Bluegrass Roots

Starring:Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Director: David Hoffman
Studio: Varied Directions
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
It was back in 1964. New York City filmmaker, David Hoffman, age 22, was headed down with his new 16mm hand help camera (weight 49 lbs!) to spend three weeks driving the backcountry around Madison County, North Carolina, in the center of Appalachia, with the 82 year old founder of the pioneer Asheville Mountain Music and Dance Festival, Bascom Lamar Lunsford.

The resulting film, "Bluegrass Roots" lets you hear and experience the hard scrabbling, dirt road real people sounds that dominated the back country of the southern mountains 40 years ago. It presents a string of the most extraordinary singers, players and dancers the BlueGrass Mountains had to offer. Many later became famous. Some were never heard from again. Most of the songs are classics, including Lunsford's own tune, "Mountain Dew."

Description

This documentary explores the lives of A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter, starting with their childhood in Poor Valley, Virginia, and following their story through 1943, when they stopped playing and recording together. The film features rarely seen family photographs, memorabilia and archival footage that chronicles the life and music of this famous and influential trio. Academy Award® Winner Robert Duvall narrates.

Customer Reviews:

Three Cheers For the Carter Family.......2007-01-04

The Carters, along with Jimmy Rodgers, are the true heroes of pure country music. The so called evolution into the electrified contemporary offerings by sequined faux country performers is comparable to the moving of melodious music into acid rock.

Music by the Carter Family deserves to be in the collection of anyone who values our heritage.

A must have................2006-08-01

Nice DVD to own for a rare insight into the Carter Family. Not the best or longest, but it's all we have. Go get it.

The "Best" Carter Family Documentary, If Only Because It Is The Only One! Interesting But Incomplete........2006-07-04

THE CARTER FAMILY: WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN is an interesting DVD documentary from PBS, but it really could have easily been made better. As it is, it is still the only documentary available on DVD, and it is quite interesting.

It fits well as a companion piece to the book WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE? by Mark Zwonitzer and Charles Hirshberg. Zwonitzer appears frequently throughout this DVD.

This DVD is about 50 minutes long, with about 19 minutes of bonus material. They use actors to recreate some scenes, but they should have marked these scenes as "recreations." Too often they show old, generic footage, or recreations, without captioning it as stock footage or recreations. If you didn't know better, you might think you were seeing the actual, original Carter Family in action, but you're not.

There is NO actual moving pictures of the original Carter Family on the DVD, though Maybelle and Sara appear too briefly in b/w TV and moving film footage, presumably from the 1950's (Maybelle on TV, playing some of "Wildwood Flower") and in the 1960s, (Sara and Maybelle, elderly but still sounding great, standing around outside, playing "Sweet Fern" for the camera, appearing as the credits rollover the picture at the end of the DVD).

It is really frustrating that they did not include these two songs as DVD bonuses, in a COMPLETE song version! Especially since the rest of the DVD uses only still photos of the three original Carter Family members.

The DVD explains a lot about their lives before the music business, the formation of the group, and the business and cultural circumstances of their influential careers! I watched this DVD after finishing my reading of the book WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE? and I very much enjoyed what is on this DVD. I just wish they had shared more of the live action footage that they had access to!

There are many still photos shown of A.P., Sara, and Maybelle which I had not seen before. The best quality photos come from an aborted LIFE MAGAZINE photo shoot for a cover story, which potentially would have boosted their careers, but was ill-timed and got bumped when the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbor, and so the Carter story got pulled out, and was unfortunately never ran later!

The DVD tells the story of the strained marriage of A.P. and Sara, with a little more weight than what we are perhaps used to in 2006. I grew up in a family shattered by divorce, and I take too much of that grief for granted, maybe most of the Western culture does, since it seems to have happened to nearly everybody's family. Perhaps we really should recognize A.P. and Sara's failed marriage as the family tragedy that it is, but it does sound strange to hear the divorce described as some huge tragedy unique to this very famous family. It is as if the music business chores destroyed their marriage, and A.P. could never had guessed the incredibly high price he would pay, with his broken marriage, to establish and maintain the Carter Family career.

Sara Carter comes off as one of the earliest "feminists" in the entertainment industry. They showcase a recreation of them recording "Single Girl, Married Girl," their first big hit, which has lyrics that envy the "freedom" of a single woman who can go have fun, while lamenting the responsibilties of a married mother and wife who envies the single girl. I don't applaud this sentiment, nor do I agree with it, but this is a fact that this was their first big hit, and an early feminist "anthem" of sorts, back in the late 1920's.

The DVD later shows how Sara pitches her marriage to an angry and unresponsive A.P., to have an affair with her husband's cousing, Coy Bayes, whom she would eventually marry, many lonely years later. A true family tragedy, yet all too common today. I wish it were a unique situation, but I grew up with that kind of situation in my parents marriage, too. It is heartbreaking.

The DVD extras last about 19 minutes and show people talking about Maybelle's guitar and her guitar playing techniques. They also show The Carter Fold, which is a weekly musical showcase hosted by the daughter of A.P. which is still going on today! Check it out!

If you are a serious Carter Family fan, then you will be happy to see this documentary, but you will likely wonder why they did not max out the possibilities when they had some really rare, great footage that went so underused in the final cut.

Besides the biography book, WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE?, I can also highly recommend the CD collections from JSP Records, THE CARTER FAMILY 1927-1934, and THE CARTER FAMILY 1935-1941, which are the best and most comprehensive CD collections currently in print and available on amazon.com; VERY REASONABLY PRICED at about $25 per 5 CD set (which is about $5 per CD). Both sets feature 5 CDs that are completely loaded with just about every thing that the original Carter Family recorded in the studio during their 15 year career. These CDs sound pretty good (allowing for how PRIMITIVE these 80 year old original recordings are, from the dawn of the music industry as we know it), and they are the easiest way to get nearly all the Carter Family's music quickly (and before these go out of print, too, so hurry up and get yours).

Good, but lacking.......2006-04-25

I actually give this 3.5 stars, but I am rounding up for effort.

This is a good companion video to the book Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?, the definitive Carter Family biography. I can't think of anything from the program that isn't covered in the book. There is the added element of direct comments from various musicians and writers about the Carter Family, including Jeanette and Joe Carter, two of A.P. and Sara's children. Mark Zwonitzer, co-author of the book, is also featured quite extensively in the program. With a running time of one hour, the program really only gives the Cliff Notes version of the Carter Family story.

As another reviewer pointed out, the focus is on A.P. and Sara's relationship and less on Maybelle Carter's contribution. I understand the feeling -- Maybelle would merit a documentary all her own -- but we wouldn't have had the Carter Family were it not for A.P. and Sara. All stories have a beginning.

We are treated to a clip of Maybelle performing "Wildwood Flower" for a TV program sometime in the 50s. This is somewhat marred by the voiceovers the director chose to place during the scene. The clip is repeated with fewer distractions on one of the disc's supplements, but it would have been nice to have it in its uninterrupted entirety. There is also some footage of Maybelle and Sara performing together in the 60s at the end of the program.

Extras include footage from the Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Maybelle's guitar and a small bit about her playing technique (which is covered in the main program), a very brief history of the guitar in American music, and a short piece about the Carter Family Fold, the museum and performance space that continues to exist today.

All in all, it was an interesting program to watch, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it could have been more. Perhaps this will open the door for a more extensive documentary in the future. Also, with the success of Walk the Line, could a feature film of the Carter Family be close behind?

Good history of the Carter Family.......2005-12-20

I would have given this five stars if it weren't for not enough coverage of Maybelle Carter's contribution to country music, especially her (at the time) innovative method of playing the guitar so that it sounded like two guitars. After the Carter Family broke up circa 1943, she toured with her three daughters as "Mother" Maybelle Carter and was sought for counsel for decades afterward. She was also the centerpiece of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands 1971 recording "Will the Circle be Unbroken".

A lot of the DVD focuses on A.P. and Sara's marital woes, neither of whom, in my estimation, contributed as much to country music as Maybelle.

This is a good history, however, for country music history enthusiasts.

Average customer rating:

Weak, Confusing, Disappointing
Typical - very, VERY typical
Nearly Perfect
Digitally Re-mastered Culture Wars
American Roots Music VHS

American Roots Music [DVD]
Starring: Various Artists
Manufacturer: Palm Pictures / Umvd
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Cowboy | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Acoustic Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Documentary | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

General | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

American Roots Music
The History of Rock and Roll
American Roots Music
Blues Masters - The Essential History of the Blues
Times Ain't Like They Used to Be

ASIN: B00005Q65K
Release Date: 2001-10-30

Amazon.com

O Brother, wherever thou art, behold what thou and thy kin hath wrought. With the documentary American Roots Music and its spinoffs (including a book and CD collection), producers Jim Brown and Sam Pollard clearly were influenced by the popularity of the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and its music. You won't be seeing Eminem and Mariah Carey here, or even Duke Ellington and Ray Charles, but rather a comprehensive, if flawed, four-part documentary examining the various cultural and ethnic folk traditions that blended together to create the rich, multi- flavored brew that is American music.

Narrated by Kris Kristofferson, each of the four parts is a little less than an hour long. Episode One offers a brief overview before detailing topics like the spread of music via Victrolas and radio, the early days of country music and the Grand Ole Opry, the rise of black gospel music, and seminal blues musicians like Son House, Mamie Smith, and Robert Johnson. Episode Two deals with western music (Gene Autry, Bob Wills), Bill Monroe and bluegrass, Hank Williams, Woody Guthrie, and more blues (Leadbelly, Sonny Boy Williamson, B.B. King). Episode Three, perhaps the best of the lot, takes on urban blues (Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf), black spirituals, and the early '60s folk boom, while Episode Four studies Cajun, zydeco and Tex-Mex styles, along with Native American music and more.

The style is standard documentary, with interviews and photos interspersed with new and old live footage. The producers tout the presence of "rare performances" by Guthrie, Waters, Monroe, Clifton Chenier, and many others, and they're fascinating. But for whatever reason (lack of time or maybe lack of faith in viewers' attention spans) none is presented in its entirety. It's a drawback that is remedied to some extent by the addition of six bonus clips (three on each DVD) that are complete, including wonderful vintage films of Western Swing master Bob Wills and the remarkable gospel singer/guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe. --Sam Graham

Description

American Roots Music is a four-part documentary. This landmark television program explores the development of uniquely American music genres during the 20th century. Each 1-hour episode features seminal historic footage and musical performances by the pioneers of American music and traces the cultural evolution that shaped and influenced our rich tapestry of music. Masters in the fields of Folk, Country, Blues, Gospel, Western Swing, Bluegrass, Cajun, Zydeco, Tejano and Native American music are celebrated. You will see rare footage and hear music from artists ranging from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Son House, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Clifton Chenier, Flaco Jimenez, R. Carlos Nakai, Bob Dylan and many more. The astonishing performance footage is placed in context by colorful interviews with some of the artists themselves, their peers, family and friends.

Customer Reviews:

Weak, Confusing, Disappointing.......2006-02-18

Its hard to believe someone budgeted a 4-part series that says so little about such a fascinating and important subject. This is truly one of the worst documentaries I've ever seen and in four volumes! The first episode makes no sense, its just bits and pieces of sound clips, film and photos supposedly representing the development of roots music but there's no story that ties it together. For example, gospel music is one of the foundations of roots music. The documentary spends a fair amount of time on the topic but gives no real explanation of what it is or why its so important. You have to already be familiar with the history of american roots music to put together the confusing pieces. Kris Kristoffersen narrates and sounds like he's about to fall asleep. Its very lame, don't waste your money.

Typical - very, VERY typical.......2005-02-17

Some great footage of real music legends edited into obscenely short clips with unenlightening narrative commentary by a bunch of folk-music has-beens and nobodies vieing for the viewers sympathies by maundering on cluelessly about the fabled sufferings of the American underclasses. Lots of bogus romanticization which would be thoroughly unecessasary if they had simply shut up and let the music speak for itself (like i give a crap what KEB MO has to say about any of the great bluesmen!!). The treatment of most of the musical forms is hoplessley brief and slapdash - particularily the cajun and Zydeco segments. Unfortunately, a lot of people will claim to like this simply because they feel like they SHOULD, but this was a concept that had a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered. A waste of time and money.

Nearly Perfect.......2004-07-07

The PBS American Roots Music series - both the 4 part documentary on DVD and 4 CD boxed set - is a commendable work. It is an incredible education in not only popular American music and culture, but history, and should be required viewing and listening in high schools.

Many of the problems in American Society and its youth today stem from a complete lack of pride and self-awareness. A quick survey of popular music and culture reveal a frightening level of ignorance of America's history, values, and ideals. In short, while the series focusses on America's musical traditions, it does a fantastic job of conveying a sense of America's "roots" in a positive, enriching manner.

The DVD documentary strikes a perfect balance between glossing over, and becoming bogged down in, the material. Unlike the Ken Burns' projects that exhaust the viewer's interest and collapse under their own weight, the series is informative and educational, yet entertaining. It is not MEANT to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject - and so some reviewers here are missing the point - that would take 40, not 4, episodes. Rather, it is an introduction and a sampler; peaking our curiosity and prompting us to investigate and research further the wonderful heritage of music out there. And in that, it succeeds marvelously.

What also impressed me was the documentary's remarkable objectivity. While it eschews political correctness, it doesn't necessarily candy coat anything either. What it does do is present the material in a respectful, thoughtful, intelligent, and unbiased manner - something so lacking in today's political and social discourse. So in this sense, folks looking for something with an "agenda" - conspiracies, skeletons in the closet, and historical revisionism - may be disappointed by the documentary.

The CD boxed set is equally well-done: a fantastic booklet, thorough liner notes, and collection of songs that is a music lover's dream. Again, it is intended to be a sampler - great songs by landmark artists - not an exhaustive account of American Roots music. And also like the documentary, its meant to be a enriching, uplifting - not deconstructing - experience.

If the series has a shortcoming, it is the absence of one of the major "roots" - Jazz - which was no doubt and most unfortunately excluded, because of the recent Ken Burns' PBS documentary. But to exclude Jazz from the discussion of American Roots music, means we do not have the entire picture. And so in that sense, the series is somewhat flawed.

Still, its hard to find any other fault with the series. This is a work that TRULY embraces and celebrates America's cultural diversity. Entertaining and enlightening, I would heartily recommend owning the box set and DVD for one's own edification as well as a way to help introduce friends and family to REAL American music - in all its forms.

Digitally Re-mastered Culture Wars.......2002-11-08

When I saw this picture of BB King on the cover of the DVD , I thought I was in for a real historic musical treat. When I read the back of the box and saw that they had rare footage and that they actually had a chapter on Zydeco, I got even more excited. I immediately rushed to the sales counter at Tower Records and gave them my hard earned 40 dollars plus tax. When I got home, I put the DVD in the player and main menu appeared. I selected the chapter on Zydeco, because it is a music that my family in Southwest Louisiana was instrumental in creating. When the video began to play, my excitement turned to disgust, for they attempted to present this very Black Louisiana Creole music as a spin off of so-called "Cajun" music. Other than the brief footage on Clifton Chenier, the video didn't interview or expose the viewers to not one Black Creole creator of the music. Instead they interviewed various white folks, who even if they considered themselves experts, are at best outsiders of the Black Creole culture, and judging from what they shared on the video they didn't know that much about the music.

In the chapter covering Zydeco I would have loved to see some rare footage or mention of the "juré" music of the Black Southwest Louisiana Creoles that later became what is called Zydeco. I would have loved to hear stories from the common folk around Opelousas, Ville Platte, Mamou, Eunice and Plasiance telling about the racism of the Cajuns toward the Black Creoles of the area, and how this racism reinforced the seprate musical worlds of the Cajuns from that of the Black Creoles. Instead this video painted a very false picture of cultural homogeneity between two very distinct people who have been at odds for over two centuries. While it is true that the Black Creoles of Southwest Louisiana had French folk songs in their repetoire, Black Creole music ( including so-called "Zydeco") is no spin off of Cajun music. To the contrary, Cajun musicians are borrowing from Black Creole music at an alarming rate. In fact the only other musicians covered in the Zydeco segment is a band of white folks who according to the video are "blending elements of Cajun music, Zydeco and Swamp Pop". The makers of this video should have dug a little deeper into American soil and touched the deepest roots before projecting such an influential film into the market place of ideas. This DVD is sure to mislead at lease a million people. People should watch this video with caution.

(reprinted with permission from blackdotcafe magazine oct/nov 2002 issue)

American Roots Music VHS.......2002-01-11

I loved this series. It is very well-done. They have taken 200 years of music in this country (some goes back farther than that) and made a very interesting story that ties in the many peoples and sounds and styles. You end up with this continuous musical tapestry that has them all woven in. Boy, a lot is packed into a little viewing time. You see nice long excerpts of live performances of all types. There are interesting interviews with performers. The narration is informative and stays on track with what you're watching. I really loved the music - all of it. And there was so much, no matter what your preference. Seeing how music evolved- and seeing where it's going and can go - that was fantastic. When it was over, I felt like I had been left with a timeless gift.

Average customer rating:

This dvd got me thru a cold Chicago winter
A well-rounded modern bluegrass dcoumentary
Nice journey but not much bluegrass.
Not quite perfect
Bluegrass believers: The bus loads here

Bluegrass Journey
Starring: Various Artists
Manufacturer: Blue Stores
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Telluride Bluegrass Festival: Thirty Years
All-Star Bluegrass Celebration
High Lonesome - The Story of Bluegrass Music
Gather at the River - A Bluegrass Celebration
The Legend Lives On - A Tribute to Bill Monroe

ASIN: B00062IY32
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

Featuring some of the most celebrated practitioners of this traditional sounding but still evolving musical form, this DVD presents a sonically rich and visually stunning portrait that often leaves viewers suppressing applause and cheers after each number. Musical performances by such bluegrass luminaries as the Del McCoury Band, Peter Rowan, Tim O'Brien, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Rhonda Vincent, Nickel Creek, and many others, create an indelible impression that leaves no doubt about why this timeless music has exploded in popularity in recent years. Exhilarating, joyous and rich, intelligent and timely, BLUEGRASS JOURNEY will leave you wanting to hear more.

Customer Reviews:

This dvd got me thru a cold Chicago winter.......2007-03-23

All I can say about this was "wow!!". What a documentary! Highly recommended.

A well-rounded modern bluegrass dcoumentary.......2006-06-06

This is not the first documentary on bluegrass music (High Lonesome: The Story of Bluegrass Music and Gather at the River are more recent outings), nor is this an attempt to show an unadulterated audience a definition of bluegrass music. Instead, it takes the success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? phenomenon and shows the viewer what else the genre, its musicians and its followers offer to a newcomer.

From the opening sequence, we see how determined and tenacious a bluegrass fan can be. Dobro maestro Jerry Douglas and Nickel Creek's Chris Thile are performing together at a recent Grey Fox festival, in the pouring rain, yet the wet onlookers number many, all the while accepting the weather conditions and enjoying themselves immensely. One of the two main focuses in the documentary is on the said Grey Fox festival, showing in various scenes the opening of the gates, spectators setting up both the camps and their personal seating, artists that perform throughout the week, interaction of artists and audience, and the eternal jamming. Gems among these scenes include the evening performance of the Del McCoury Band and Del's interaction with the audience for song suggestions. This shows to the viewer not familiar with the genre or a bluegrass festival how close-knit the artists really are with the audience.

There is the often-repeated talk of how bluegrass got started with Bill Monroe and his band, but this is kept to a minimum. Instead, the viewer is given glimpses of where it has gone and its many branches. From that historical reference we are thrown into a rousing performance by traditionalists Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass.

The second main focus of the documentary, the International Bluegrass Music Association "World of Bluegrass" annual convention and awards ceremony, help to show that bluegrass aficionados have a high regard for the music and a great respect for themselves and others directly involved by giving distinguished awards to those that the more popular Grammy Awards tend to overlook.

Throughout the film, we see the variances of the bluegrass theme. Tim O'Brien shows us his Celtic influences, Nickel Creek performs its progressive stylings, and The Krueger Brothers import their European ties. There are also performances and scenes from one of O'Brien's tours, and a number of performances at both the festival and the IBMA convention from artists of all levels.

The non-performance coverage has its ups and downs. The scenes regarding the oncoming rainstorm at the festival helps to show that these outings are not perfect, and the true fans take it all in stride. There is some coverage of the popular workshops, but this could have been extended out more (especially the large workshop/jam that Pete Wernick presents to the audience on the main stage). Likewise, the coverage of a pagan-themed wedding has way too much coverage, and leaves the viewer feeling that perhaps this was a main event at the festival rather than the music. This material should have been dealt with as a 10-second sidenote.

Must-see performances include Jerry Douglas and guitar wizard Tony Rice joining Peter Rowan on the classic "Hobo Song," DMB's "Rain & Snow" and "Baltimore Jenny" (let these be a lesson on how a good bluegrass band should work with one or two microphones), and Don Rigsby & Friends' late-night jam of "These Old Blues." A beautiful Tony Rice solo performance of the "Shenandoah/Danny Boy" medley helps to bring the documentary to a solid, positive close.

Bluegrass Journey has made its rounds showcasing at both bluegrass festivals and independent film festivals. It is currently being shown on numerous PBS affiliates. While there are some weaknesses to the overall production, the numerous stellar performances make this documentary a worthwhile purchase for the personal video library. (Matt Merta, The Bluegrass Journal)

Nice journey but not much bluegrass........2006-03-22

There's a lot of good music in this DVD but not enough real bluegrass and mountain folk. It's interesting that most of the festivals in the documentary were in geographical areas not normally associated with Bill Monroe and many of the people were from cities such as Los Angeles. There's nothing wrong with that but the contrast between the Del McCourey Band and Chris Thile's Nickel Creek is pretty dramatic. It's sort of like the difference between Wild Turkey Bourbon and blended canadian whiskey. Del is the real thing.

Not quite perfect.......2005-07-25

"Bluegrass Journey" (2004, directed by Ruth Oxenberg) highlights some fantastic moments in American acoustic music, and should appeal to aficionados of both traditional bluegrass (Del McCoury Band, Bob Paisley and Southern Grass) and newgrass (Nickel Creek, The Texas Trio) with a bone thrown to Celtic music as well (Tim O'Brien and The Crossing). The camera work is at times stunning, putting us not just right on stage at the Grey Fox Festival, but intimately close to instruments played expertly and with great affection. The offerings by Dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas are by themselves worth the price of the DVD.

The director inexplicably included a grating scene of a New Age wedding which not only adds absolutely nothing to the film, but detracts from it. One can only speculate as to why she deemed this worthy of our attention, but omitted any portrayal of the hymns and Sunday morning Gospel sings which are integral to the genre, and which grace almost every bluegrass festival I've ever heard of.

The unfortunate wedding scene notwithstanding, "Bluegrass Journey" is a worthwhile tribute to a truly American art form.

Bluegrass believers: The bus loads here.......2004-11-14

Filmmakers Ruth Oxenberg and Rob Schumer, eavesdropping on The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York, have made an engrossing documentary that accurately captures the invigorated, post-"O Brother" bluegrass scene in all its glories and excesses. The film's heady goulash of performances, interviews and verité footage of the music's movers and shakers and their fans - whose singleminded devotion, frankly, sometimes comes off as darn near cult-like - stands as one of the best, most entertaining primers available for those interested in where bluegrass started, where it is now, and where it appears to be headed. (The thoughtful commentary of Del McCoury and Tim O'Brien is especially worthwhile.) The filmmakers pointedly include brief shots of fans of African American and Asian ethnicity, but the pervading lily-whiteness of the bluegrass community is inescapable, and the film doesn't bother to examine why that is. The non-stop musical highlights - there's snippets or full versions of about 34 songs - come not only from the large and impressive roster of artists, but also from the amazing jammers, who deserve their own movie. The Del McCoury Band doing "Rain and Snow" (one of the best bluegrass murder tunes and a personal favorite) stands out, along with Tony Rice's solo "Shenandoah/Danny Boy" medley, some of the prettiest guitar playing you'll ever hear. For my taste, the film squanders too much attention on Nickel Creek, whose wimpy noddlings - which I lump in the same class as Yanni and John Tesh - is not even remotely bluegrass, on this or any planet. The phenomenal talent of NK's Chris Thile, though, is undeniable in the film's most transcendent moment, a mandolin workshop wherein he, Ronnie McCoury and Tim O'Brien trade impossibly fast, Chuck Berry-inspired licks on Bill Monroe's "Bluegrass Stomp."

True Believers: The Musical Family Of Rounder Records

Average customer rating:

True Believers: The Musical Family Of Rounder Records
Starring: True Believers
Manufacturer: Bmg Special Product
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Gospel | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Roots Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

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( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

True Believers: The Musical Family of Rounder Records includes: Acadia A La Louisiana, Baby Now That I Found You, Bayou Nab/Back of Tow 2-Step, Beau of Jacque Boogie, Birches, Carol Country Blues, Deja Me Leeza, Facts of Life, Hey Big Shot, In My Hands, John Henry, Letter From Heaven, Little Jimmy King's Blues #1, Little Jimmy King's #2, Maybe, My Better Years, Robert Johnson, She'll Be So Fine, Tears From A Smoke Filled Room, True Love.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful music!
fine pickin

My Dear Old Southern Home
Starring: Norman Blake & Nancy
Manufacturer: SHANACHIE
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Country | Styles | Music

General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

DVD-Norman Blake's Guitar Techniques #2
DVD-Norman Blake's Guitar Techniques #1
Doc and Merle Watson in Concert
Doc Watson: Doc's Guitar Jam
Mel Bay The Norman Blake Anthology: Deluxe Edition of Original Songs & Tunes by Old Time Country Musician Norman Blake

ASIN: B00008LDNS
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful music!.......2004-07-17

This is a terrific video filled with wonderful music. There are ten or so songs and instrumentals, most of which are traditional. My personal favorite: "The Grave of Bonaparte," which features some terrific harmony singing from Nancy. If you're a fan, be sure to pick this up. If you're not a fan (yet), this isn't a bad sampling of what Norman Blake is about.

fine pickin.......2003-09-16

Old time music fans know Norman and Nancy from way back and can be assured that this is a great set of tunes with much fine picking. The set is well filmed, sound is good & the parlor setting lends an air of intimacy. One of the better old time music DVD's out there--there arent many!

Bluegrass Roots: Music Makers of Blue Ridge

Average customer rating:

Bluegrass Roots: Music Makers of Blue Ridge
Director: David Hoffman
Manufacturer: Mastersong
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Average customer rating:

Bluegrass Roots
Starring: Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Director: David Hoffman
Manufacturer: Varied Directions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

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Music Video & Concerts | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0001LQL5Q
Release Date: 2003-01-01

Description

It was back in 1964. New York City filmmaker, David Hoffman, age 22, was headed down with his new 16mm hand help camera (weight 49 lbs!) to spend three weeks driving the backcountry around Madison County, North Carolina, in the center of Appalachia, with the 82 year old founder of the pioneer Asheville Mountain Music and Dance Festival, Bascom Lamar Lunsford.

Product Description

This collection presents the unique musical blend of Norman & Nancy Blake. Tunes include: "Far From Home," "Primrose Last," and others. A guitar/vocal tour de force! A 62 minute video.

Introduction to Roots Guitar: An Overview of North American Folk Styles by Doug Cox

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Introduction to Roots Guitar: An Overview of North American Folk Styles by Doug Cox
Starring: Doug Cox
Manufacturer: Centerstream
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AGTQ40
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Flatpicking Guitar Country Style The Roots of Bluegrass Guitar

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Flatpicking Guitar Country Style The Roots of Bluegrass Guitar

Manufacturer: Stefan Grossman Guitar Workshop
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

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Product Description

This dvd lesson will have you flatpicking lead breaks in styles from Maybelle Carter and Doc Watson. You'll learn to embellish melodies with "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs" for that real old-time country sound, and build solid technique, advancing step by step through single-note arrangements of Thompson's Rag, fiddle hoedowns Arkansas Traveler and Soldier's Joy and a bluesy bluegrass break for Good Old Mountain Dew. Eric's invaluable tips on left-hand fingering and right-hand pick technique are clearly illustrated in split-screen close-ups. A detailed tab/music instructional booklet is included as a PDF file on the DVD.

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