Alan Lomax devoted his entire life to recording music in danger of disappearing. For six decades he travelled tirelessly, documenting blues, bluegrass, jazz, Appalachian and Cajun music for the Archive of Folksong at the Library of Congress. Lomax made some of the earliest recordings of Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, Big Bill Broonzy and Sonny Boy Williamson. His prime-time series, Back Where I Come From, introduced US audiences to pivotal figures such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly.

After traversing America he set his sights on the rest of the globe. Lomax hauled his primitive recording equipment around remote Scottish islands and Spanish mountain villages documenting dying music. This loving documentary portrait retraces the songhunter's steps, meeting up with some of the people recorded as far back as the 1930s.

"All cultures need their fair share of the airtime. When country folk or tribal peoples hear or view their own traditions in the media something magical occurs. They see that their expressive style is as good as that of others." - Alan Lomax