COUNTRY MUSIC
PBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s episode is titled “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?,” and covers the years 1968-72. That makes sense, because it includes the seminal 1972 multi-album release of the same name by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. I remember getting that album when it was released, and being, at the time, almost totally ignorant of the artists and music showcased in the album’s gathering of past giants of country music. But if you’ve been watching Ken Burns’ Country Music thus far, you certainly know them by now: the players on that record, jamming with the Dirt Band boys, included Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, and others. That remarkable album is recalled tonight – as is another truly groundbreaking album from that era, Bob Dylan’s 1969 embrace of country, Nashville Skyline. Check local listings.