(Courtesy of Jared Ames)

Since its first publication in 1968, Bill C. Malone’s Country Music USA has won universal acclaim as the definitive history of American country music. Starting with the music’s folk roots in the rural South, it traces country music from the early days of radio into the twenty-first century. In the 2019, fiftieth-anniversary edition, Malone, the featured historian in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary on country music, revised every chapter to offer new information and fresh insights.

Coauthor Tracey Laird tracks developments in country music in the new millennium, exploring the relationship between the current music scene and the traditions from which it emerged.

Dr. Edgar talks with Bill Malone about Country Music’s origins and impact on popular and about his involvement in Ken Burn’s documentary series Country Music, available to PBS Passport subscribers.

- Originally broadcast 09/06/99 -

News and Music Stations: Fri, Oct 09, 12 pm; Sat, Oct 10, 7 am | News & Talk Stations: Fri, Oct 09, 12 pm; Sun, Oct 11, 4 pm