In the 1920s, record companies in search of new styles and markets sought out regional musicians, carrying new portable recording technologies to the streets of Memphis, the Western prairies and the islands of Hawaii. The recordings exploded the boundaries of American popular culture, introducing the world to southern blues, bluegrass, indigenous songs and more. Producers Allison McGourty, Duke Erikson and director Bernard MacMahon, with executive producers Robert Redford, Jack White and T Bone Burnett, take us to the roots of American music, with appearances by the Carter Family, the Memphis Jug Band, Howlin’ Wolf, Charley Patton, the Hopi Indian Chanters and Mississippi John Hurt. (U.S., 2017, 140m)
“A landmark documentary …a gorgeous history lesson. Exceptional” –The Observer
