Episode One

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states - for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.

Cerys Matthews dusts off her stetson and returns to Nashville, where she lived for many years, to celebrate the lives of some of the great women of country music.

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states - for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.

Cerys Matthews dusts off her stetson and returns to Nashville, where she lived for many years, to celebrate the lives of some of the great women of country music.

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states - for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states – for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.

Cerys Matthews dusts off her stetson and returns to Nashville, where she lived for many years, to celebrate the lives of some of the great women of country music.

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states – for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.

Cerys Matthews dusts off her stetson and returns to Nashville, where she lived for many years, to celebrate the lives of some of the great women of country music.

When Catatonia spilt up in the late 1990s Cerys made the musical pilgrimage she'd always dreamed of. She headed to the southern states – for the blues, for the jazz and especially for the country music she'd come to love. She ended up living in a shack in the hills of Tennessee where she stayed for six years, writing songs and living a country life. 'What I love about country music is the way it tells it like it is, especially from a female perspective. Far from being schmaltzy, this is a genre of music that's brave enough to sing about jealousy and birth control, alcoholism and domestic violence. It's all in there. And many of the country singers risked everything to chase their dream of cutting a record in Nashville.

In this two part series Cerys hears the stories of some of the great women of country music including Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Rosanne Cash, Loretta Lynn, Wynonna and Alison Krauss. She hears about the challenges, the joys and the politics of being a woman in the country music industry, while also exploring her love for the music. And she recalls her own experiences of living and making music in Tennessee.

Cerys Matthews returns to Nashville to celebrate the great women of country music.