Season 1

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  8.6/10261 votes

  The Rub (Beginnings -1933)

  Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/15/2019

  See how what was first called “hillbilly music” reaches new audiences through phonographs and radio, and launches the careers of country music's first big stars, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.

  Director: Ken Burns

  Writer: Dayton Duncan

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  8.4/10220 votes

  Hard Times (1933 -1945)

  Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/16/2019

  Watch as Nashville becomes the heart of the country music industry. The genre grows in popularity during the Great Depression and World War II as America falls in love with singing cowboys, Texas Swing and the Grand Ole Opry's Roy Acuff.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  8.8/10208 votes

  The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945 -1953)

  Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/17/2019

  See how the bluegrass sound spreads in post-war America, and meet honky-tonk star Hank Williams, whose songs of surprisingly emotional depth are derived from his troubled and tragically short life.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  9.0/10218 votes

  I Can't Stop Loving You (1953 -1963)

  Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/18/2019

  Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in the era of rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America's racial divide by recording a country album. Patsy Cline shows off Music City's smooth new Nashville Sound.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  8.5/10193 votes

  The Sons and Daughters of America (1964 -1968)

  Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 9/22/2019

  See how country music reflects a changing America, with Loretta Lynn speaking to women everywhere, Merle Haggard becoming "The Poet of the Common Man" and audiences looking beyond race to embrace Charley Pride.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  8.8/10191 votes

  Will The Circle Be Unbroken? (1968 -1972)

  Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 9/23/2019

  Learn how country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  8.6/10187 votes

  Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973 -1983)

  Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 9/24/2019

  Witness a vibrant era in country music, with Dolly Parton finding mainstream success; Hank Williams, Jr. and Rosanne Cash emerging from their famous fathers' shadows; and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings launching the “Outlaw” movement.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown

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  8.4/10168 votes

  Don't Get Above Your Raisin (1984 -1996)

  Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 9/25/2019

  Learn how “New Traditionalists” like George Strait, Randy Travis and the Judds help country music stay true to its roots. Witness both the rise of superstar Garth Brooks and the return of an aging Johnny Cash to the industry he helped create.

  Director: Unknown

  Writer: Unknown