The Carter Family

Country, folk, gospel

The Carter Family inspired the work of so many great American folk and country artists, from Johnny Cash to Woody Guthrie. Folks interested in learning more about the 1960s folk revival may appreciate the work of the Carter Family.

Original Line-up:
Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter
Sara Carter - autoharp
Maybelle Addington Carter - guitar

Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters:
Maybelle Addington Carter
June Carter
Helen Carter
Anita Carter

Worried Man Blues: The Complete Victor Recordings (Rounder)

Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Legacy)

Wildwood Flower (ASV)

"Wildwood Flower"
"Wabash Cannonball"
"Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone"

Country Music Hall of Fame (1970)
Grammy Hall of Fame (1988)
Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame (2001)
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)

Sara and Alvin Carter were married, and joined together with their cousin Maybelle to form a country-folk band that eventually became one of the most influential groups in the history of folk, country music, bluegrass, and southern gospel music. Particularly influential was Maybelle Carter's unique Carter guitar picking style, which played both the rhythm and the meldoy. You'd be hard-pressed nowadays to find a folksinger or country artist who isn't playing guitar with some variation of Carter style.

They made their first recording in Bristol, Tenn., in 1927 and followed it up with a 1928 recording for which they weren't paid. However, the album sold so well that they began touring and performing with artists like Jimmie Rodgers.

Eventually, they moved to Texas, where Maybelle's daughter June Carter joined the group. Sara and A.P. split up in the late 1930s, and the band eventually broke up, as well. However, Maybelle carried on the Carter Family tradition by performing with June and her other girls Anita and Helen, as a group called Maybelle Carter and the Carter Sisters.