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Carter Family

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
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…
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Full text Article Carter Family

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
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…
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Full text Article Carter Family

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
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, …
| 259 words
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Full text Article Carter Family

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
US country- and folk-music group, active from the 1920s to 1943. Their material of old ballads and religious songs, and the guitar-picking technique of Maybelle Carter (1909–1978), influenced the development of country music, especially bluegrass . Songs they made popular include ‘Keep on the Sunny…
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Full text Article Carter Family

From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
US country music artists The Carter Family, along with Jimmie Rodgers , were the first stars of country music. The original group in 1927 featured A(lvin) P(leasant Delaney) Carter (1891-1960), his wife Sara Carter (1898-1979, née Dougherty) and her cousin, Maybelle Carter (1909-78, née Addington). …
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Victor V-40000 Recorded in Camden, New Jersey on May 10, 1928 1 ( NPR-100, C&W-#11, Folk-#11, GHF, RR, HBN-#183, SC, DMDB ) One of the immortal songs in country music history was originally a sentimental 1860 parlor ballad, titled I'll Twine ’Mid the Ringlets (lyrics by J. P. Webster, music by…
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Carter Family, courtesy of Library of Congress...
Victor 40317 Recorded in Memphis on May 24, 1930 The original recording of one of the great folk/country standards, Worried Man Blues was one of the first genuine blues releases by the Carter Family; its flip side was another winner, The Cannon Ball . A. P. Carter is believed to have learned the…
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Recorded May 6, 1935 Banner 33465 (also recorded for Melotone, Oriole, Perfect, & Romeo); reissued on Columbia 37669 in May 1947 ( HBN-#4, C&W-#20, Folk-#22, GHF, RIA-#116, 1001, SC, DMDB ) 1 Perhaps the most beloved traditional song in all of country music, Will the Circle Be Unbroken (its…
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Victor 40089 Recorded on Feb. 14, 1929 A. P. Carter was a supremely skilled collector and re-interpreter of traditional songs, and this was one of his finest—a deeply touching, melancholy ballad about a love who is lost across the sea. Its roots were in British folk tunes; Sara Carter, A. P.'s wife, …
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Full text Article Carter, Maybelle

From A to Z of Women: American Women in the Performing Arts
(b. 1909–d. 1978) musician Considered the mother of country music, Maybelle Carter was born Maybelle Addington on May 10, 1909. She grew up in rural Virginia near the town of Nickelsville, where her father operated a general store. Like many mountain families, the Addingtons played music for their…
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Between 1927 and 1943 she worked with her brother-in-law A. P. [Alvin Pleasant] Carter (b. Maces Spring, Va., 15 Dec. 1891; d. there, 7 Nov. 1960) and his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (b. Flat Woods, Va., 21 July 1898; d. Lodi, Cal., 8 Jan. 1979). As the Carter Family they recorded over 250…
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