American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself

Synopsis

In The 1920s, As Radio Took Over The Pop Music Business, Record Companies Were Forced To Leave Their Studios In Major Cities In Search Of New Styles And Markets. The Recordings They Made Of The Ethnic Groups Of America Helped Democratize The Nation And Gave A Voice To All Its People: A Woman Picking Cotton In Mississippi, A Coal Miner In Virginia, Or A Tobacco Farmer In Tennessee Could Have His Or Her Thoughts And Feelings Heard On Records Played In Living Rooms Across The Country. These Records Blended The Intertwining Strands Of Europe, Africa, The Pacific Islands, And The Americas And Formed The Bedrock For Modern Music As We Know It. Today, Virtually No Documentation Of These Extraordinary Events Survives, And Nearly 90 Percent Of The Music Masters Have Been Destroyed. Bernard Macmahon And Allison Mcgourty Spent Years Traveling Around The U.s. On A Mission To Rescue This History, Interviewing Hundreds Of Families And Scouring Attics And Basements, Collecting Vintage Film Footage And Hundreds Of Photographs That Haven't Been Seen In Nearly A Century. This Written Account Continues The Journey Of The Pbs Television Series And Features Additional Stories, Photographs, And Artwork. It Also Contains Contributions From Many Of The Musicians Who Participated, Including Taj Mahal, Nas, Willie Nelson, And Steve Martin, Plus A Behind-the-scenes Look At The Incredible Adventure Across America In Search Of These Recordings And Eyewitness Accounts. The First Time America Heard Herself -- I'll Get A Break Someday: Will Shade And The Memphis Jug Band -- In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain: The Carter Family -- My Heart Keeps Singing: Elder J.e. Burch -- Gonna Die With My Hammer In My Hand: Dick Justice And The Williamson Brothers -- Down The Dirt Road: Charley Patton And The Mississippi Delta Blues -- Chant Of The Snake Dance: The Hopi Indian Chanters -- Bird Of Paradise: Joseph Kekuku -- Mal Hombre: Lydia Mendoza -- Allons à Lafayette: The Breaux Family -- Avalon Blues: Mississippi John Hurt -- The American Epic Sessions -- Travel And The Crew. Bernard Macmahon & Allison Mcgourty With Elijah Wald. At Head Of Title: T Bone Burnett, Robert Redford, Jack White Present. The Companion Book To The Pbs Series--cover. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 275-277). The First Time America Heard Herself -- I'll Get A Break Someday: Will Shade And The Memphis Jug Band -- In The Shadow Of Clinch Mountain: The Carter Family -- My Heart Keeps Singing: Elder J.e. Burch -- Gonna Die With My Hammer In My Hand: Dick Justice And The Williamson Brothers -- Down The Dirt Road: Charley Patton And The Mississippi Delta Blues -- Chant Of The Snake Dance: The Hopi Indian Chanters -- Bird Of Paradise: Joseph Kekuku -- Mal Hombre: Lydia Mendoza -- Allons �a Lafayette: The Breaux Family -- Avalon Blues: Mississippi John Hurt -- The American Epic Sessions -- Travel And The Crew.