American Epic

The First Time America Heard Itself

TV-PG2017•7.2/10

Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb

7.2/10(4)

Travel the country in search of unknown 1920s artists, when the music of ordinary Americans was recorded for the first time, transforming music forever, in a three-part film narrated by Robert Redford, featuring Jack White, Nas, Taj Mahal and others.

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Language

Status

Ended

First Aired

May 16, 2017

Last Aired

May 30, 2017

Networks

PBS

Created By

Bernard MacMahon

Trailers & Videos

Where to Watch

Region US · Lang EN

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Seasons & Episodes

Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.

Season

The Big Bang

Air date: 2017-05-16

Travel to 1920s Tennessee as the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Memphis Jug Band make their first records with producer Ralph Peer on a revolutionary portable recording machine, creating the first recordings of R&B and country songs.

Blood and Soil

Air date: 2017-05-23

Travel to the rural South as Elder Burch, Charley Patton and others record early Delta blues, gospel and protest songs. The Great Flood of 1927 devastates Mississippi River communities, leading to northern migration and Chicago Blues by Howlin' Wolf.

Out of the Many, the One

Air date: 2017-05-30

Discover how America's diverse cultures contribute to its musical styles: from the Hopi tribe to Hawaii's Joseph Kekuku to Mexican-American Lydia Mendoza and the Cajun Breaux Family. Mississippi John Hurt's blues inspires a generation of musicians.