7 Carter Family 7and Anita) also appearing, they recorded more than 300
songs for various labels, covering a significant cross sec-
tion of the mountain music repertory, including old ballads
and humorous songs, sentimental pieces from the 19th
and early 20th centuries, and many religious pieces. They
later performed extensively on radio, popularizing many
songs that became standards of folk and country music,
including “Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy,” “Wabash
Cannonball,” “It Takes a Worried Man to Sing a Worried
Song,” and “Wild wood Flower.”
The Carter Family was remarkable not only for its
prolific recording but also for the musical accomplish-
ment—and balance—of its members. A.P. was the group’s
songsmith. He was an avid collector of oral tradition, as
well as an adept arranger of rural regional repertoire for
consumption by a broader audience. A.P. also composed
many new songs for the group, replicating the style of the
traditional material. Sara, with her strong soprano voice,
was typically the lead singer, supported by Maybelle’s alto
harmonies and A.P.’s bass and baritone interjections. The
instrumental anchor of the Carter Family was Maybelle, a
skilled performer on guitar, banjo, and autoharp. She also
developed a unique finger-picking technique on guitar
that continues to be emulated by many guitarists today.
In 1943 the Carter Family disbanded, its members
subsequently forming various other groups. Maybelle
(“Mother”) Carter performed both with her daughters
and as a soloist. In the 1950s the Carter Family re-formed and
appeared intermittently, with a changing lineup. The original
Carter Family was the first group admitted to the Country
Music Hall of Fame.
Maybelle also sang periodically with her son-in-law
Johnny Cash, whose gritty songs of social commentary
had already propelled him to the top of the country-and-
western music industry. Known for his black clothes and