Second of a three part documentary on American folk music. The 1930s saw Folk redefined as the voice of protest and the outsider. Woody Guthrie fitted the mould perfectly.
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller are amongst the most influential songwriters and music producers in post-World War II pop music. Their first successes were as the writers of hit songs as "Hound Dog" and "Kansas City." Later through their work with The Coasters, they created a string of ground-breaking hits that are some of the most entertaining in rock and roll.They were the first to surround black music with elaborate production values, enhancing its emotional power with The Drifters in "There Goes My Baby" and influencing Phil Spector who worked with them on recordings, who later went on to form his own company and create his famous "Wall of Sound". Leiber and Stoller went into the record business and, focusing on the "girl group" sound, released some of the greatest classics. They wrote successful and iconic hits, "Love Me," "Loving You," "Don't," and "Jailhouse Rock", among others for the "King," Elvis Presley.They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
In its time, "The Birth of a Nation" was a masterpiece. Its racist undertones and revisionism are quite disturbing, but it is still worth watching for its historical influence.
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