Feinstein starring in 3-part PBS series

• Tweet

NEW YORK, June 18 (UPI) -- Musician and vocalist Michael Feinstein is set to star in a new 3-part series exploring the history of U.S. popular music, PBS said.

The series is to air Oct. 6, 13 and 20 on the network.

"How better to understand 20th century American history and culture than through its popular music? Music that, by all accounts, is some of the finest ever written, with beautiful melodies and intelligent, witty lyrics. Music that stands the test of time over generations, whether love songs, soundtracks, show tunes, or dance numbers. The songs Americans have loved for decades provide a musical snapshot of our shared culture -- a 'soundscape' that reveals our hopes, fears, and dreams," producer/director Amber Edwards said in a statement Thursday.

"When I first moved to Los Angeles," Feinstein says in the show, "I discovered that movie studios would throw away archives, music publishers would get rid of old arrangements, manuscripts would be discarded, and complete orchestrations for shows would be tossed out. Our musical heritage was literally disappearing because people didn't understand it was valuable to save it."

"Michael has been called the Indiana Jones of popular music -- he's been collecting since he was 5 years old," Edwards said. "But for him it's not about amassing and hoarding objects; it's all part of his mission to keep this music alive for future generations."