WUTM “The Hawk,” the campus-run radio station at the University of Tennessee at Martin, and WLJT-TV, Northwest Tennessee’s local PBS affiliate, are partnering to bring a premiere preview of “Country Music,” a Ken Burns documentary on the roots, evolution and importance of the art form, to UT Martin’s Watkins Auditorium. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 12, and the screening begins at 6 with a discussion and reception to follow.

According to a PBS press release, the series “chronicles country music’s early days, from southern Appalachia’s songs of struggle, heartbreak and faith to the rollicking Western swing of Texas, California’s honky-tonks and Nashville’s ‘Grand Ole Opry.’” The entire 16-hour documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photographs alongside interviews with more than 80 country music artists who tell the story of where the music started, how it has grown throughout the 20<sup>th</sup> century, and what role it plays in America’s heritage today. The documentary will be shown in segments on WLJT-TV over the next few months.

The screening event is free and open to the public. It will include a live country music band, a panel discussion of the musical style, and refreshments for those in attendance. The screening is rated PG-14.

For more information, contact WLJT-TV at <a href="http://www.wljt.org">wljt.org</a> or call 1-800-366-9558.

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