Jack White, T-Bone Burnett and Robert Redford are all attached as Executive Producers for American Epic, a three-part documentary series that “follows the trail of record company talent scouts from the late 1920s.” The series will air on PBS and BBC this fall.
At the time, talent scouts would literally travel the country in search of popular local musicians. The scouts recorded the artists to preserve their work, creating a rich archive of recordings from the 1920s throughout the 1940s. Now, White, Burnett and Redford are working together to tell their story.
In addition to the three-part documentary, a feature film called the American Epic Sessions will showcase a number of modern artists using antique recording equipment. So far, the list of performing artists includes Jack White, Beck, Nas, Alabama Shakes, Merle Haggard, Elton John, Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Raphael Saadiq, the Avett Brothers, Los Lobos, Bettye LaVette, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, and many more. Naturally, Jack White is planning to release those sessions on vinyl, via his Third Man Records label.
Check out the teaser trailer for American Epic below: