▁the ▁M emph is ▁Jug ▁Band , ▁E lder ▁J . E . ▁B urch , ▁The ▁William son ▁Brothers , ▁Dick ▁Justice , ▁Char ley ▁Pat ton , ▁The ▁Hop i ▁Indian ▁Chan ters , ▁Joseph ▁K ek u ku , ▁L yd ia ▁M endo za , ▁the ▁Bre aux ▁Family , ▁Mississippi ▁John ▁H urt , ▁and ▁Bl ind ▁Will ie ▁Johnson . ▁ ▁The ▁film ▁series ▁was ▁created , ▁written ▁and ▁produced ▁by ▁Mac M ah on , ▁All ison ▁McG our ty ▁and ▁Duke ▁Erik son . ▁It ▁was ▁first ▁broadcast ▁on ▁May ▁ 1 6 , ▁ 2 0 1 7 ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁and ▁was ▁narr ated ▁by ▁Robert ▁Red ford . ▁The ▁film ▁was ▁the ▁result ▁of ▁ten ▁years ▁of ▁int ensive ▁field ▁research ▁and ▁post ulated ▁a ▁rad ically ▁new ▁take ▁on ▁American ▁history , ▁namely ▁that ▁America ▁was ▁dem ocrat ized ▁through ▁the ▁in vention ▁of ▁elect rical ▁sound ▁recording ▁and ▁the ▁subsequent ▁aud itions ▁the ▁record ▁labels ▁held ▁across ▁North ▁America ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 2 0 s , ▁which ▁were ▁open ▁to ▁every ▁eth nic ▁minor ity ▁and ▁genre ▁of ▁music . ▁The ▁films ▁contained ▁many ▁previously ▁un t old ▁stories , ▁a ▁vast ▁amount ▁of ▁previously ▁un seen ▁and ▁extremely ▁rare ▁arch ival ▁foot age ▁and ▁dram atically ▁advanced ▁audio ▁rest or ations ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 2 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁record ings . ▁When ▁Mac M ah on ▁presented