8.6/10257 votes#1 - 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
8.4/10218 votes#2 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.8/10205 votes#3 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
9.0/10216 votes#4 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.6/10190 votes#5 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.8/10189 votes#6 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.7/10183 votes#7 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.4/10165 votes#8 - 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: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Country Music Season 1
Every episode of Country Music Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Country Music Season 1!
Explore the history of a uniquely American art form: country music. From its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues and hymns performed in small...
Genre:Documentary
Network:PBS
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"The Rub (Beginnings -1933)" is the best rated episode of "Country Music" season 1. It scored 8.6/10 based on 257 votes. Directed by Ken Burns and written by Dayton Duncan, it aired on 9/15/2019. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Hard Times (1933 -1945)".