The long awaited documentary is coming soon. They Called Us Outlaws, which has been a decade in-the-making limited series that focuses on the origin of the outlaw country movement all the way up to current-day torchbearers, will premiere at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 15th. The ten-part limited series was created documentary filmmakers Eric Geadelmann and Kelly Magelky, and produced by Shadowbrook Studios and Filament Productions, will take viewers on a journey from the beginnings of the outlaw movement thanks to icons like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, and beyond: “Before its early cult-like following and now mainstream legions of emulators, the American outlaw country ‘movement’ was just a core group of wildly talented singer-songwriters in Nashville’s underground and Austin’s counter-culture, throwing convention to the wind and doing things their own way. Of course, many of those compadres quickly turned into household names like Waylon and Willie, and that movement changed music and culture forever. At this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival, those freewheeling origins and their evolution will be presented like never before in the world premiere of They Called Us Outlaws – The Cosmic Cowboys, Honky Tonk Heroes and Rise of Redneck Rock.” It will feature ten episodes in total, and was produced by the one and only Jessi Colter, along with Ray Benson, Texas Heritage Songwriter Hall of Fame Member, Jack Ingram, and acclaimed author and Willie biographer, Joe Nick Patoski. They Called Us Outlaws started as a single film, in association with The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and has evolved into this series because their really is so much to cover in terms of the history dating back to the mid-to-late ‘60s. Of course, you’ll see plenty of never-before-seen footage and photos, and the entire thing is narrated by Ingram, along with commentary and appearances from tons of artists like Jessi Colter, Kris Kristofferson, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Tyler Childers, Billy Joe Shaver, The Flatlanders, Tony Brown, Leon Russell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Bobby Bare, Marcia Ball, Michael Martin Murphey, Billy F. Gibbons, Kimmie Rhodes, Delbert McClinton, Robert Earl Keen, Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Parker McCollum, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Chris Shiflett, Ashley McBryde, Turnpike Troubadours, and more. Matthew McConaughey also makes an appearance. Kyle Young, chief executive officer for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, says the interviews that were done for this documentary are “historical gold,” as many of the legends featured, like Kris Kristofferson are no longer with us: “Eric’s passion and Herculean efforts to document this important piece of Americana were key in telling the multi-layered story of Austin and Nashville through our exhibit. The interviews and performance footage in ‘They Called Us Outlaws’ are historical gold and include invaluable commentary by central figures we’ve sadly lost in recent years such as Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joe Shaver, Guy Clark, Fred Foster, Tom T. Hall, Jerry Jeff Walker, Joe Ely and more. We are pleased that these resources will be preserved in the museum’s Frist Library and Archives and available to future generations of scholars and researchers.” Jessi Colter, the woman who was part of it all, says viewers will learn “what really happened in the 70s” in Nashville and Austin: “If you want to know what really happened in the 70s in Nashville and Austin, take heed. ‘They Called Us Outlaws’ is full of untold underground stories, and equations you must conclude for yourself.” This documentary was first announced several years ago, and I had wondered if it got scrapped or was no longer happening for whatever reason, so I’m thrilled to know fans will get to see it soon, because this time period in country music is critical to the genre, defines the best parts of it in my humble opinion, and is full of wild tales and incredible stories that have defined what country music is and continues to evolve into. The music features unreleased songs and concerts and an original score by multi-instrumentalist and former member of Kings of Leon, Chris Coleman, and also includes music recorded for the project by Shooter Jennings, Jack Ingram, Lillie Mae, Bruce Robison, and many more. The series will launch with the Waylon Jennings-centric 90-minute pilot, titled “The Prologue – Waylon, The Dillo, and That Outlaw Bit”: “That immerses the audience into the cold beer and cheap pot counter-culture of Austin; centered on the legendary venue Armadillo World Headquarters (“Dillo”) that created a sound and scene that was actually a bit shocking to the hard-rocking emerging country star, Waylon, when he arrived at Willie’s invitation. After being warmly embraced by the hippies, Waylon told Willie, ‘Austin ain’t half bad, Hoss.'” It’s going to be an incredible project, and while it’s unclear exactly when all of the episodes will be made available to the public, I have to imagine it will be sometime this year since it’s about to premiere at SXSW. The full trailer is available to watch below, and I can’t wait to see it all. Country music deserves this kind of deep dive piece into the outlaw movement that transcends generations, and even genres, and this looks to be an incredible series that country music fans will be thrilled to watch. Check it out: The post WATCH: Trailer Released For ‘They Called Us Outlaws’ Documentary, Set For World Premiere At SXSW first appeared on Whiskey Riff.