Hank Williams, Jr.
18. Seven Year Ache
    Rosanne Cash
19. Pancho and Lefty
    Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
20. He Stopped Loving Her Today
    George Jones

CD 5

1. Don't Get Above Your Raisin'
   Ricky Skaggs
2. On the Road Again
   Willie Nelson
3. Amarillo by Morning
   George Strait
4. Somebody Should Leave
   Reba McEntire
5. Diggin' Up Bones
   Randy Travis
6. Why Not Me
   The Judds (Wynonna and Naomi)
7. Honky Tonk Man
   Dwight Yoakam
8. Streets of Bakersfield
   Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens
9. Where've You Been
   Kathy Mattea
10. I'm No Stranger to the Rain
    Keith Whitley
11. Go Rest High on That Mountain
    Vince Gill
12. Guitar Town
    Steve Earle
13. She's In Love With the Boy
    Trisha Yearwood
14. Tennessee Flat Top Box
    Rosanne Cash
15. Get Up John
    Emmylou Harris & the Nash Ramblers
16. Uncle Pen
    Ricky Skaggs
17. I Still Miss Someone
    Rosanne Cash
18. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Various Artists, Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns, The 2-CD Soundtrack
Sony/Legacy Recordings, 2019
Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

CD 1

1. Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)
   The Carter Family
2. Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
   Jimmie Rodgers
3. Fox Chase
   DeFord Bailey
4. I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blues
   The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
5. Mountain Dew
   Grandpa Jones and His Granchildren
6. I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart
   Patsy Montana and the Prairie Ramblers
7. New San Antonio Rose
   Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
8. Wabash Cannon Ball
   Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys
9. Honky Tonkin'
   Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
10. It's Mighty Dark to Travel
    Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys
11. New Mule Skinner Blues
    Maddox Brothers and Rose
12. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
    Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
13. It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
    Kitty Wells
14. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
    Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
15. Crazy Arms
    Ray Price
16. The Long Black Veil
    Lefty Frizzell
17. El Paso
    Marty Robbins
18. Ring of Fire
    Johnny Cash
19. Crazy
    Patsy Cline
20. I Can't Stop Loving You
    Ray Charles
21. Coal Miner's Daughter
    Loretta Lynn
22. Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'
    Charley Pride
23. Hungry Eyes
    Merle Haggard and the Strangers

CD 2

1. Stand by Your Man
   Tammy Wynette
2. You Ain't Going Nowhere
   The Byrds
3. Me and Bobby McGee
   Kris Kristofferson
4. Girl from the North Country
   Bob Dylan with Johnny Cash
5. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
   Waylon Jennings
6. Jolene
   Dolly Parton
7. Boulder to Birmingham
   Emmylou Harris
8. Whiskey River
   Willie Nelson
9. Pancho and Lefty
   Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard
10. He Stopped Loving Her Today
    George Jones
11. Don't Get Above Your Raisin'
    Ricky Skaggs
12. Somebody Should Leave
    Reba McEntire
13. Why Not Me
    The Judds (Wynonna and Naomi)
14. Streets of Bakersfield
    Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens
15. Where've You Been
    Kathy Mattea
16. Go Rest High on That Mountain
    Vince Gill
17. I Still Miss Someone
    Rosanne Cash
18. Will the Circle Be Unbroken
    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Various Artists, Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns, The 2-LP Soundtrack
(Sony/Legacy Recordings, 2019)
Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Tracklisting TBA

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Various Artists, Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns, The Wal-Mart Exclusive Edition Soundtrack
Sony/Legacy Recordings, 2019
Walmart.com

1. Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)
   The Carter Family
2. In the Jailhouse Now
   Jimmie Rodgers
3. Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
   Jimmie Rodgers
4. Wabash Cannon Ball
   Roy Acuff and His Smoky Mountain Boys
5. Foggy Mountain Breakdown
   Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
6. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
   Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys
7. Crazy
   Patsy Cline
8. Coal Miner's Daughter
   Loretta Lynn
9. Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'
   Charley Pride
10. Folsom Prison Blues
    Johnny Cash
11. Mama Tried
    Merle Haggard and the Strangers
12. Stand by Your Man
    Tammy Wynette
13. Me and Bobby McGee
    Kris Kristofferson
14. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
    Waylon Jennings
15. I Will Always Love You
    Dolly Parton
16. Whiskey River
    Willie Nelson
17. He Stopped Loving Her Today
    George Jones
18. Don't Get Above Your Raisin'
    Ricky Skaggs
19. Go Rest High on That Mountain
    Vince Gill
20. I Still Miss Someone
    Rosanne Cash