'ROCK MY SOUL' Premieres March 2015 on PBS

Gospel Legends and All-Star Guests Come Together in Celebration of One of America's Most Popular and Influential Musical Genres 

Preview interviews with Robert Plant, Peter Guralnick, NPR’s Ann Powers, The Americana Music Association’s Jed Hilly, and performances by McCrary Sisters, Fairfield Four, Lucinda Williams, Lee Ann Womack, Van Hunt and Amos Lee - bit.ly/1EUwezy 

 

Born of fevered rural tent revivals and urban clapboard churches, gospel music was made for the concert stage. Showmanship and virtuosity transformed this music of hope into one of America’s most popular and influential musical genres as gospel came of age to inform the creators of blues, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and soul revolutions. A dynamic celebration of the gospel tradition, this performance features all-star artists alongside gospel legends The Fairfield Four, National Heritage Fellowship honorees who were featured in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The McCrary Sisters, four daughters of former Fairfield Four bandleader, the Rev. Sam McCrary. Performing with one of the best backing bands Nashville has to offer, guest artists include Amos Lee, Buddy Miller, Lee Ann Womack, Van Hunt and Lucinda Williams.

'ROCK MY SOUL' is part of special programming premiering on PBS stations beginning Saturday, February 28, 2015 (check local listings).

Paying gospel’s musical birthright forward, concise glimpses into the Gospel story introduce the songs and singers and explore the ties that bind this music to the heart of the American songbook. Interviewees include Robert Plant, Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne, Van Hunt, Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, Dom Flemson, author and historian Peter Guralnick, NPR’s Ann Powers, and experts from Fisk University and the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

The program’s unique venue is Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church, erected in 1816, an inspiring edifice and one of the nation’s best-preserved examples of Egyptian Revival architecture.

A contemporary history, 'ROCK MY SOUL' is the music of people, of community, of vitally talented individuals who come together with little but their incredibly gifted voices to create something deeply moving and powerful - something exceeding the sum of its parts. Here is music with a prominent role in the development of American culture - music sprung from adversity and celebrated through diversity.

Produced by Todd Squared, LLC, producers of "Bluegrass Underground," 'ROCK MY SOUL' features the following performances:

1. "Amazing Grace" - The McCrary Sisters
2. "Noah" - The Fairfield Four with special guest Robert Hamlett
3. "Jesus Gave Me Water" - The Fairfield Four with special guest Amos Lee 
4. "Children Go Where I Send Thee" - The Fairfield Four with special guest Lee Ann Womack
5. "Get Right With God" - The Fairfield Four with special guest Lucinda Williams 
6. "Hold the Wind" - The McCrary Sisters with special guest Buddy Miller 
7. "Use Me Lord" - The McCrary Sisters with special guest Van Hunt
8. "I Got Jesus (and That's Enough)" - The McCrary Sisters with special guest Lee Ann Womack
9. "Fire" - The McCrary Sisters 
10. "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around" - The McCrary Sisters with The Fairfield Four 
11. "Rock My Soul" - Finale with The McCrary Sisters, The Fairfield Four and all guests

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Underwriters: Public Television Viewers and PBS
Producer: Todd Squared, LLC
Format: CC Stereo HD

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