- Hidden deep beneath the Cumberland Mountains in Grundy County, Tennessee, lies one of the world's most magical, musical adventures, "The Caverns Sessions."

Three million years in the making, pure acoustics offer music from the heart of the American experience, center stage and deep inside the mountain, this time welcoming Peter Rowan.

(country music plays) - It's deep down musical diversity at "The Caverns Sessions."

Coming up next!

(applause and cheering) (guitar plays) ♪ Well... ♪ ♪ Now Papa's name was Hannibal ♪ ♪ Mama was Hannah-Mariah ♪ ♪ Everything we owned got all burned up ♪ ♪ In the Great Depression fire ♪ ♪ Strip mines and one crop farming ♪ ♪ Drained the green earth dry ♪ ♪ We lost it all 'til only love was left ♪ ♪ The one thing money can't buy ♪ ♪ Yeah we're all... Dust Bowl children ♪ ♪ Singin' the Dust Bowl song ♪ ♪ The crops won't grow ♪ ♪ And the dust just blew ♪ ♪ When the green fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green grass growing fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green grass growing fields are gone ♪ (soulful guitar) ♪ Well they said in California ♪ ♪ There's work of every kind ♪ ♪ Only job I ever got out there ♪ ♪ Was waiting on a welfare line ♪ ♪ Once I had a dollar ♪ ♪ Once I had a dream ♪ ♪ Now all the work is being done by a big ole machine ♪ ♪ Yeah we're all Dust Bowl children ♪ ♪ Singin' the Dust Bowl song ♪ ♪ The crops won't grow... ♪ ♪ And the dust just blew ♪ ♪ When the green fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green grass growing fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green fields are gone ♪ ♪ When the green grass growing fields are gone ♪ ♪ Eh...eh...ooo ♪ (soulful guitar) ♪ Mmm... mmm... ♪ ♪ Eh-Hey-Eh ♪ ♪ Let the green fields grow strong ♪ ♪ There's a grassroots revolution coming on ♪ ♪ Let the green fields grow strong ♪ ♪ There's a bluegrass revolution going on ♪ (applause and cheering) (applause and cheering) - Let's see now, I've got some old friends here from Nashville that I've played music with for many a year, and they're coming to the stage now.

Make welcome Mr. Mike Bub on the bass.

(applause and cheers) From my old days in the band called Seatrain, Mr. Larry Atamanuik on the drums.

(applause and cheers) I've played music with Larry for 55 years now, so yeah.

(applause) And over here on the little bitty fiddle, we have a man who's in my current bluegrass band.

He's one of the best in the country.

Make welcome, Julian Pinelli on the fiddle.

(applause and cheers) Now, when I was a bluegrass boy, working the Grand Ole Opry with Mr. Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, we used to play the Opry every Saturday night.

And of course there'd be a backdrop on the stage.

Jimmy Dean pork sausage (audience laughs) hanging up there like a big old flag.

My favorite was Red Man Chewing Tobacco, (laughs) had a big old Indian chief in a war bonnet on there.

And we'd climb aboard that old bus called, the Bluegrass Breakdown, and we'd drive up north to Bean Blossom, Indiana, (cheers) home of the Brown County Jamboree.

(cheers) And we would drive all night until we got up there to a little town called Gnaw Bone, Indiana.

(audience member applauds loudly) Some folks from Gnaw Bone right there.

(audience laughs) Well, we'd get up there, we'd set up, we'd get our musics out, as Mr. Monroe would say, and then we'd lay into it for several shows in the afternoon.

Mike, I believe you were up there at Bean Blossom a few times.

- Been to Bean Blossom, yes.

- Been to Bean Blossom, enough said.

(Peter chuckling) Well, I remember the night that the Bluegrass Breakdown lived up to its name and we were stranded on the highway near a place called Horse Caves, Kentucky.

(audience cheers) I was watching the sunrise over the mountains of eastern Kentucky and the birds rising up into the sunrise out of the depths of the canyon on the morning, fresh shoots of air.

And Bill Monroe walked up to me.

I don't think his feet ever touched the ground, he just sort of appeared beside me, (audience laughs) and he said, "Listen good to this and don't ever forget it."

And we wrote this song together.

It's called "The Walls of Time."

(guitar plays) (guitar plays) ♪ The wind is blowing 'cross the mountain ♪ ♪ Down o'er the valley way below ♪ ♪ It sweeps the grave of my darlin' ♪ ♪ When I die that's where I want to go ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Lord send the angels for my darling ♪ ♪ And take her to that home on high ♪ ♪ I'll wait my time out here on Earth, love ♪ ♪ And come to you when I die ♪ (slow, soulful music) (slow, soulful music) ♪ I hear a voice out in the darkness ♪ ♪ Well it moans and whispers through the pines ♪ ♪ I know it's my sweetheart callin' ♪ ♪ I hear her through the walls of time... ♪ ♪ Lord, send in angels for my darling ♪ ♪ And take her to that home on high ♪ ♪ I'll wait my time out here on Earth, love ♪ ♪ And come to you when I die ♪ (slow, soulful music) (slow, soulful music) ♪ Our names are carved upon the tombstone ♪ ♪ Well I promise you before you die ♪ ♪ Our love will bloom forever darlin' ♪ ♪ When we rest side by side... ♪ ♪ Lord send the angels for my darlin'... ♪ ♪ And take her to that home on high... ♪ ♪ I'll wait my time out here on Earth, love ♪ ♪ And come to you... ♪ ♪ When I die... ♪ (applause and cheering) (applause and cheering) We're gonna go a little south of the border for this one next.

I recorded this with a great accordion player, Flaco Jimenez, and wow.

(audience cheers) (guitar strums) Break my heart again, it's called, "Joker Moon."

(slow, soulful music) (slow, soulful music) ♪ The cool springs flow from San Antone to Austin Texas ♪ ♪ Sangre de Christo Hot Springs New Mexico ♪ ♪ The mission bells are ringing over in El Barrio ♪ ♪ While in the darkness lovers whisper soft and low ♪ ♪ Oh love I thought you were my friend... ♪ ♪ Mi corazon we're like a joker moon... ♪ ♪ Mi amor, don't say this is the end... ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's too late to pretend ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Come on and break my heart ♪ ♪ Come on and break my heart again ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Lay your tousled head on my shoulder ♪ ♪ Let us lie awake and love away the darkness until dawn ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ These overflowing feelings deep inside you ♪ ♪ Are the promises I'll keep within my heart ♪ ♪ When you are gone ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Oh love I thought you were my friend ♪ ♪ Mi corazon, we're like a joker moon ♪ ♪ Mi amor, don't say this is the end ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's too late to pretend ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Come on and break my heart ♪ ♪ Come on and break my heart again ♪ (slow, soulful music) (slow, soulful music) ♪ When I woke up I found that I am dreaming ♪ ♪ Of a tenderness beyond all broken vows ♪ ♪ You're a mystery beyond all illusion ♪ ♪ Oh how I long to hold you here and now ♪ ♪ Oh love I thought you were my friend ♪ ♪ Mi corazon, we're like a joker moon... ♪ ♪ Mi amor, don't say this is the end ♪ ♪ 'Cause it's too late to pretend ♪ (slow, soulful music) ♪ Come on and break my heart, come on ♪ ♪ Come on and break my heart again ♪ ♪ Come on and break my heart ♪ ♪ Come on and break my heart... ♪ ♪ Again... ♪ (applause and cheering) - Thank you, folks.

I hope you enjoyed our little journey tonight.

(audience applauds) It's a pleasure to see y'all, be back with some old friends here.

(applause) Let me hear you a little bit, Larry.

(audience cheers) (lively drum beat) That's it.

(audience cheers) (upbeat music) ♪ If you ever feel lonesome ♪ ♪ And you're down in San Antone ♪ ♪ Beg, steal, or borrow two nickels or a dime ♪ ♪ Call me on the phone ♪ ♪ I will meet you at Alamo Mission ♪ ♪ We can say our prayer ♪ ♪ The Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mother will heal us ♪ ♪ As we kneel there ♪ ♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ In the midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ In the midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight ♪ (upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ Midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight ♪ Oh yeah.

♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ In the midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ ♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ In the midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight ♪ ♪ In the midnight ♪ ♪ In the moonlight midnight moonlight... ♪ (audience cheers) (upbeat music) ♪ Whoa yeah... ♪ (applause and cheering) Oh yeah.

(applause and cheering) (applause and cheering) ♪ ♪