You can seek out singer Barbara Fairchild on TV starting the weekend before her performance at the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium in Texarkana.
"Talkin' Country," the Arkansas Educational Television Network's nightly recap of Ken Burns' documentary series "Country Music," will feature Fairchild at 9 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, in Episode No. 5 and Tuesday, Sept. 24, in Episode No. 7.
Ken Burns' "Country Music" beginning Sunday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. "Talkin' Country," hosted by Arkansas radio personality Bob Robbins, will follow it and discuss each night's episode. He is joined by Charles Haymes, country music journalist and vice president of the Arkansas Country Music Awards; Jon Raney, chief engineer at Raney Recording Studio; and other special guests.
"Country Music" is an eight-part, 16-hour series directed by Burns and produced by Burns and his long-time collaborators Dayton Duncan and Julie Dunfey.
The film follows the evolution of country music over the course of the 20th century as it eventually emerges to become "America's music." The first four episodes air Sept. 15 through Wednesday, Sept. 18, and the final four episodes will air Sunday, Sept. 22, through Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 7 each night. Immediately following each episode, AETN will air "Talkin' Country." Guests include:
Episode No. 1 -Mark Jones, son of Grandpa and Ramona Jones of "Hee Haw," and Dave Smith, host of Ozark Highlands Radio.
Episode No. 2 - Bob Brumley, president of Albert E. Brumley and Sons Music, Mark Jones and Dave Smith.
Episode No. 3 - Songwriter Charley Sandage and acoustic musician Tim Crouch, fiddle player for Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson and others.
Episode No. 4- Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Roy Cash, songwriter and nephew of Johnny Cash; Bobby Crafford, drummer and manager of Sonny Burgess and the Legendary Pacers; and Lee Anthony, former studio owner and record producer.
Episode No. 5 - Country music artist Barbara Fairchild, best known for her 1973 hit "The Teddy Bear Song," and Roy Cash.
Episode No. 6 - Flap Jones, host of "Not Necessarily Nashville" on KUAR FM 89.1, and songwriter and musician Brad Williams of The Salty Dogs.
Episode No. 7 - Nathan Hunnicutt, president of the Arkansas Country Music Awards, Flap Jones and Barbara Fairchild.
Episode No. 8 - Professional guitarist Charlie White, guitarist for Wynonna Judd, and Preston Palmer, musician and owner of Palmer Music.
More information is available online at aetn.org/countrymusic.
"Country Music" explores crucial questions - "What is country music?" and "Where did it come from?" - while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating trailblazers who created and shaped it from the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Bill Monroe and Bob Wills to Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more - as well as the times in which they lived. Much like the music itself, the film tells unforgettable stories of hardships and joys shared by everyday people.
Unrelated, Barbara Fairchild will perform in Texarkana at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. She is playing a benefit to help raise money to restore the Arkansas Municipal Auditorium in downtown Texarkana, where the performance will be held.
Chuck Hancock and Roy Morris, Barbara's husband, are also on the bill. Morris performs in the "Statler Bros. Revisited" show in Branson, Missouri. Hancock is a Nashville recording artist with a dozen hits.
VIP seating is $30 and general admission is $20. For ticket information call Carl Teel at 903-277-2078.