The Carter Family

One of the most important musical groups of the 20th century, The Carter Family – who have been nicknamed ‘the first family of Country Music’ - influenced generations of folk, country, bluegrass, gospel, rock, and pop artists. Founded in Maces Spring, Virginia in 1927 by vocalist / guitarist A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter (vocals and guitar / autoharp), and his sister Maybelle Carter (lead guitar and vocals), the Carter Family’s Southern folk and gospel inspired style became the blueprint for country music. Many of their recordings have become country and folk classics including “Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow” (1927), “Keep on the Sunny Side” (1978), “Wildwood Flower” (1929), “Worried Man Blues” (1930), “Wabash Cannonball” (1932), “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” (1935) and many others. The Carter Family expanded their line-up for live and radio performances in the late 1930s. These later members included the offspring of the three original members: Janette Carter, Helen Carter, Anita Carter, Joe Carter, and June Carter, who would later marry country music icon Johnny Cash. However, this second-generation Carter Family split up in 1944 after A.P. and Sara were divorced. Members of the group continued to perform under variations on the Carter Family name including The Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle and The A.P. Carter Family. After the death of A.P. Carter in 1960, Maybelle and her daughters began performing as The Carter Family. Sara and Maybelle reunited and recorded several albums together. Later generations of Carters – including John Carter Cash, Carlene Carter, and Dale Jett – have revived the family name on occasion over the years. The Carter Family’s recorded legacy has reached far beyond their humble roots and has influenced generations of musicians. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 opus Will the Circle Be Unbroken was an homage and tribute to The Carter Family’s influence on music. The group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1970), the Grammy Hall of Fame (1988), and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (2001). They’ve been honored with a postage stamp by the U.S. Postal Service and were given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

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