Reginald D Hunter’s Songs of the South, TV review: His perspective makes this essential viewing for music fans
Hunter retains not only an easy Southern charm, but also a wariness of what he calls 'hillbillies, the deadly kind'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Stand-up comedian Reginald D Hunter has had more success with his career change.
In Reginald D Hunter’s Songs of the South, he turned travelling music historian, cruising round Tennessee and Kentucky, in a red convertible Cadillac. A Georgia native, who’s been living in Britain since 1997, Hunter retains not only an easy Southern charm, but also a wariness of what he calls “hillbillies, the deadly kind”, so this was never going to be a straightforward homecoming.
Actually, it’s Hunter’s particular perspective that makes this essential viewing for anyone even remotely interested in music (country, bluegrass, blues, rock and hip-hop are all covered over the course of a three-part series). For him, the culture of Dixie is both familiar and alienating: “When I lived here, I see that I lived primarily in the black South and those are two different Souths.”
Still, Hunter went to Knoxville to feel the lonesome chill of Southern gothic, found his childhood memories of Spam offered common ground with Dolly Parton and, in the episode’s most fascinating section, confronted the disturbing legacy of minstrelsy. Blackface is hardly America’s proudest tradition, but as one musician argued, it can’t be ignored. Songs like Stephen Foster’s “Swanee River” were wildly popular for over 80 years – that’s a longer history than rock’n’roll.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments