American Roots Music (Based on the PBS Television Series)

American roots music -- blues, country & western, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, Tejano, Native American, and other uniquely American genres of folk music -- originated and was nurtured in small communities and spread across the nation. Eventually, in a new era of radio and recordings, these home-grown music traditions ignited an explosion of American popular music, including rock & roll.

Weaving together a rich tapestry of words and pictures, American Roots Music tells the remarkable story of this creative outpouring, spotlighting the pioneering geniuses who wrote the music and sang the songs; the colorful entrepreneurs and scholars who began to define, value, document, and promote the music to the public; the innovative musicians who cross-pollinated traditional musics; and the contemporary artists who have captivated enormous international audiences with their own interpretations. It includes essays on the major musical genres by experts in each field, first-person narratives from key artists, and historical timelines, illustrated with evocative, and often rare, photographs and art.

American Roots Music is the companion book based on the PBS series of the same name, resulting from three years of research and a unique collaboration between the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Experience Music Project, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Public Broadcasting Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AT&T, Rolling Stone Press, and Ginger Group Productions.