Ken Burns - Country Music
Ken Burns’ has produced some of the best music history/documentaries full of great interviews and music. The latest is a 16-hour documentary series, Country Music, which started on Sept. 15 on the Public Broadcasting Service in the USA and will be shown later on the BBC. In the opening of the series he discusses the story of DeFord Bailey, the black harmonica player who played on the essentially white Grand Ole Opry. When he did go on tour with the Opry, he was forced to find separate accommodations in a segregated South. Here is a video of his effortless harmonica style.
DeFord Bailey - Pan American Blues
Here is a recording I made of Joe Filisko celebrating DeFord Bailey’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Joe lost his voice on the transatlantic flight to London, so he sounds a bit ‘croaky’ - he still played great!