For this blog I think I’ll quote from the September 2019 program guide for Channel 13 that I received in the mail. I enjoy this PBS station (Public Broadcasting Service) and support it with a monthly donation. In September an eight-part documentary series titled Country Music created by the celebrated filmmaker, Ken Burns was presented with great fanfare – and it was terrific. Take a look at the highlights of this exceptional series.

IT FEATURED INTERVIEWS with more than 80 country music artists – that alone is a mind-numbing statistic. The film follows the evolution of country music over the course of the 20th century. It also spotlights the trailblazers who created and shaped it: the Carter Family, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks and more. Personally, I really enjoyed the segment on Hank Williams who was dubbed “The Hillbilly Shakespeare” and wrote one hit song after another. He was awarded both a Grammy and a Pulitzer for his astounding talent. Williams was country music’s first superstar who tragically died at the age of 29.

THE DIVERSITY OF COUNTRY MUSIC was one of the joys of making the series – according to Burns. “It’s intertwined with other American music genres such as jazz and roll ‘n’ roll. It’s never been confined into one simple category. Like America, it’s too big for that.” The series traces the history of country music from the 1920s to the popularity of Hollywood’s singing cowboys during the Great Depression. Then it moves on to the rise of bluegrass and rockabilly before describing the emergence of Nashville into Music City USA and the impact of radio and TV on this art form.

A REFLECTION OF CHANGING TIMES began when Loretta Lynn struck a chord with female fans in the sixties. Then Charley Pride became the first country music superstar who was black and Bob Dylan found a recording home in Nashville as the Vietnam War raged. A vibrant new era in country music began with Dolly Parton and other artists who helped country music stay true to its roots as the genre skyrocketed to new heights.

THE STORY OF COUNTRY MUSIC is filled with fascinating people – many who rose from poverty – but dreamed big dreams. Through determination and talent they touched millions of people. When I was watching the series I was struck by how many of the big stars came from very modest backgrounds in rural areas. Johnny Cash, for example, was picking cotton when he was a child because everyone had to help feed the family.

BUT ONE CAME FROM MONEY and it was still a big struggle. I’ve always been fascinated with the story of Kris Kristofferson who has been described as “making things happen his entire life.” His father was an Air Force general and Kris was a college grad who became a Rhodes scholar, a captain in the US Army and a teacher at West Point. Then he suddenly decided to make a 360-degree change in his life and become a songwriter – which he did with “Sunday Morning Coming Down” that Johnny Cash recorded and was voted the 1970 Song of the Year by the Country Music Association.

Now, here’s where I’m heading. I’ve always heard that his parents (especially his mother) were very upset about his career choice. Kris mentioned it briefly a number of times. He also kept a letter for many years that she wrote regarding this issue. Lo and behold! In this Ken Burns series he reads the entire letter on-camera. And, it’s really vicious. She tells him not to return home. She writes that he’s a great embarrassment to the entire family because he’s no longer in the military world and is now friendly with people that his family would never associate with in real life. Since Kris is now 83 years old his mother is no longer around to hear this nastiness that will be beamed to the whole world.

DOLLY PARTON SUMS UP the entire subject of Country Music by saying, “You can dance to it, you can cry to it, make love to it, play it at a funeral – it has something for everyone.” We’ll second that one.

CLICK HERE to hear Hank Williams sing “I’m So Lonely I Could Cry.”

Shauneen Nelsen-Henrick