I had a chance to sit behind documentary filmmaker Ken Burns at a Houston preview of his Vietnam series a few years ago and I must admit that I was hoping to absorb some vibes from him. Let's face it, no one will ever want to name a Final Cut Pro effect after me!
So you know I'm excited about Burns' upcoming docu-series Country Music which debuts this Sunday at 7pm on TV8 KUHT.
Houston Public Media is excited about Burns' latest offering too. So much so, that HPM Arts and Culture Producer Troy Schulze worked on a project to coincide with the upcoming doc called Country Covers.
Country Covers is a spin-off of HPM's digital music series Skyline Sessions. The show features a variety of musicians performing their favorite country classics while sharing personal stories of their love for country music.
"For me, it was really interesting to see the songs people would choose," Schulze told mikemcguff.com. "They really run the whole country music timeline, from early country artists like Jimmie Rodgers, to ‘60s and ‘70s icons like George Jones and Loretta Lynn, to more contemporary country-pop like Garth Brooks and Miley Cyrus."
Country Covers features Houston-area musicians like The Suffers, Christina Wells and Robert Ellis, as well as Nashville-based artists Erin Rae and Stasney Mav.
“My country music relationship started at birth," said The Suffers lead singer Kam Franklin. "I feel like you can’t really call yourself a Texan if you’re not deeply immersed in it."
The half-hour Country Covers special airs 3:30pm Sunday, September 15 on TV 8 KUHT. The Ken Burns' Country Music series premieres later the same day at 7pm on channel 8.
