The country music lover in your life surely has been eyeing the PBS documentary, and absolutely would be overjoyed to received this new eight-part, 16-hour film series on DVD or Blu-Ray. Burns’ latest in-depth exploration begins in the hillbilly era of the ’20s, when what we now call country music was recorded for the first time. You’ll journey from the age of barn dances and silver-screen singing cowboys to the rise of bluegrass, the birth of rockabilly and the arrival of rock ’n’ roll, and watch as country music again and again wrestles with a central dilemma: to forge full steam ahead into the mainstream, or retreat back to its raw, elemental early sound. Pedal-steel and electric guitars enter the picture, Nashville ascends to be not only the capital of country music but Music City USA, radio gives way to TV as a major force on the music—and you’ll see a glorious parade of forefathers, innovators, superstars and newcomers march across your screen as the story unfolds: the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks…the list goes on and on. This is a trip you won’t soon forget, one that recognizes and celebrates the diverse roots and many branches of a cherished American art form. "Country Music: A Film by Ken Burns" took over eight years to make, features interviews with more than 80 country stars and unveils footage and photos that have never been seen before. It’s at once an intimate tale and a sweeping chronicle…that’s the magic of Ken Burns! PBS.