Chanting Hopi priests, the lazy swells of a Hawaiian slide guitar, accordions ringing across the Cajun bayous, and ferocious Latina folk singers - a surge of American innovation propels a nationwide movement into a global phenomenon.

Almost 100 years ago, the invention of the first electric recording machine changed the world forever. This film traces some of the earliest recorded musicians, their never-before-told stories and the astonishing impact they had on contemporary music and the world.