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Thread: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

  1. #1
    Registered User Elliot Luber's Avatar
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    Smile Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Fantastic!
    If you want to catch up, you can watch it here.
    https://www.pbs.org/video/ken-burns-...Lhc7U7z0HWV3zw

    - - - Updated - - -

    I know someone's already posted the concert link.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    It was great. A whole lot of old mandolins flashed across the screen. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    not a donut Kevin Winn's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Great start. Good to see the Carters and Jimmie Rodgers getting their due.

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Fantastic !

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Did you catch the Carter family got $1000/month in recording royalties in 1929? That's serious money--a lot of musicians would be thrilled to clear $1000 a month in record sales today.
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Very exceptional. Hope to see more of it tonight.

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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    The second night was as good as the first night.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Full Grown and Cussin' brunello97's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by MikeEdgerton View Post
    The second night was as good as the first night.
    Watching Episode 2 now, Mike. Looks like the local PBS station has them all cued up for streaming, so this might be a power watch.

    Plenty of mandolins. And Rhiannon Giddens.

    Okay, full disclosure. I could do with more Rhiannon Giddens......

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    Registered User David M.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    This series is fantastic. I've been looking forward to it for months. The Carter family info is really interesting and amazing how influential they were. Also, I knew about cowboy movement due to Jimmy R., but didn't realize how "cowboy crazy" it all got.

    The Monroe beginning was in last night's, and tonight it looks like it will delve further into his creation of BG.

    Yes, a fair amount of Rhiannon, but lots of Ketch Secor, too The DVR is all set to record the whole thing.

    Man, it's been a LONG time since I've been on the Cafe.
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Who knew Minnie Pearl was really a high-society gal!?

    Good to be able to see a performance by DeFord Bailey even if it was many years after he was ousted from Grand Ol Opry.

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Excellent !

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    I'm pretty sure I'll go through withdrawal when the series ends.

    I love seeing the instruments being used in the background shots. There was at least one, maybe two Bigsby guitars tonight.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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    Registered User johnsoba's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Wow, and Gene Autrey battling aliens from beneath the earth!

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    Registered User johnsoba's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Episode 3, highlighting Hank Williams, will make you cry. Comments from Marty Stewart are consistently good.

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    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by johnsoba View Post
    Comments from Marty Stewart are consistently good.
    Not to mention his stellar mandolin chops.

  23. #16

    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    I haven’t been able to tune in yet but am recording each episode...setting myself up for an epic binge-watch this weekend. I finally managed to finish the concert presentation from a few months ago, that was great and it had a lot of teasers in there from the series.
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by johnsoba View Post
    Wow, and Gene Autrey battling aliens from beneath the earth!
    Probably, the most amazing thing I've seen on show so far. Simply brilliant. Would love to watch the whole movie.

    Good stuff on Bob Wills, but naturally I thought it could have gone on longer and deeper. But at the expense of what? Maybe fewer talking heads, but I know that is part of the Burns schtick....to bring in contemporary voices, too, so I understand.

    I prefer Western Swing to BG so my vote doesn't count....

    If the show is on to Hank by episode 3 (of 8) then it is moving pretty fast, which might be my only lament at this point.

    Hopefully later episodes will double back to go further into the early music and influences.

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by brunello97 View Post
    Probably, the most amazing thing I've seen on show so far.
    The quack Dr who inserted goat testes was pretty crazy, and it wasn't even FICTION! . That Dr later made the huge 15000 watt station on the Mexico border.
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  26. #19
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by David M. View Post
    The quack Dr who inserted goat testes was pretty crazy, and it wasn't even FICTION! . That Dr later made the huge 15000 watt station on the Mexico border.
    I'm consistently amazed at how much of the story I already know and also by how much of the story I don't know about. I count that as part of the latter.

    All in all great stuff.

    I forgot to mention the guitars by Frank Gay like the one that Webb Pierce is shown with on this album cover. Part of the history of that time in country music. I'll note than whenever you see a video of these guys playing real music they are generally playing Martin's or Gibson's and that's not shocking. These were more for the bling than anything else.
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    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    I’m in total agreement Mike,
    I knew a lot but seems my education was lacking some as well!
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  29. #21

    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    If you like this, Ken Burns Jazz documentary is also excellent -- even if you don't like Jazz....

    and can be binge-watched free on youtube....

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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Interesting that nobody has yet mentioned the Maddox Brothers and Rose. My brother Erik and I listened to a lot of their stuff in the early 80s and did some of their more manic and funky material. Of course, you probably noticed Fred Maddox playing an amped up mandolin - my question is: was Fred the first guy to play electric mando predating Tiny Moore and Gimble i (Texas Playboys when Wills was in CA)? The thing that I was unaware of was the guitarist Roy Nichols was playing with the Maddoxes. (everyone knows of him through his employment with Merle in the 60's, I presume.)

    Didn't know that Chet played guitar on "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive", a Hank tune I've been doing forever. Wasn't aware of his start with the Carters either.

    T. Texas Tyler at least got a mention - he did some really, really funky country boogie back then, worthy of Commander Cody, imo. Then he spoiled later with those schmaltzy recitations like "Deck Of Cards". Red Sovine did the same thing, but his first album or two were A+ and very funky.

    as far a s the BG portions...it just added reinforcement to my opinion that Bill was a real jackass.

    Hope they touch on Doug & Rusty (Kershaw), Harry Choates and some of the wilder rockabilly maniacs like Billy Lee Riley in episode 4.

    RE: Bringing in too many "contemporary" voices? When the era being discussed was 65 years ago how many of those people are even alive today? About the only one still around is Willie and he came a decade or so later. I'm surprised they had as many old-timers commenting as they did.
    (ages: Willie Nelson 86, Bill C Malone 85, Peter Rowan 77, Ray Benson 68, Carlene Carter 63, Dwight Yoakum 62, Bela Fleck 61, Marty Stuart 60...…)
    Last edited by mandocrucian; Sep-18-2019 at 12:06pm.

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  33. #23
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    Quote Originally Posted by mandocrucian View Post
    RE: Bringing in too many "contemporary" voices? When the era being discussed was 65 years ago how many of those people are even alive today? About the only one still around is Willie and he came a decade or so later. I'm surprised they had as many old-timers commenting as they did.
    (ages: Willie Nelson 86, Bill C Malone 85, Peter Rowan 77, Ray Benson 68, Carlene Carter 63, Dwight Yoakum 62, Bela Fleck 61, Marty Stuart 60...…)
    I'm actually surprised at some of the interview footage they have of people that are no longer with us. So far there has only been one appearance that I really questioned and that was because he was making a point while misquoting the song he was talking about. It would appear that Marty Stuart is definitely a student of the genre's history. I have no problems either with bringing in the contemporary voices.

    By the way Whispering Bill Anderson is 82 and Jeannie Shepherd is 79. They have a whole lot of older people appearing in the series. The problem might be that some viewers may not know who these people are.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  34. #24
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve-o View Post
    Not to mention his stellar mandolin chops.
    Marty, despite the heavy make-up, hair and the Prince-like scarf, did a really good Monroe imitation. And he has good comments.

    Not sure what mando he plays, but he made it sound good.
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    Default Re: Did you catch the Ken Burns Country Music series opening?

    The scrached up mando Marty Stuart has was made by a man named Warner. He tells a story of how he tried to keep the mando pristine until Johnny Cash scratched a big JRC into tne top. After that everybody and his cousin wanted to add to it.

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