Country Music

Hillbilly music reaches new listeners through phonographs and radio, launching the careers of country music's first big stars the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.

Nashville, Tennessee, becomes the centre of the country music industry as it grows in popularity during the Great Depression and World War II.

The country stars of post-war America include Hank Williams, whose songs are inspired by his troubled and tragically short life.

A visit to Memphis, Tennessee, during the age of rockabilly with Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley; Ray Charles crosses over racial borders by recording a country album; Patsy Cline rises to stardom with a smooth new sound.

Country music artists like Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and Charley Pride reflect a changing America with their wide appeal to audiences.

Country music draws artists to Nashville, Tennessee, as the war in Vietnam wages on; Kris Kristofferson sets a lyrical standard; Bob Dylan and The Byrds, among others, come to Nashville to record.