BBC Four

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Andy Humphries

The Joy of Country

Documentaries

Music: Country

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

23/12/2011

BBC Four - The Joy of Country

Documentary which celebrates the history and aesthetic of country music.

Documentary which celebrates the history and aesthetic of country music, featuring Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, the Handsome Family, kd lang and more.

This celebration of the history and aesthetic of country music tracks the evolution of the genre from the 1920s to the present, exploring country as both folk and pop music - a 20th century soundtrack to the lives of working-class Americans in the South, forever torn between their rural roots and a mostly urban future, between authenticity and showbiz. 

Exploring many of the great stars of country from Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams to Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, director Andy Humphries's meditation on the power and pull of country blends brilliant archive and contributions from a broad cast that includes Dolly Parton, the Handsome Family, Laura Cantrell, Hank Williams III, kd lang and many more. 

If you have ever wondered about the sound of a train in the distance, the keening of a pedal steel guitar, the lure of rhinestone or the blue Kentucky hills, and if you want to know why twang matters, this is the documentary for you.

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