Carter Family

Carter Family, group of singers that specialized in traditional music of the Southern Appalachian Mountains; it consisted of

A(lvin) P(leasant) Carter, 1891–1960, b. Maces Spring, Va.; his wife,

Sara (Dougherty) Carter, 1898–1979, b. Flatwoods, Va.; and his sister-in-law,

Maybelle (Addington) Carter, 1909–1978, b. Nickelsville, Va. Perhaps the most influential group in the history of country music, they helped to bring folk and country into America's cultural mainstream. The group sang locally until 1927 when they responded to a talent scout's ad, were "discovered," and became recording artists. During their career they recorded more than 300 songs, sometimes joined by Sara or Maybelle's children.

The Carters' style was marked by close harmonies, by Sara's autoharp, and by "Mother" Maybelle's distinctive guitar-picking style, later adopted by many folk and country artists. Among their best-known songs are Wildwood Flower, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and Wabash Cannonball. While the so-called Original Carter Family disbanded in 1943 (seven years after Sara divorced A. P.), later Carters followed in their tradition; Maybelle continued to perform into the 1960s along with her daughters Helen (1927–98), Anita (1933–99), and June (1929–2003), who was married to and often sang with Johnny Cash. Today, A. P. and Sara's children Janette and Joe both sing country music, notably at the Carter Family Memorial Music Center in Hiltons, Va. (est. 1979). The Carter Family was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.

Bibliography

See study by M. Zwonitzer (2002),

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Carter Family

U.S. singing group. It consisted of Alvin Pleasant Carter (1891–1960), his wife Sara (1898–1979), and his sister-in-law Maybelle (1909–78). Natives of Virginia, they began their recording career in 1927. Over 16 years, with various combinations of Carter daughters, they recorded more than 300 songs from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including “Wabash Cannonball,” “I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,” “Wildwood Flower,” and “Keep on the Sunny Side.” They helped popularize Appalachian folk songs. After the original group broke up in 1943, its members continued to perform. “Mother” Maybelle Carter formed a successful act with her daughters and later performed with her son-in-law Johnny Cash. In the 1950s the Carter Family re-formed and appeared intermittently, with a changing lineup. The original Carter Family was the first group admitted (1970) to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

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Carter Family country music singers, songwriters. After A. P. Carter married Sara Dougherty in 1915, they often sang for friends and relatives; when Maybelle Addington married A. P.'s brother Ezra in 1926, she joined in and proved to be especially good on the guitar, banjo, and autoharp. They made their first records for Victor Company in 1927 (at the same session where Jimmie Rodgers debuted) and soon they were becoming known to a broader audience with their recordings, live radio broadcasts, and personal appearances. With a repertoire of both traditional folksongs, gospel music, and their own compositions ("Wildwood Flowers," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken"), they embodied the authentic mood and style of southern folk music. The original trio broke up in 1943 (A. P. and Sara had separated in 1933) and Maybelle began to perform with her daughters Helen, June, and Anita as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters; they were a popular fixture on Grand Ole Opry (1950–67). When June married Johnny Cash in 1968, the group toured with his show until 1973. A. P. and Sara had pretty much retired in 1943 but they joined their children, Joe and Janette, to make recordings in 1952 and 1956. Maybelle and Sara made an album, An Historic Reunion, in 1967. The abiding influence of the original Carter Family trio on several generations is now recognized by all who perform and enjoy American country and folk music.