Case Histories music 2.0
Following Sundays conclusion of the PBS Masterpiece presentation of the BBC’s Case Histories, starring Jason Isaacs, interest has continued to grow by the hour in the intriguing musical soundtrack. Without question, in the over 40+ years of Masterpiece, there has never been more interest in a series soundtrack than in Kate Atkinson‘s creation, Jackson Brodie, the ex-cop from Yorkshire who jogs across the hills overlooking Edinburgh, listening to mournful American country singers and mulling over his tangled life.
Atkinson brings private investigator Jackson Brodie vividly to life in words — and music. In this exclusive interview for Masterpiece producers, Atkinson explains her love of music, and how she worked with the Case Histories producers to create the haunting soundtrack of songs used so brilliantly in the series.
Atkinson explains: “Like me, Jackson is a long-term country fan and for each of the novels I’ve had a playlist — something which often evolves during the course of the novel, but which somehow points me to something essential at the heart of each book. Sometimes the tracks don’t seem particularly relevant, but they are to me (and Jackson)…
Jackson likes his women, not just Nanci Griffith and Lucinda Williams but also Iris DeMent, Gillian Welch, Mary Gauthier, Eliza Gilkyson and a host of others. I am (and thereby Jackson, of course) a total fan of both Lucy Kaplansky and Patti Griffin, neither of whom are feature here but would most definitely have been on Jackson’s playlist. Kris Delmhorst was a new artist to me but I’ve been listening to her a lot since discovering her on the soundtrack.
Atkinson, along with Ashley Phoenix, writer of two of the Case Histories television episodes, worked together to craft the end result introducing viewers of the series to a number of artists and songs such as Mercy Now by Mary Gauthier. Given there is currently no “official” soundtrack to the series, PBS Masterpiece has compiled a complete list of songs and artists. Looks like it’s time to pull out those iTunes gift cards to see if there’s any balance left on the them.
