ETV’s “Take on the South” Explores the Ways the South Has Changed American Music

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ETV's "Take on the South" Asks, "What Influence Has the South Had on American Music?"

Premieres Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

For Immediate Release
May 20, 2011

Columbia, SC… From the early blues men of the Mississippi Delta to the country powerhouse of the Carter family, the roots of Southern music run deep. But how has this foundation of Southern culture influenced musicians across the Mason-Dixon line, and shaped American music?

That is the question posed by host Dr. Walter Edgar on the next episode of the Emmy award-winning "Take on the South," the occasional series on ETV that will air on Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. Additional air dates are listed below.

Joining Edgar in the discussion are:

- Dr. William R. Ferris, professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill and the associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South
- Dr. Bill Malone, professor emeritus at Tulane University

While Malone says country music has had a greater impact, and Ferris argues that the blues preceded and actually helped shape country music, both agree that just about all forms of American music can trace their origins to the South, and that African Americans had an indelible impact on the Southern sound.

According to Malone, one of the two biggest factors in the rise and popularity of country music was the great numbers of African Americans living in the South. He says that, together, black and white musicians shared their music, developing a common body of songs and overlapping styles that became identified with Southern musical culture. Much of the spontaneity and improvisation in country music is also owed to African-American influences.*

Ferris agrees that the story of the South is told through convergence of the musical styles of whites and blacks. But he says that blues are a more lyrical form of music that find their roots in slavery, the call and response of the people working in the fields, and in the earliest spirituals they sang.

“When we look at the blues, we see a musical catalyst without which we cannot imagine any modern music in our nation,” said Ferris, citing gospel, country, rock-n-roll, jazz and hip-hop among the genres that have been influenced by the blues. He went on to talk about the blues’ continuing impact beyond music, citing examples of how it has affected art, film and literature.

Additional Airdates:

Encore presentations of this episode of "Take on the South" will air on:

- ETV-HD: Monday, May 30 at 7 p.m.
- ETV World: Wednesday, June 15 at 9 a.m.

* The second factor was the pervasiveness and importance of religion in the South. Not only did many black and white singers get their start singing in their churches, the stories told in country music often played out as morality tales. Of course, that led to the “raising hell on Saturday and receive redemption on Sunday” theme exemplified in the songs of Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis and George Jones.

"Take on the South" is produced by South Carolina ETV and is distributed nationally by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA). Funding for the program was provided by the University of South Carolina's Institute for Southern Studies with a grant from the Watson-Brown Foundation. The program won a 2010 Southeast Regional Emmy award for set-design, and was also nominated in the "Informational/Instructional" programming category.

South Carolina ETV is the state's public educational broadcasting network with 11 television and eight radio transmitters, and a multi-media educational system in more than 2,500 schools, colleges, businesses and government agencies. Using television, radio and the web, SCETV's mission is to enrich lives by educating children, informing and connecting citizens, celebrating our culture and environment and instilling the joy of learning.

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For more information, contact Rob Schaller at (803) 737-6556 or rschaller@scetv.org.