DAYTON DUNCAN, writer and producer of Country Music, is the author of twelve other books, including Out West: An American Journey Along the Lewis and Clark Trail, in which he retraced the historic route of the expedition. He has worked with Ken Burns as a writer and producer of documentary films for nearly thirty years. KEN BURNS, the producer and director of numerous film series, including Vietnam, The Roosevelts, and The War, founded his own documentary film company, Florentine Films, in 1976. His landmark film The Civil War was the highest-rated series in the history of American public television, and his work has won numerous prizes, including the Emmy and Peabody Awards, and two Academy Award nominations. He lives in Walpole, New Hampshire.
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