"American Epic": Highlights of the PBS Trilogy on the History of Recording

At this remarkable event, highlights from the three-part PBS documentary "American Epic" will be screened, which tells the fascinating story of music scouts armed with a recording machine who toured America in the late 1920's and for the first time captured the unknown voices of everyday folk. As told by music pioneers, their families, and eyewitnesses to the era, we travel back in time to the "Big Bang" of modern popular music, to the first time America heard itself. It democratized music and gave a voice to the poorest in the nation.

Two British filmmakers--Bernard MacMahon and Allison McGourty--pieced together this extraordinary story and included previously unseen footage and photographs as well as exclusive interviews with some of the last living witnesses to that era. Robert Redford--who narrates the documentary--calls it "America's greatest untold story." For the accompanying full-length film "The American Epic Sessions" (which will not be screened this event), the filmmakers reassembled the original recording machine, microphones, and other equipment from that era to create exclusive new recordings featuring music legends and contemporary artists, including Alabama Shakes,Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, Elton John, and Jack White.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A panel--moderated by L.A. Times Music Critic Randy Lewis--with the film's creators plus Nicholas Bergh, the engineer on the sound recordings. The event concludes with a signing of the companion book to the PBS series, American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself.

As all “LA Made” programs at Central Library are free of charge, it is our policy to overbook. In the case of a FULL program, your free reservation may not guarantee admission. We recommend arriving early. Space permitting, unclaimed reservations will be released to standby patrons at approximately 1:45 p.m.

Standby Policy:

There is no advance waitlist for full programs. Standby patrons will be admitted subject to availability on a first-come, first-served, basis.