If you know the music of Jimmie Rodgers, then you'll likely understand the heart n' soul of writer/director Greg Gross's indie doc The Music We Call Country, a look at the Bristol, Tennessee roots of country music and a look at the music that would influence feature greats from Gene Autry to Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan to a host of others. Ably narrated by Eugene Wolf, The Music We Call Country is a fairly straightforward yet meaningful doc and it's currently available via FilmHub through streaming platforms such as Prime Video and Fawesome. With a contemporary country music that doesn't even always resonate as country music, this is a documentary that looks back and celebrates the origins of country music as a communal experience and as a way to honor artists not always remembered nowadays. 

The film is beautifully shot in a way that nicely captures the wonder of Tennessee and country music. Editing by Marshal Hunter is effective throughout the film's just shy of an hour running time. 

I longed for a glimpse inside the music itself, though the challenge of any indie doc is how to make things happen on a smaller budget. This is amplified by the challenge of getting music rights. Even without a strong musical core, The Music We Call Country is a film that will please music historians, fans of country music, and the many who still remember the wonder that was Jimmie Rodgers. 

Worth the effort to look it up, The Music We Call Country is an engaging tribute to the Bristol roots of Americana and early country music. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic