Seasons & episodes
1 season · 4 episodes
Episode 01
The Big Bang
Travel to 1920s Tennessee as the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Memphis Jug Band make their first records with producer Ralph Peer on a revolutionary portable recording machine, creating the first recordings of R&B and country songs.
Episode 02
Blood and Soil
Travel to the rural South as Elder Burch, Charley Patton and others record early Delta blues, gospel and protest songs. The Great Flood of 1927 devastates Mississippi River communities, leading to northern migration and Chicago Blues by Howlin' Wolf.
Episode 03
Out of the Many, the One
Discover how America's diverse cultures contribute to its musical styles: from the Hopi tribe to Hawaii's Joseph Kekuku to Mexican-American Lydia Mendoza and the Cajun Breaux Family. Mississippi John Hurt's blues inspires a generation of musicians.
Episode 04
The American Epic Sessions
Using the only 1920's era recording device in existence, Jack White and T Bone Burnett produce a series of recording sessions in tribute to the mostly unknown artists celebrated in the three prior episodes of this PBS documentary series.
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