American Epic, a three-part music documentary series debuting May 16 on PBS, traces the music industry’s early–twentieth century quest to find and record blues and gospel performers in the South, Cajun fiddlers in Louisiana, country musicians in Appalachia, Tejano bands in Texas and Native American and Hawaiian musicians. Jack White, T Bone Burnett and narrator Robert Redford are the series’ executive producers.

“In American Epic,” White says in a statement, “we examine how i...