This is a journey back to the roots of our popular music, exploring some of the diverse sources that have contributed to the type of song now dominating the music industry.
To show something of the past, producer Stephen Fleischman's cameras visit Preservation Hall in New Orleans, where some "elder statesmen" still come to play the kind of jazz performed at the turn of the century. Films of singers at the Morning Star Baptist Church and of the Supremes in a recording session illustrate the relationship between the two groups; responsive singing and heavenly accented rhythms. We also see The Grand Ole Opry of Nashville, Tennessee, the most famous showcase for Country and Western music, which originated with America's early Scottish, English, and Irish immigrants.
Among other musicians interviewed or performing...Rock N' Roll: The Temptations, The Dave Clark Five, Country and Western: Marty Robbins, Tex Ritter, Jazz: Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, Billy Taylor, Musical Comedy: Richard Rodgers, Pop: Tony Bennett.
Narrator: Bob Young. Consultants: George Simon, Fred Ramsey, Jr.