It Was the Music

Sparked by seeing Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams perform in a small club near his home, director Mark Moskowitz decides to follow Larry and Teresa as they go on the road: to explore how music made a difference to him and an entire generation. With David Keith, John Leventhal, Rosanne Cash, Buddy Miller, David Bromberg. Music: Up on Cripple Creek & Surrender to Love.

After a show near Woodstock, Larry visits a used record store, trading stories with Mark about records he loved. The band hits the road. Larry and Teresa scramble to get to a Midwest club, and her good humor prevails as they wonder what they have gotten themselves into. With Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Happy Traum, Shawn Colvin. Music: Save Me from Myself; Did You Love Me at All; Bad Luck Charm.

Larry works on producing David Bromberg's new album as Mark talks music with Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, and Blind Boy Paxton, a young musician deeply immersed in ragtime and early country blues. With Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, David Bromberg, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Jason Flair, Paul Asbell. Music: Hesitation Blues; Unlucky Blues; Everybody Loves You; and Dehlia.

Larry and Teresa take time off from the road to make a new album, spending time with the Guip family at Justin's home studio. Mark goes to the Country Music Hall of Fame and talks to Tracy Nelson. William Bell, the first singer signed to Stax Records, describes working with Larry on a new song, and Larry and Teresa perform it ("When I Stop Loving You") live for the first time.

Mark explores the couple's roots: where they found music. For Larry it was a 2-room apartment in Manhattan watching Reverend Gary Davis on Pete Seeger's TV show. For Teresa, it was a tiny cotton farm in West Tennessee singing with the family on the porch after dinner. Music: Oh Glory; How Happy I Am; Dirt Farmer; Contraband Love; Farther Along; Big River; Waiting for a Train; T for Texas.

Teresa visits the cabin where her grandparents lived, evoking strong feelings. Her roots come out in her rendition of Gary Davis' Samson & Delilah. Larry reminisces about playing with Bob Dylan. Larry performs his arrangement of Blind Mary at a small club in Pittsburgh. With: Jackson Browne, William Bell, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukenon, Rosanne Cash, and Phil Lesh.

An ode to the early days of FM radio that segues into Teresa performing "Willin'" with Little Feat's Bill Payne on keyboards and Larry on violin. Jackson Browne talks about the nuances of sequencing albums while Larry works late into the night on new songs. With: John Diliberto, Tracy Nelson, Phil Lesh, Jack Casady, Jorma Kaukenon.

Teresa questions life on the road. She and Larry quarrel while working on Ain't Gonna Be a Good Night. Rosanne Cash discusses what it takes to be a working musician, let alone a working couple. A rousing performance at a rain-soaked outdoor music heals things, but it's momentary, as a frustrated Larry wonders if they can ever finish their new album.

A procession of musical ideas from Phil Lesh and Friends, Hot Tuna, Emmylou Harris, and of course Larry and Teresa that reveal the power of live music to bring us together and lead us to other places. Music: Sugaree; Long Black Veil; Righten the Wrong; Three Days in a Row; Caravan; The Pilgrim. 

Larry Taylor of Canned Heat and Garland Jeffreys take us back to the roots of rock 'n' roll. Patty Griffin, Bob Weir, and The Midnight Ramble Band join Larry and Teresa for an outdoor concert to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Last Waltz. That winter Mark visits Larry and Teresa one last time. Music: Time Out for the Blues; Contortionist; Evangeline; Farther Down the Road; Chest Fever.