AE - 5 - Music -- American/UK Popular

Soundbreaking explores the history of recorded music. Featuring more than 150 original interviews, the series charts a century's worth of innovation and experimentation, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds.

Eight-episode series depicting 100 years of history of popular song, from early pioneers to rock'n'roll revolution and modern-day pop.

Series tracing the development of 20th-century popular music in all its forms.

At the height of the Roaring Twenties, music scouts set out across America to capture the breadth of American music and discovered the artists that would shape our world.

Explores American roots music's origins through archival footage and performances by pioneers of folk, country, blues, gospel, bluegrass, and more.

In the small mountain town of Asheville, North Carolina, a mysterious subculture of world-class street musicians reveal their troubles and triumphs in using public performance to disrupt indifference, hone their talents, and foster community.

Three-part history of American roots music.

Interviews, archival footage and home movies are used to illustrate a social history of folk artist and activist Pete Seeger.

Prepare for an eclectic journey through The Old, Weird America. Rani Singh's new documentary film tracks the history of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music from its initial compilation of 78 records from rural Americana to its release on Folkways Records in 1952. Instrumental in helping inspire the urban folk revival of the 1960s, the Anthology continues to influence modern music. An incredible set of interviewees reveal the lasting impact of the Anthology and the remarkable personality of Harry Smith. After the box set's re-release on CD in 1997, Hal Willner's Harry Smith Project concerts celebrated Smith's idiosyncratic vision, from Nick Cave's cathartic take on spirituals to Lou Reed's mesmerizing evocation of Blind Lemon Jefferson. The film includes rare archival footage, performances, and interviews with Elvis Costello, Beck, Sonic Youth, Beth Orton, Philip Glass, David Johansen, John Cohen, Greil Marcus, and more. Join us for a wild ride through a remarkable musical landscape.

Traces the music and sounds from its Appalachian roots to the present. The rise, fall, and consistent revival of bluegrass chronicled through oral history and visual record.

The story of the creation of modern Country music.

A celebration of the history and aesthetic of country music that tracks the evolution of the genre from the 1920s to the present, exploring country as both folk and pop music

The authoritative documentary on Country Music's most influential figure.

From the BBC Press Office: BBC TWO travels the Lost Highway and uncovers the story of country music on a journey to the heart of America and the music that has come to define it. Randy Travis in BBC TWO's The Lost HighwayFrom the makers of the award-winning series Dancing in the Street and Walk On By comes another major heritage music series charting the history of country music in the words of its greatest performers and producers, musicians and songwriters. 2003 sees the 50th anniversary of the death of Hank Williams, the most iconic figure in country and one of the most revered songwriters of all time. And country is currently enjoying a remarkable renaissance fueled by the international success of the multi-million selling soundtrack to the Coen Brothers movie O Brother Where Art Thou. This bluegrass revival, which has brilliantly succeeded in re-inventing the music for a contemporary audience, has been led by performers such as Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch, all of whom feature in Lost Highway. Series Editor, Michael Poole, said: "Country is now some of the coolest music around but there's still this popular misconception that it's just about line-dancing and big hats. "In fact country is a really rich and varied music that constantly surprises you with its depth and range. It's also a fascinating way to see how America has negotiated wave after wave of social change. "Country's influence can be felt in every genre of popular music and it is full of larger than life characters whose stories we bring to life in Lost Highway. "It's always been the music through which America talks to itself - and now it is increasingly finding popularity outside America, most recently seen in the massive world-wide sales for the soundtrack to Oh Brother Where Art Thou and the continued chart presence of performers like Shania Twain." At a time of uncertainty and change, country music is being embraced again because it offers a deep sense of rootedness. The longing it expresses has always been about belonging and it's one of the key ways ordinary Americans have made sense of their country and themselves. This four-part series will make sense of the people and the landscapes of country music, and the amazing variety and depth of this genre and its performers. Uniquely, it will use musical reconstruction and specially recorded performance from leading artists to allow its audience to experience the music in a new, fresh and accessible way. Lost Highway will chart the history and growth of country music from its roots in mountain music, through bluegrass to the emergence of Hank Williams and honky tonk, the rise of the pop friendly Nashville Sound, the extraordinary emergence of female performers to positions of dominance in the industry and the success of newer forms of the genre from country rock to alt. country. It includes exclusive contributions from Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Hank Williams III, Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton amongst others. Lost Highway: The Story of Country Music is produced by William Naylor; the series editor is Michael Poole.

Soul music has conquered the world in the last 50 years - growing from the raw, electric rhythms of the black underclass, it is now a billion dollar industry with R&B and hip-hop dominating the world's charts. It's been the soundtrack to some of the most extraordinary social, political and cultural shifts. And, together with the civil rights movement, it has challenged the white hegemony, helped breakdown segregation and encouraged the fight for racial equality.

They call him the "genius" and they call him the "father of soul." With perfect pitch and an expressive voice, he combines jazz, country, rhythm and blues, and gospel to break your heart or make you dance. His name is Ray Charles.

Aretha Franklin's recording career is examined through archival footage and interviews with family and prominent figures within the music industry.

From acclaimed scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Gospel explores Black spirituality in sermon and song. From the blues to hip-hop, African Americans have been the driving force of sonic innovation for over a century.

Documentary about the American gospel music scene, focusing on two of the movement's pioneering forces, Thomas A. Dorsey and Willie May Ford Smith.

A history of the blues from 1900 to 1945.

A documentary series about the origin and history of The Blues.

Music critic Robert Palmer narrates the insightful story of Delta blues and North Mississippi hill country blues.

A chronological look at the life and career of jazz musician, composer, and performer Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920 to December 5, 2012), presented through contemporary interviews, archival footage of interviews and performances, and commentary by family, fellow musicians, and aficionados. Emphases include his mother's influence, his wife's invention of college tours, his skill as an accompanist, the great quartet (with Desmond, Morello, and Wright), his ability to find musical ideas everywhere, his orchestral compositions, his religious conversion, and his unflagging sweet nature.

In 1959, four important jazz albums were released, each a watershed moment for the genre that reflects its time.