Carter Family facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Carter Family
A. P., Maybelle, and Sara Carter (L–R) in 1927
Background information
Origin	Maces Spring, Virginia
Genres	Country folk blues gospel Americana
Years active	1927–1956
Labels	Bluebird Decca RCA Victor Vocalion Montgomery Ward Records
Members	A. P. Carter Ezra Carter Sara Carter Maybelle Carter
Past members	Helen Carter Anita Carter June Carter Cash Janette Carter Joe Carter Dale Jett Carter John Carter Cash

The Carter Family was a very important American folk music group. They made recordings between 1927 and 1956. Their music greatly influenced many styles, like bluegrass, country, gospel, and even rock music. They also helped start the folk music revival in the 1960s.

They were the first singing group to become country music stars. They were also among the first to record country music for sale. Their first songs were recorded in Bristol, Tennessee, on August 1, 1927. This was for the Victor Talking Machine Company.

Popular songs like "Wabash Cannonball", "Can the Circle Be Unbroken", and "Wildwood Flower" became country classics. The tune from "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" was even used for other famous songs. This helped their music stay popular for a long time.

The original group had Sara Carter, her husband A. P. Carter, and Sara's sister-in-law Maybelle Carter. Maybelle was also Sara's first cousin. She was married to A.P.'s brother, Ezra Carter. All three grew up in southwest Virginia. They were experts in the close harmonies of mountain gospel music.

Sara Carter usually sang the main vocals and played rhythm guitar or autoharp. Maybelle sang harmony and played lead guitar. A.P. sometimes sang harmony or lead vocals. Maybelle's special guitar style, called the Carter Scratch, became very famous. It's still one of the most copied guitar styles today.

The Carter Family's Journey

How They Started

A.P. Carter's childhood home near Maces Spring, Virginia.

The Carter Family made their first recordings on August 1, 1927. A. P. Carter convinced his wife Sara Carter and sister-in-law Maybelle Carter to travel to Bristol, Tennessee. There, they auditioned for record producer Ralph Peer. Peer was looking for new musical talent.

These first recording sessions are known as the Bristol Sessions. The band earned $50 for each song they recorded. They also got a small payment for every record sold if they owned the song's copyright. Their first record, with "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child," came out in November 1927.

By the end of 1930, the Carter Family had sold 300,000 records in the U.S. A.P. traveled around Virginia to find new songs and write his own. He even worked with Lesley Riddle, a black guitar player, to find new music.

The Next Generation

The A.P. Carter General Store Museum.

In the late 1930s, the Carter Family started performing on radio. They had a show on a powerful radio station called XERA in Mexico. This station could be heard across much of the United States.

Later, the children of A.P. and Sara (Janette Carter and Joe Carter) and Maybelle's daughters (Helen Carter, June, and Anita Carter) joined the group for radio shows. These shows were recorded and sent to many radio stations. The children did not record on the group's albums at this time.

By 1936, A.P. and Sara's marriage had ended. Sara later remarried and moved to California. The original Carter Family group stopped performing together in 1944.

Maybelle continued to perform with her daughters. They were known as "The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle." They had their own radio show. Famous guitarist Chet Atkins joined them in 1949. They later became regular performers at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

A.P., Sara, and their children Joe and Janette also recorded three albums in the 1950s. After A.P. Carter passed away in 1960, Maybelle and her daughters started using the name "The Carter Family" again. Maybelle and Sara even reunited for an album and tour in the 1960s.

In 1987, June Carter Cash, Helen, and Anita Carter, along with June's daughter Carlene Carter, performed as the Carter Family. They appeared on a TV show with June's husband, Johnny Cash.

Third Generation of Music

The Carter Family name was used again for a third time. This group, called Carter Family III, included descendants of the original family. These were John Carter Cash (Maybelle's grandson) and Dale Jett (A.P. and Sara's grandson). John's wife, Laura Cash, also joined them. They released their first album in 2010.

Rosie Nix Adams, June Carter Cash's daughter, also performed with the Carter Family sometimes. Carlene Carter, Maybelle's granddaughter, had a pop music career before joining the Carter Family's second generation revival.

The Carter Family's Impact

Their Unique Sound

Maybelle Carter's guitar playing was very important to country music. She created her own special way of playing, known as the "Carter scratch" or "Carter Family picking." She used her thumb and fingers to play both the melody and the rhythm on the guitar.

Before the Carter Family, the guitar was rarely used as a main solo instrument. Maybelle's style, where she played a melody on the low strings while strumming the higher ones, is now a basic guitar technique. Many famous guitarists, like Doc Watson, were inspired by Maybelle's playing.

It's been said that by the late 1920s, Maybelle Carter's guitar style was the most copied in music. She did more than anyone to make the guitar popular. Her playing was as unique as any voice.

Awards and Recognition

The Carter Family was honored in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970. They were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music."

In 1988, they were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for their song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." The U.S. Postal Service even made a postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle in 1993.

The group was also inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 2001. In 2005, they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

A musical play called Keep on the Sunny Side tells the story of the Carter Family. It first opened in Virginia in 2001 and became very popular.

The Carter Family's song "When I'm Gone" became popular again after it was featured in the movie Pitch Perfect. Singer Anna Kendrick released it as a single.

Several places related to the Carter Family, like the A. P. and Sara Carter House, are listed as important historic sites.

In 2017, the Carter Family's story was featured in the documentary series American Epic. This film showed old footage of the family and improved versions of their 1920s recordings. The director noted that the Carters were important in both early recordings and the rise of radio.

Group Members

• A. P. Carter (1927–1944, 1952–1956)
• Maybelle Carter (1927–1978)
• Sara Carter (1927–1944, 1952–1956, 1960–1971)
• Janette Carter (1939–1940, 1952–1956)
• Helen Carter (1939–1940, 1944–1996)
• June Carter Cash (1939–1940, 1944–1969, 1971–1996)
• Anita Carter (1939–1940, 1944–1996)
• Joe Carter (1952–1956)
• John Carter Cash (2012–present)
• Dale Jett (2012–present)
• Carlene Carter (1987–present)
• Laura Cash (2012–2016)

Family Tree

June Carter and her sisters were distant cousins of U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

This family tree shows some of the extended Carter family.

Selected Recordings

The Carter Family's career started before music charts existed. Here is a list of some of their popular 78 rpm records.