Jack White and T Bone Burnett invite today’s greatest artists to test their skills against the long-lost machine that recorded their musical idols and forebears. The producers have, over a decade rebuilt, a 1920s recording system, timed by a weight-driven system of clockwork gears. Stripped of the comforts and security of modern technology, Nas, Elton John, Alabama Shakes, Steve Martin Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, are among the artists who have three minutes and one chance to get their music etched into a revolving wax disc, before the weight hits the floor. The results are career defining performances and the very definition of "Lighting In A Bottle".
Credits
The American Epic Sessions Cast
Name |
Character |
Steve Martin
He was 70, now 79 years old
|
as Himself |
Willie Nelson
He was 82, now 91 years old
|
as Himself |
Jack White
He was 40, now 49 years old
|
as Himself |
Elton John
He was 68, now 77 years old
|
as Himself |
Nas
He was 42, now 51 years old
|
as Himself |
Ana Gabriel
She was 60, now 69 years old
|
as Herself |
Rhiannon Giddens
She was 39, now 47 years old
|
as Herself |
T Bone Burnett
He was 68, now 76 years old
|
as Himself |
Duke Erikson
He was 65, now 73 years old
|
as Himself |
Merle Haggard
He was 78, 79 years old when he died
|
as Himself |
Beck
He was 45, now 54 years old
|
as Himself |
Taj Mahal (musician)
He was 73, now 82 years old
|
as Himself |
The American Epic Sessions Crew