ProudMary

I agree with everything in @Dandesun's post, but I quoted this part specifically as I want to talk a bit more about this part. First, let me say that I was shocked that Alan Jackson just had a photo shown and his name dropped. He's deserving of much more than that. I was really hoping that Jackson's duet with George Strait, "Murder on Music Row" would be included. It's from 1999 and I know that the episode title indicated "1984-1996" but Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" was from 2002, so Burns did open the door. "Murder" was a strong criticism of all the pop influences on country music. While it was never officially released as a single, popular demand forced it to be played on country radio. The big issue was that even if the long-established artists were able to get smaller labels to record their new music, country radio stations just wouldn't play them! Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard along with Johnny Cash were still actively creating new music but country radio wouldn't touch it. (Willie is STILL prolific. In the past three years Willie has released SIX new studio albums!) Alan Jackson had also softly addressed the issue years earlier with "Don't Rock the Jukebox." That was released in 1991, firmly within the timeline of the episode but evidently didn't warrant a mention. 😠 I was very pleased to see a small segment on Keith Whitley. He was the real deal but sadly, his demons destroyed him. 😢 Of course, that's what led to Vince Gill's "Go Rest High on That Mountain." I've said in an earlier post that IMO, Garth Brooks epitomizes the downfall of true country music. It was pretty much all downhill from there. I had to laugh at Tricia Yearwood's (now Mrs. Brooks) talking head where she was trying to sell us on the fact that he's more country than she is. Chris Gaines, anyone? 🙄 I'd say that Ken Burns considers Johnny Cash to be the most important artist in the history of Country Music. He did give strong coverage to The Carter Family, Jimmie Rogers and Hank Williams--and ended the series on Mother Maybelle--but there's just not as much photographic and videographic content available from the 1920s through the early 1950s and, in the case of Rogers and Williams, they died very young so their creative output is far less than that of Johnny Cash. Anyway, I think Cash is great--I'm proud and blessed to be able to say that I saw him perform live in the early 80s--and I have no problem with the prominent coverage he received in this documentary. Edited to add: I was shocked that there was NO mention of the Highwaymen?!?!

This isn't really media for Succession; it just made me laugh out loud as I was scrolling through my Twitter feed. https://twitter.com/CaslerNoel/status/1176981315993964545

This documentary was obviously years in the making and I'd read that Ken Burns smartly sat down early on with the old timers. I'm so glad he did so we could have the testimony of so many important voices who are no longer with us. It's bittersweet to see them here but how wonderful to have gotten the input of Little Jimmy Dickens, Bobby Bare, Roy Clark, Tom T. Hall and of course, Merle Haggard. (I might be forgetting someone.) Also, Willie has not been well lately and Kristofferson has me worried too. I saw a benefit performance on TV within the last year. He was on stage with Sheryl Crow and seemed very lost. I'm very thankful for what Ken Burns has done here. While I'm still going to watch, I don't have much interest in tonight's episode. I stepped away from country music somewhere in the mid-eighties. I didn't care for the direction it seemed to be going. While I liked some of the then newcomers like George Strait, Randy Travis, Dwight Yoakum, there were more that I didn't care for. And then there was Garth Brooks, who pretty much ruined the genre for decades. Just my opinion; mileage will vary and that's fine. Our individual music preferences are highly subjective and there's really no right or wrong.

Those. Poor. Children.

Tonight's episode was, by far, my favorite of the series. I appreciated the segment on the transition of the Opry from the Ryman to the new Grand Ole Opry House. Just like Bill Anderson in his commentary, I teared up seeing the film of Roy Acuff from the 1930s leading into Roy Acuff on the night the new Opry House opened in '73. Great stuff. I enjoyed the Marty Stuart and Ricky Scaggs info. I had no idea that they had both started, truly started, their careers SO young. Huge kudos to Ken Burns for really going there on both Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zant. That was fabulous and something I didn't think would be included to that degree. And of course, tying it all in to Emmylou Harris. Her segment was way beyond my expectations and so well deserved. I love her and have all the way back to the '70s. They certainly did justice to Dolly! I thought she was being short-changed with just the early segment about her break from Porter Wagoner and a few of her earlier songs, of course including "I Will Always Love You" but then they tied it all up with a bow toward the end of the episode with all of Dolly's accomplishments over the decades. Beautiful treatment of an American treasure. Speaking of American treasures, Willie's segment was terrific too. I had no idea that his record company released "Red Headed Stranger" just to pacify Willie so they could ultimately get him to do what they wanted. Boy were they ever wrong! I loved seeing Austin in the 70s (and getting the Ray Benson payoff with a snippet of Asleep at the Wheel.) Johnny Rodriguez! I'm so glad they included him here. While I admit I haven't listened to them in years, I have at least a half a dozen Johnny Rodriguez albums from back in the '70s. (I still have all my vinyl. Can't bring myself to part with it. Hundreds of albums.) What a great surprise to see him again after all these years. George and Tammy. Such incredibly talented people, both of whom were so broken. I do wish that there would have been a bit more concentration on the music than on the marriage. We barely got to hear any of Tammy's masterpiece, "Till I Can Make It On My Own." It's my favorite of hers and I was somewhat surprised to hear that she considered it her best too. It's almost painful to listen to; it usually brings me to tears. She lives every word she sings in that song. And I knew there would have to be a lengthy piece on "He Stopped Loving Her Today" often mentioned as the greatest country song of all time. I'd never heard that George Jones thought it was a sappy piece of junk that wouldn't sell. And finally Waylon. I miss that man! That voice! His segment was good but I don't think enough emphasis was placed on exactly how difficult it was for Waylon to get the powers that be to agree to his terms. I just don't think they got across just how important his hard-fought victory against the Nashville establishment was. His long battle revolutionized the way the industry worked and not just for him but for all that followed.

I don't think coverage of Johnny Cash will be as intense as it has been but he's still going to be included. We're heading for Outlaw Country tonight and Johnny was Waylon's roommate while Waylon was living in Nashville. Johnny also teamed up with Waylon for a big hit at the tail end of the 70s, "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang." And, in the late 80s/early 90s, Johnny Cash was one quarter of the country supergroup, The Highwaymen, along with Waylon, Willie and Kristofferson. Sorry, but you're not free of Cash yet!

Another very good episode; although perhaps not quite as good as Sunday night's episode. I'm letting it rest a little but I'm sure I'll have some comments about it later. I just came here to say, @mightysparrow I immediately thought of you and your mother when Rhiannon Giddens was talking about her grandma and Hee Haw! I don't want to say too much in case you haven't watched the episode yet but it's priceless and made me laugh.

@sinycalone I'd bet that Don Williams will get at least a mention, probably in tomorrow night's episode. His biggest hits were mid-1970s and we're not quite there yet. I loved his music too; the "Gentle Giant." As we've already seen her as a commentator, I'm sure we'll be hearing about Emmylou Harris. What I've been wondering is if they'll touch at all on Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers. Country purists don't like to go there but that leads directly to Emmylou. They are going to be talking a bit about The Byrds recording in Nashville in tonight's episode, so there's definitely a chance for TFBB.

I took a look at the TV listings for tomorrow night's Country Music episode and there was a big solo photo of Tammy. I think I can relax! The funny thing is that from the description of the episode, there should be a big solo photo of Waylon Jennings, whom I'm probably waiting for more than any other artist. I guess they can make it fit well. Tammy Wynette's music epitomized the "Nashville Sound" with strings and smooth backing vocals. That was exactly the style that Waylon is famous for rebelling against and why he turned his back on Nashville. I guess they'll compare and contrast. I loved 'em both! Here's the info for tomorrow's (Tuesday's) episode:

Here's one I read a few days ago: Brutally Honest Emmy Ballot: "Detested" 'Sharp Objects,' 'Pose' Is "Pretentious," "Too Much Trump" on 'SNL' Different topic: Another awards show, another screw-up in the "In Memoriam" segment. Emmys’ In Memoriam Shows Photo of Living Composer Instead of Andre Previn

I don't necessarily disagree with this assessment and I suppose you could say the same thing about the Hank Williams' segment(s) and the Jimmie Rogers' segment(s) but like those two, Johnny Cash is at the Mount Rushmore level of country music. I'm fairly certain that we're not finished with the coverage of Johnny Cash in the documentary either as unlike Rogers and Williams, Cash lived a long life and his hits continued for decades, right up to his amazing recordings with producer Rick Rubin as he reached the end of his life. American music giants, all three.

For the Season 1 finale, Nobody is Ever Missing.

I'm definitely not giving up hope either; Ken Burns has done a wonderful job here and I'm sure I won't ultimately be disappointed. I just feel that Tammy Wynette should have been included in the segment on the great women in Country of that era, especially since Loretta and Dolly were highlighted. Tammy is the third member of that "Holy Trinity" of Country Music and it seemed to me that she should have been included in that episode as a solo artist. While I want Tammy to be given her own segment and not just be part of the one for George Jones, I really do hope that the documentary somehow highlights all the duets that country music has produced. I don't mean true duos like Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery/Gentry, Sugarland, Big and Rich, et. al. While those acts should be mentioned, I'm talking about artists that had their own successful individual careers but then teamed up. Duos like George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, Kenny Rogers and Dottie West, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, Willie and Merle Haggard, Marty Stuart and Travis Tritt, Rodney Crowell and EmmyLou Harris. And then, of course, not a duo but perhaps the greatest collaboration of individual superstars, The Highwaymen. (Waylon, Willie, Cash, Kristofferson.) Connie Smith had many hits particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. For the purposes of this documentary, there has been a lot of concentration on the Grand Ole Opry (and rightly so.) Connie Smith is a BELOVED Opry member and has been for 50+ years. I just checked the schedule. She's actually performing at the Opry tomorrow night. 🙂 I'm sure that her longevity is a big part of why she was featured. I saw her perform at the Opry about a dozen years ago. She was great and had wonderful rapport with the audience. If I may go just slightly off-topic for a moment for an interesting piece of trivia that may not make it into the documentary: Before he was married to Connie Smith, Marty Stuart was married to Cindy Cash, one of Johnny Cash's daughters. Johnny used to joke that he could make a helluva band just from his sons-in-law. While Stuart was married to Cash, Johnny's daughter Roseanne--who's been featured prominently in the documentary for her commentary but is a successful artist in her own right--was married to singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell, who has also appeared in the documentary and I'm sure will be featured in one of the later episodes. And, during the same time frame, June's daughter, singer Carlene Carter, who's also done commentary for the doc, was married to British singer/songwriter/producer Nick Lowe. All three marriages ultimately ended in divorce but, for a while there, Johnny was right about that potential band!

Tonight's episode (Ep. 5-1963-1968) was almost perfect. Loved that there was such an intensive piece on the great Nashville session musicians like Charlie McCoy, Floyd Cramer, Grady Martin et. al. Well deserved. I thought the Merle Haggard section was great. I loved Emmylou Harris saying that if you want to know what Country Music is just pick up a Haggard album, any one. and lay the needle down on any track. There's your start. And Dwight Yoakum getting completely choked up by Haggard's lyrics; that was quite a moment. I wonder if Yoakum's interview spots were taped not long after Haggard's death. Overall, that was a standout piece. The Charley Pride segment was also very good. He looked and sounded great in the present-day interviews! He's in his mid-80s now. The women! All the segments were so well done. I loved Jack White's and Elvis Costello's respect for Loretta Lynn as a songwriter. I had no idea that Dolly Parton was on a local television show when she was 10! I'm going to have to re-watch the middle of the Connie Smith segment because our local PBS station lost the feed for about 3 minutes and they showed a test pattern. 😧 Mercifully, they made it back just in time for me to hear Marty Stuart's comments, which I was waiting for. Highlights on Jeannie Sealy, Bobbie Gentry, Jeannie C. Riley all great. So, WHERE WAS TAMMY WYNETTE?!?! If they just lump Tammy in with what I'm sure will be a big segment on George Jones, I'm going to be really ticked off. My own personal highlight: Larry Gatlin in for commentary! One of my all time favorites. I wasn't expecting that and was very pleasantly surprised. I'm betting he'll be back for commentary next episode when they cover Kris Kristofferson. I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow night. 😊

Oh God, even Amy Adams looks horrible.

The Fox red carpet coverage is unwatchable.

Ava DuVernay's gown is my favorite of the night. She looks stunning.

Did Mandy Moore and Susan Kalechi Watson TRY to have matching gowns???

Ugh, those puffy pink sleeves on Susan Kalechi Watson's gown. How could you be looking at several dresses and think, "Ooh, this is the one!" ???

Overall, the fashion tonight is incredibly underwhelming. Random women walking in the background are wearing better looking--and better fitting--gowns than the celebrity interviewees. I'm very disappointed.

I was just going to post the same thing about her gown being ill fitting but honestly, hers was about the 5th ill-fitting gown I've seen tonight. What is up with that?

😂 I love this entire post. I think your mother and mine might have been kindred spirits. My mother also adored opera. She had a ton of opera recordings. In my house, you'd just as likely hear Puccini as well as those Eddy Arnold records and throw in some Benny Goodman or Count Basie! I pretty much refused to watch the comedic parts of Hee Haw, but I'd pop my head into the living room for the musical segments. Roy Clark was an amazing musician. I'm sure that Hee Haw will be somehow included in one of the upcoming Country Music episodes, probably along with Johnny Cash's television program and also Glen Campbell's.

Once again, Ken Burns does not disappoint. This is a wonderful documentary. I agree with those who've said that Marty Stuart is a great storyteller but I'm also thoroughly enjoying Merle Haggard's segments giving the west coast perspective. And I think special mention has to be given to Ray Benson who's been informative and--as he is on stage--very entertaining. I'm sorry there was a three day break in between episodes 4 and 5. I can't wait for tomorrow night! I only wish my Mom were still alive so I could share this with her. She grew up in NJ just across the Hudson River from Manhattan; certainly not someplace you'd consider a hotbed for Country Music but as a youngster in the late 1920s and 1930s, she faithfully listened to the Grand Ole Opry on the radio with her mother and sisters. One of her favorites was Elton Britt who did receive a small shout-out and a song snippet here in Burns' documentary. Her all-time favorite came a bit later with her love for Eddy Arnold. Our home was full of Eddy Arnold's recordings. I knew all those songs from the documentary and scores more. Then, in 1973, radio station WHN in New York switched its format to country and my Mom became one of their earliest listeners. Until watching Country Music this week, I had no idea that WHN had actually employed a country format back in the 1930s! While I was always a rock and roll kid growing up with all the great music of the sixties and seventies, listening to country music with my Mom opened a whole new and wonderful genre for me. Together we enjoyed many artists. Waylon was at the top of both of our lists and we saw him live twice. (Many others too!) She would have loved this series.

I had posted this last week in the media thread for The Young Pope. Now that we have a forum for The New Pope, I thought I'd post it here. The first two episodes of The New Pope debuted at the Venice Film Festival. This article from THR includes a clip from HBO, which appears to be the new opening credits for the show. The article itself is VERY spoilery for the first two episodes. Jude Law on Wearing a "Napkin" in 'The New Pope,' Paolo Sorrentino on Gender Equality in Nudity

I already posted this in the other thread but how does a PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED FELON get off with only a nickel fine and probation??? Connections. Absolutely disgusting.