Jack White, the Detroit rocker known for his Third Man Records label and love for classic music technology, has recorded music with Elton John and T-Bone Burnett for a new Robert Redford-produced six-episode BBC series tracing the history of blues titled American Epic.
Burnett, who was responsible for the production of Elton John’s last two studio records, The Union (with Leon Russell) and The Diving Board, will join White in scoring a new soundtrack highlighting current artists but using only vintage equipment. John’s contribution to the score include a song that uses a machine responsible for recording Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith in 1934. The track was co-written by John’s long-time colleague Bernie Taupin and features instrumentation by White.
This history-oriented project is a natural fit for White, who is currently producing a box set of blues classics revitalized from Paramount Records’ vault. The set of reissued tracks, titled The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Vol. 1 (1917–1927), is due for release November 19.