The Carter Sisters
Encyclopedia
The Carter Sisters, were an American singing quartet
consisting of Maybelle Carter
and her daughters June Carter Cash
, Helen Carter
, and Anita Carter
. Formed during World War II, the group recorded and performed into the 1980's.
and Sara's husband A. P. Carter
. Maybelle's contribution to the group was singing harmony to Sara's lead vocal as well as playing guitar. Maybelle was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra Carter and had three children: June, Helen, and Anita.
In March 1943, when the original Carter Family
trio stopped recording together after their WBT-AM
contract ended, Maybelle Carter formed "Maybelle Carter & the Carter Sisters" with her three daughters June, Helen and Anita. Maybelle's daughters had frequently appeared with The Carter Family on their radio broadcasts of the early 1940's. The girls were young when the new act began: June at age 14; Helen, 16; and Anita, the youngest, at age 10.
The group was said to have been a mix of traditional songs of the original Carter Family with pop, gospel, and vaudeville comedy. Each daughter made her own contribution to the band.
The group (originally from Poor Valley, Virginia) made their first move to Richmond, Virginia
in 1943. (They were reported as having kept their travel low key, with their father Ezra driving the group in a van to and from their destinations.) The new group first aired on radio station WRNL
in Richmond on June 1, 1943. This broadcast would serve as their first commercially sponsored program and their first radio debut as "Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters." The girls' next big break was offered to them by "Sunshine Sue" of WRVA-AM. In September 1946 the group was asked to be a part of The Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA. The show had just begun and started small, however by the end of its first year was selling out its 1,400 seat theater twice a night, every Saturday. The group soon became a headliner for the show. Having spent five years in Richmond, the girls were yet again offered a job opportunity, this time in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In 1948, towards the end of their time in Richmond, the girls were offered the chance to work for WNOX-AM in Knoxville. They accepted and were then played on both the evening show, Tennessee Barn Dance; and the daily show, Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round.
Now known as The Carter Sisters, the group released its first record on February 2, 1949, produced in Atlanta, Georgia through RCA Victor records. The group recorded many singles in the 1950's. The sisters also individually released occasional single records but none of their recordings in this era were particularly successful, despite their fame and popularity as a concert act.
In June 1950 the group was offered a job at the Grand Ole Opry
in Nashville, Tennessee. They accepted and their performances became some of their most famous and valued work. They performed with famous names such as Elvis Presley
, Carl Smith
(June's husband at the time), Ernest Tubb
, and Johnny Cash and spent roughly ten years working the Grand Ole Opry as well as on various other radio broadcasts. June also began making frequent solo performances in concert and on television during this era.
Following the death of A. P. Carter in 1960, Maybelle officially renamed the girls' group "The Carter Family" after the original act. In 1963 The Carter Family joined the Johnny Cash road show. During this period, all four members of the group occasionally recorded as solo artists; June and Helen released a number of singles that failed to chart (June would later have a solo hit in 1971 with "A Good Man" and many very successful duets with husband Johnny Cash
); Anita had several minor chart records and a hit duet with Waylon Jennings
, "I Got You", in 1967. Maybelle Carter recorded a number of solo albums, mostly instrumental performances, and in 1967 reunited with Sara Carter
for an album of old-timey music.
In 1969 it was announced that the group would disband, but in truth the act continued and actually enjoyed it's greatest success in the early 1970's with regular appearances on television's The Johnny Cash Show
and the first major chart hit records of their career. In 1973, the act won "Favorite Country Vocal Group" on the American Music Awards
, a surprise victory over the more commercially successful The Statler Brothers and The Osborne Brothers.
The act continued to record music together until Maybelle's death in 1978. Later the group of sisters performed on rare occasions, and also intermittently with June's daughter, Carlene Carter
. The 1974 album Three Generations included vocals by several of the daughters' children.
In 1989 The Carter Sisters joined The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for the recording of their Country Music Association
's Album of the Year, the followup Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2. In 1990, the album was celebrated on the PBS
music television program Austin City Limits
, which featured a performance by The Carter Sisters of "Keep on the Sunny Side" and with the full ensemble on the Carter Family song, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", from the original 1972 album.
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
consisting of Maybelle Carter
Maybelle Carter
"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.-Biography:...
and her daughters June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash
Valerie June Carter Cash was an American singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedienne and author who was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash...
, Helen Carter
Helen Carter
Helen Myrl Carter was an American country music singer. The eldest daughter of Maybelle Carter, she performed with her mother and her younger sisters, June Carter and Anita Carter, as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, a pioneering all female country/folk music group...
, and Anita Carter
Anita Carter
Ina Anita Carter , the youngest daughter of Ezra and Mother Maybelle Carter, was a versatile American singer who experimented with several different types of music and played stand-up bass with her sisters Helen Carter and June Carter Cash as The Carter Sisters...
. Formed during World War II, the group recorded and performed into the 1980's.
History
In the 1920's through the early 1940's, Maybelle Carter was part of the historic country music trio The Carter Family with her cousin Sara CarterSara Carter
Sara Carter was an American Country music musician. Known for her deep and distinctive singing voice, she was the lead singer on most of the recordings of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s....
and Sara's husband A. P. Carter
A. P. Carter
Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter , best known as A.P. Carter, was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music.-Life:...
. Maybelle's contribution to the group was singing harmony to Sara's lead vocal as well as playing guitar. Maybelle was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra Carter and had three children: June, Helen, and Anita.
In March 1943, when the original Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
trio stopped recording together after their WBT-AM
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
contract ended, Maybelle Carter formed "Maybelle Carter & the Carter Sisters" with her three daughters June, Helen and Anita. Maybelle's daughters had frequently appeared with The Carter Family on their radio broadcasts of the early 1940's. The girls were young when the new act began: June at age 14; Helen, 16; and Anita, the youngest, at age 10.
The group was said to have been a mix of traditional songs of the original Carter Family with pop, gospel, and vaudeville comedy. Each daughter made her own contribution to the band.
- Helen: vocals, guitar, and accordion
- Anita: vocals, guitar, and bass fiddle
- June: vocals, autoharp and comedy (June struggled with pitch problems and soon began to focus more on her comedic addition to the group than her singing.)
The group (originally from Poor Valley, Virginia) made their first move to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
in 1943. (They were reported as having kept their travel low key, with their father Ezra driving the group in a van to and from their destinations.) The new group first aired on radio station WRNL
WRNL
WRNL is a Sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Metro Richmond. WRNL is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-External links:*...
in Richmond on June 1, 1943. This broadcast would serve as their first commercially sponsored program and their first radio debut as "Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters." The girls' next big break was offered to them by "Sunshine Sue" of WRVA-AM. In September 1946 the group was asked to be a part of The Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA. The show had just begun and started small, however by the end of its first year was selling out its 1,400 seat theater twice a night, every Saturday. The group soon became a headliner for the show. Having spent five years in Richmond, the girls were yet again offered a job opportunity, this time in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In 1948, towards the end of their time in Richmond, the girls were offered the chance to work for WNOX-AM in Knoxville. They accepted and were then played on both the evening show, Tennessee Barn Dance; and the daily show, Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round.
Now known as The Carter Sisters, the group released its first record on February 2, 1949, produced in Atlanta, Georgia through RCA Victor records. The group recorded many singles in the 1950's. The sisters also individually released occasional single records but none of their recordings in this era were particularly successful, despite their fame and popularity as a concert act.
In June 1950 the group was offered a job at the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
in Nashville, Tennessee. They accepted and their performances became some of their most famous and valued work. They performed with famous names such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Carl Smith
Carl Smith
Carl Smith may refer to:* Carl Smith , American country music singer* Carl Smith , American football coach* Carl Smith , ice hockey winger...
(June's husband at the time), Ernest Tubb
Ernest Tubb
Ernest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
, and Johnny Cash and spent roughly ten years working the Grand Ole Opry as well as on various other radio broadcasts. June also began making frequent solo performances in concert and on television during this era.
Following the death of A. P. Carter in 1960, Maybelle officially renamed the girls' group "The Carter Family" after the original act. In 1963 The Carter Family joined the Johnny Cash road show. During this period, all four members of the group occasionally recorded as solo artists; June and Helen released a number of singles that failed to chart (June would later have a solo hit in 1971 with "A Good Man" and many very successful duets with husband Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
); Anita had several minor chart records and a hit duet with Waylon Jennings
Waylon Jennings
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...
, "I Got You", in 1967. Maybelle Carter recorded a number of solo albums, mostly instrumental performances, and in 1967 reunited with Sara Carter
Sara Carter
Sara Carter was an American Country music musician. Known for her deep and distinctive singing voice, she was the lead singer on most of the recordings of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s....
for an album of old-timey music.
In 1969 it was announced that the group would disband, but in truth the act continued and actually enjoyed it's greatest success in the early 1970's with regular appearances on television's The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show is a live album by country singer Johnny Cash, recorded at the Grand Ole Opry and released on Columbia Records in 1970. Though one of Cash's lesser-known live records, it spawned the highly successful single "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", which helped kickstart the career of...
and the first major chart hit records of their career. In 1973, the act won "Favorite Country Vocal Group" on the American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
, a surprise victory over the more commercially successful The Statler Brothers and The Osborne Brothers.
The act continued to record music together until Maybelle's death in 1978. Later the group of sisters performed on rare occasions, and also intermittently with June's daughter, Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter
Carlene Carter is an American country singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith....
. The 1974 album Three Generations included vocals by several of the daughters' children.
In 1989 The Carter Sisters joined The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band for the recording of their Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's Album of the Year, the followup Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. 2. In 1990, the album was celebrated on the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
music television program Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
, which featured a performance by The Carter Sisters of "Keep on the Sunny Side" and with the full ensemble on the Carter Family song, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", from the original 1972 album.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Country Favorites | Sunset Records Sunset Records Sunset Records was a record label started in 1966 as the budget album subsidiary of Liberty Records to reissue the Liberty, Imperial, and Minit material.The label stopped operating around 1974.... |
|
| 1965 | The Best of the Carter Family | Columbia Records Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... |
|
| 1967 | Country Album | Columbia Records | |
| 1970 | I Walk The Line (reissues) | Harmony Records Harmony Records Harmony Records was a label owned by Columbia Records. It was originally used as a label for low-price 78 rpm records in the 1920s and 1930s; subsequently it was revived as a label for budget albums of reissued tracks during the 1950s with nine or ten songs per album... |
|
| 1972 | Travelin' Minstrel Band | 44 | Columbia Records |
| 1974 | Three Generations | ||
| 1976 | Country's First Family | 49 | |
| 1982 | Class Family of Country (reissues) | Columbia Special Products |
Selected Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1949 | "Why Do You Weep, Dear Willow" | — | — | singles only |
| "Walk Closer to Me" | — | — | ||
| 1950 | "Little Orphan Girl" | — | — | |
| 1953 | "Wildwood Flower Wildwood Flower "Wildwood Flower" is an American song, best known through performances and recordings by the Carter Family. However, the song predates them. The original title was "I'll Twine 'Mid the Ringlets"... " |
— | — | |
| 1954 | "Time's a Wastin'" | — | — | singles only |
| "You are My Flower" | — | — | ||
| 1964 | "Fair and Tender Ladies" | — | — | |
| 1965 | "You Win Again You Win Again You Win Again may refer to:* You Win Again , an album by Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis* "You Win Again" , a song by the Bee Gees* "You Win Again" , a song by Hank Williams... " |
— | — | |
| 1966 | "I Walk the Line I Walk the Line "I Walk the Line" is a song written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. It was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics that his brother introduced him to following his discharge from the Air Force. Cash and his wife, Vivian, were living in Memphis, Tennessee,... " |
— | — | Country Album |
| 1967 | "Once Around the Briar Patch" | - | - | |
| 1969 | "If I Live Long Enough" | — | — | singles only |
| 1971 | "A Song to Mama" | 37 | 42 | Travelin' Minstrel Band |
| 1972 | "Travelin' Minstrel Band" | 42 | — | |
| "The World Needs a Melody" (with Johnny Cash) | 35 | 55 | ||
| 1973 | "Praise the Lord and Pass the Soup" (with Johnny Cash & The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s... ) |
57 | 65 | singles only |
| "Pick the Wildwood Flower" (with Johnny Cash) | 34 | — |
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | "Busted" | Johnny Cash Johnny Cash John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century... |
13 | Blood, Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat and Tears (album) Blood, Sweat and Tears is the fifteenth album by singer Johnny Cash, released in 1963 . It is, in essence, a collection of songs about the American working man... |
Further reading
- Wolfe, Charles K. "Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters." Classic Country: Legends of Country Music. New York: London Routledge, 2001. 12-18. NetLibrary. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
- Seemann, Charlie. "Review (untitled)." The Journal of American Folklore 111.442 (1998): 450-51. JSTOR. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.
- Anshaw, Carol, Sharon O'Brien, Gayle Pemberton, Emma Perez, Carole Maso, Ann E. Matter, Michele Wallace, Kate Daniels, Kathryn Stripling Byer, and Cynthia Hogue. "Listeners' Delight: Ten Writers Choose Their "Desert Island Disks" The Women's Review of Books 18.3 (2000): 10-12. JSTOR. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.
- Kahn, Ed. "The Carter Family on Border Radio." American Music 14.2 (1996): 205-17. JSTOR. Web. 8 Nov. 2010.
- Ratliff, Ben. "June Carter Cash, a Fixture In Country Music, Dies at 73." The New York Times 16 May 2003, A25 sec. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.
- Strauss, Neil. "Anita Carter, Country Singer, Is Dead at 66." The New York Times 2 Aug. 1999, A13 sec. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.