Songwriters in the Round: Legends and Lyrics Series

Bringing together three great songwriters per episode, the Legends and Lyrics series from Song-Writers in the Round is a look at the talent behind some great songs and music paired with performances by each artist.

While the shows are being broadcast on PBS stations, the DVD releases are packed with great extras like bonus songs, full-length interviews with the musicians (only snippets are shown on the broadcast versions) and a spotlight on a new “rising star.”

In each episode, the three performers play in the round, allowing viewers to see the admiration the songwriters have for each other as well as gain a new appreciation for artists with whom they perhaps are not as familiar. To help newer listeners, unobtrusive script shows the title of each tune and little pieces of trivia about the artist.

Recorded at two beautiful concert halls (The Scottish Rite Theater in Shreveport, La. and the Masonic Lodge in Nashville, Tenn.), the high definition filming and Surround Sound make it the next best thing to actually being at the show. The lighting is just right and the performances flow between each artist at the perfect pace.

Kris Kristofferson, Patty Griffin and Randy Owen of Alabama are featured on the first episode with Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, and Brad Arnold with Chris Henderson and Greg Upchurch of Three Doors Down on the second. Additional episodes (not yet released on DVD) feature artists such as John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin and Charlie Daniels. A complete list of artists and the episodes on which they appear can be found on the Legends and Lyrics website.