What is country music, and where did it come from? Step back in time with Country Music , a new film directed by Ken Burns that describes the historic sights and sounds of a truly American art form. An eight-part series, Country Music runs from Sunday, Sept. 15 through Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 8pm on WGBH 2.

This 16-hour journey, produced by Burns and his long-time collaborators Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey, chronicles the origins of country music—from Southern Appalachia’s songs of struggle and the rollicking Western swing of Texas, to California’s honky-tonks and Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. At the film’s heart are the stories of the fascinating trailblazers who created and shaped every melody and harmony—including the Carter Family, Bill Monroe, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more. Every segment offers a glimpse into their humble beginnings, their musical influences and their breakthrough moments.

“We discovered that country music isn’t––and never was––one type of music,” Duncan said. “It sprang from diverse roots, and it sprouted many branches. What unites them all is the way the music connects personal stories and elemental experiences with universal themes that every person can relate to. And as it evolved, from the bottom up, it created a special bond between the artists and fans that is unique among all other musical genres,” he said.

Duncan, Burns and Dunfey spent eight years researching and producing the film, conducting interviews with more than 100 people, including 40 members of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Through their cinematic collaboration, they connect the history of country music to the larger story of America, looking at how artists and songwriting reflected periods of depression, war and cultural upheaval, and how radio and television affected the music’s development. The documentary uses more than 3,200 photographs and over two hours of archival footage, including rare and never-before-seen photos and film of Jimmie Rodgers, Johnny Cash and others.

To accompany episodes of Country Music, the WGBH Media Library and Archives team searched the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) and created a timeline that includes public radio and television programs related to the genre’s history. Each program provides a deeper look at the influential people and places behind country music—including greats such as Uncle Dave Macon, Patsy Montana and Gene Autry—offering historical insight into the types of lyrics, vocalization and instruments that early artists used to express themselves in song.

The AAPB is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH that aims to digitally preserve and make accessible public radio and television programs from its more than 70-year legacy. “This timeline lends itself to country music because the genre’s history—and influence—has been recorded by America’s public media. The AAPB collection provides access to historically significant interviews, event coverage and news reports, which give modern audiences a traceable timeline of history in the making both on the local and national level.

For country music specifically, this includes a 1979 program from the Feminist Radio Network program about women in country music to a 2010 discussion about the Father of Country Music—Jimmie Rodgers—on Nashville Public Television all at your fingertips,” said Ryn Marchese, engagement and use manager for WGBH Media Library and Archives. Now in its sixth year of service, the AAPB has preserved for posterity more than 90,000 items, including unedited interviews from American Experience, recordings of the US Senate Watergate hearings and the 50-year legacy of Sesame Street.

“At the heart of every great country music song is a story,” said Ken Burns. “The common experiences and human emotions speak to each of us about love and loss, about hard times and the chance of redemption. As an art form, country music is also forever revisiting its history, sharing and updating old classics and celebrating its roots, which are, in many ways, foundational to our country itself.”

Country Music runs from Sunday, Sept. 15 through Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 8pm on WGBH 2. Stream it now.