The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and the Memphis Jug Band make their first records on a portable electronic recording system, creating the first R&B songs and modern country music.
Charley Patton, Elder Burch and others record early Delta blues, gospel music and protest songs in the rural South.
America's diverse cultures -- including the Hopi tribe, Hawaii's Joseph Kekuku, Mexican-American Lydia Mendoza and the Cajun Breaux Family -- contribute to its musical styles; Mississippi John Hurt's blues inspires musicians.
Contemporary artists use equipment from the 1920s to record music.
Robert Redford
Narrator
Bernard Macmahon
Director
Duke Erikson
Producer
T Bone Burnett
