“It gives some of the deeper background on artists and on the places and songs that the film can’t fully provide. Duncan’s lavishly illustrated book — in many ways the photos alone are worth the price of the book and tell a compelling story themselves — well fulfills its purpose as a companion to the PBS series, encouraging us to swim in the many streams that flow into the big river of country music.”
—No Depression
“An elegant encapsulation of the material in the documentary, detailing country’s evolution and emergence as a musical form with broader reach and inclusion than many might think.”
—Nashville Scene
“Ken Burns’ recent PBS opus charted the history of the music that put Nashville on the map. He and his co-producer Dayton Duncan have put equal care into this companion book.”
—Newsday
“Master documentarian Burns and his stellar, longtime writer collaborator Duncan have produced another large, handsome, avidly researched volume bursting with vivid anecdotes and rare archival photographs… This dynamic and monumental history captures the spirit, resonance, variety, and power of country music as a balm for hard times, catalyst for good times, and vibrant expression of life’s obdurate complexities. While the Country Music documentary series offers sound and motion, the book offers a still, at-your-own-pace immersion that enriches the video experience and stands steady on its own.”
—Booklist, starred review
“This voluminous and hugely entertaining introduction to country music coincides with the release of the eponymous PBS series, by producer and writer Duncan (Out West) and producer and filmmaker Burns (The Civil War)… The narrative—supported by concert photos and images of album jackets and various memorabilia—moves at a quick clip as the authors highlight the lives and music of such influential musicians as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Hank Williams… Duncan’s and Burns’s lavishly illustrated and cinematic narrative will stand as the definitive history of the genre.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A lucid, jam-packed, richly illustrated companion to the Ken Burns documentary series… Country music is America’s music—which is to say, music from every culture and ethnicity. An essential guide.”
—Kirkus, starred review
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