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The Big Bang

Episode 1 of 4

Series telling the stories of the pioneers of American roots music. The 1920s saw record companies travel rural America to record the music of ordinary people.

The first episode takes us back to 1920s America, where the growth of radio had shattered record sales. Record companies travelled rural America and recorded the music of ordinary people for the first time. The poor and oppressed were given a voice as their recordings spread from state to state.

The film introduces the early recordings of The Carter Family, the founders of modern country music, steeped in the traditions of their isolated Appalachian community. It also features Will Shade and the Memphis Jug Band, whose music told the story of street life in Memphis, and laid the foundations for modern-day rap and R'n'B.

Robert Redford narrates this meticulously researched story of a cultural revolution that changed the world.

58 minutes

Last on

Thu 2 Jan 2020 01:10

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Music Played

  • Brian Eno

    Another Green World

  • Brian Eno

    Another Green World

  • The Carter Family

    Wildwood Flower

  • The Carter Family

    The Wandering Boy

  • The Carter Family

    The Cannon-Ball

  • The Carter Family

    Bury Me Beneath The Weeping Willow

  • The Carter Family

    Can The Circle Be Unbroken (78rpm Version)

  • The Carter Family

    Little Darling Pal Of Mine

  • Memphis Jug Band, Ben Ramey & Jab Jones

    Stealin', Stealin'

  • Memphis Jug Band, Ben Ramey & Hambone Lewis

    Cocaine Habit Blues

  • Memphis Jug Band

    Whitewash Station Blues

  • Elvis Presley

    Ready Teddy

  • Memphis Jug Band

    K.C. Moan

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator Robert Redford
Director Bernard MacMahon
Producer Bernard MacMahon
Series Editor Anthony Wall
Producer Allison McGourty
Producer Duke Erikson
Executive Producer T Bone Burnett
Executive Producer Robert Redford
Executive Producer Jack White
Participant Nas
Participant Charlie Musselwhite
Participant Taj Mahal
Production Company Lo-Max

Broadcasts

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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music Presents… Arena: American Epic

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music Presents… Arena: American Epic

Extracts and performances from a series celebrating the pioneers of American roots music.