Let It Roll

Let It Roll

"Let it Roll" is a podcast about the history of popular music from the 19th Century to the 21st. Proud part of Pantheon - the podcast network for music lovers.

Episodes

CountryRoll 6: George Jones & Tammy Wynette Were Mr & Mrs Country Music

January 23, 2026 • 46 mins
Host Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter continue discussing Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at episode six “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” which covers the rise of Kris Kristofferson and a new generation of Nashville songwriters, Mr & Mrs Country music George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash’s emergence as a superstar and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s successful attempt at rapprochement between musical generations. GO TO ...
Mark as Played

CountryRoll 5: Charley Pride Integrates Nashville, Buck Owens & Merle Haggard Bring the Bakersfield Sound

January 21, 2026 • 39 mins
Host Nate Wilcox & music writer James Porter continue discussing Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at Charley Pride’s efforts to integrate country music, the rise of Roger Miller, Buck Owens & Merle Haggard’s Bakersfield Sound, Loretta Lynn and the new wave of female singers she led. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -...
Mark as Played

Countryroll 4: Johnny Cash and the Rockabilly Revolution Were Answered by Patsy Cline and the Nashville Sound

January 19, 2026 • 40 mins
Host Nate Wilcox and music writer James Porter continue their discussion of Ken Burns' Country Music with a look at the sudden emergence of rockabilly from Memphis, the new generation of stars like Johnny Cash and the Nashville Sound that producers Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley came up with for artists like Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline in response. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Countryroll 3: Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Lefty Frizzell and Kitty Wells Lead a Post-War Country Music Boom

January 16, 2026 • 43 mins
Host Nate Wilcox and music writer James Porter continue their discussion of Ken Burns' Country Music with a look a Hank Williams, the living avatar of honky tonk, his closest rival Lefty Frizzell, as well as Eddy Arnold, who offered a pop-country alternative, and Kitty Wells whose answer song prefigured feminist country music. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Countryroll 2: Roy Acuff, Bob Wills, Gene Autry and Woody Guthrie Lead Country Music Through Hard Times According to Ken Burns

January 14, 2026 • 42 mins
Hosts Nate Wilcox and James Porter discuss Country Music during the Depression and World War 2 and the artists, like Roy Acuff and Bob Wills, and the Maddox Brothers and Rose who dominated the era. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let ...
Mark as Played

Countryroll 1: The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and the Beginnings of Country Music According to Ken Burns

January 12, 2026 • 42 mins
Hosts Nate Wilcox and James Porter kick off their discussion of Ken Burns' "Country Music" documentary series with a look at episode one, “The Rub.” They talk about the musical sources of country music, Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. There’s also a little meta discussion about the series and their thoughts on Ken Burns. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

What Have We Learned From Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll Part 2?

January 9, 2026 • 49 mins
Today special guest scholar and musician Yuri Campbell returns to review the key lessons we learned from Nate’s discussions with Ed Ward about his book “The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964-1977 The Beatles, The Stones and the Rise of Classic Rock” and the Let It Roll series covering it. We talk about Ward's cultural scholarship and what lessons we can learn from his method of studying music history. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL ...
Mark as Played

What Have We Learned From Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll?

January 7, 2026 • 49 mins
Nate Wilcox and guest Yuri Campbell look back on Ed Ward's book "History of Rock & Roll 1920-1963⁠⁠⁠⁠ "⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and the Let It Roll series covering it. We talk about Ward's cultural scholarship and what lessons we can learn from his method of studying music history. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15 minutes...
Mark as Played

The Pre-Punk Seventies: Ed Ward's History Of Rock & Roll

January 5, 2026 • 43 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at the bloating of the music biz in the early 70s and the feeling that everyone was waiting on something to happen, Bob Dylan vs David Geffen, the New York Dolls at the Mercer Arts Center and the collapse of Stax Records. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTA...
Mark as Played

Hard Rock Vs. Soft Rock, AM Vs. FM: Ed Ward's History Of Rock & Roll

January 2, 2026 • 47 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at the splits between AM and FM, hard rock and soft rock and John, Paul, George and Ringo. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15...
Mark as Played

The Birth Of Reggae & The Funk Revolution: Ed Ward's History Of Rock & Roll

December 31, 2025 • 41 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at the origins of reggae in Jamaica and a survey of the funk scene as it stood when James Brown was king and Sly Stone was emerging as his biggest rival. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

The Invention of 'The Sixties': Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 29, 2025 • 36 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at 1969, Woodstock, and the invention of “the sixties.” ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclus...
Mark as Played

1968 Rock, Riot, Revolution: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 26, 2025 • 43 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at 1968: the year of riots and revolution, the year of newcomers like Led Zeppelin and Sly & the Family Stone and The Band who led a musical counter-revolution. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Otis Redding Meets The Love Crowd: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 24, 2025 • 60 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "⁠The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock⁠" with a look at 1967, the year of Monterey Pop, when the Beatles lost Brian Epstein and gained the Maharishi, Brian Wilson blew it and Otis Redding died. ⁠⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Bob Dylan Rocks Folk: Ed Ward's History of Rock and Roll

December 22, 2025 • 46 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox continue their discussion of Ed's book "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock" with a look at rock & roll's second miracle year when America responded to the Beatles by blending folk and blues with rock & roll. They discuss how Michael Bloomfield electrified Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys making Pet Sounds, Stax hitting its stride, James Brown getti...
Mark as Played

The Beatles Invade & The Rolling Stones Follow: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 19, 2025 • 39 mins
Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox kick off their discussion of Ed's book "The History of Rock & Roll, Volume 2: 1964–1977: The Beatles, the Stones, and the Rise of Classic Rock" with a look at The Beatles' conquest of America, the other British bands that followed in their wake and the American response headed up by Motown and James Brown. ⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Bob Wills & Western Swing: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 17, 2025 • 36 mins
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963, with a look at Bob Wills and Western Swing. We pick up the history of country music where we left off after the Carter Family & Jimmie Rodgers episode and carry on to the 1930s emergence of a distinctive genre in Texas: Western Swing and the man, Bob Wills, who led it to the top of the pop charts, packed dance halls, T...
Mark as Played

Rhythm & Blues from Bessie Smith to Louis Jordan: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 15, 2025 • 42 mins
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963 with a look at how African-American pop music transformed itself thru the swing era, the rise & fall of the blues queens, the thin line between jazz and blues, the first guitar heroes and the greatest American musical superstar you’ve probably barely heard of, Louis Jordan. ⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE F...
Mark as Played

Jimmie Rodgers & The Carter Family: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 12, 2025 • 38 mins
Ed Ward and host Nate Wilcox fill in a gap in our discussion of his epic History of Rock & Roll Part 1, 1920-1963 by discussing the foundation of commercial country music and its first superstars, Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. ⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusivel...
Mark as Played

Rock Pre-History the 1920s & 30s: Ed Ward's History of Rock & Roll

December 10, 2025 • 45 mins
This episode is a prequel to recent episodes that covers the period from 1920 to 1945. It’s a fun one as Ed Ward and Nate Wilcox talk rock and roll’s prehistory in the era of Victrolas, live radio, and swing bands. We talk about the first hit blues record, the first superstars of country music, and much more. Buy the book and support the podcast. ⁠GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Crime Junkie

    Crime Junkie

    Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    The Breakfast Club

    The Breakfast Club

    The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

    Dateline NBC

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.