Disco de The Carter Family: “Can The Circle Be Unbroken: Country Music's First Family”

The history of American roots music lies with southwestern Virginia's Carter Family's hymns, white blues, transplanted British folk ballads and sentimental 19th-century parlor songs. Playing melody on her bass strings, Maybelle helped to bring the guitar to the forefront of pop instrumentation.

Even at the peak of their 1920s-30s success, lead singer Sara's deep tones resonated with restrained sorrow (perhaps for a troubled marriage and a career she wanted far less than husband A.P. and sister-in-law Maybelle). With a voice as weathered as her native Clinch Mountains, Sara, though only in her 30s, sounded like "Worried Man Blues" would eat at her until she reached the "River Of Jordan."

These 20 rural tunes come from 1935 and 1940 sessions for ARC and OKeh. None of them were previously recorded for Victor, but Legacy's sound far surpasses Rounder's catalog of their Victor output.

The Carter Family officially had 3 chart country hits-according to Billboard. Their legend goes far beyond that meaningless statistic. This CD features the original group (A.P., Maybelle and Sara) before their series of breakups and reformations with new family members. This particular album was recorded mostly in 1935 and is an absolute treasure. Others may complain about the quality of the sound-it comes across as old, perhaps even scratchy. To this reviewer, that only adds to the luster. It sounds authentic! One can just imagine the group playing in a roadside inn- on a rainy Saturday night- deep in Virginia just before WW2. The tight harmony and guitar work is timeless. High points here are "Wildwood Flower", "The Storms Are On the Ocean" and especially "Keep on the Sunny Side". It is easy to be subjective on that score. Others may have their own favorites among the 20 tracks. ... The group goes back so far and is so unique, so real, so basic, so early country that "true believers" should expose themselves to the Carters. It is just that simple.

Long before Victor dragged their wire recorders into the hills to record the Carters, Marion Try Slaughter had been recording music and some classics under the name of Vernon Dalhart, that were and still are the "original" country music torch bearers. He had the first million selling recording. I recommend his recordings, the ones grouped into country music genre, as he recorded 1600 songs, not a misprint or typo, one thousand six hundred songs between the years of 1916-1937.

I beg all of you to try his recordings and Ernest V. Stoneman and family also. Least we not forget Bob Wills and his great band, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe, Johnny Western, Johnny Bond, Jimmy Rogers, etc. and of course the Carters.

I find this type of music should be listened to often, and should be played in our homes so all can listen to these recordings. God only let these people such as Alvin Pleasant Carter and his family adorn his Earth for just an eyeblink. As we are all here for just that much time really, enjoy the finer things that we can---this record is one of those things.

I've been a fan of Americana, Bluegrass, and folk music since childhood courtesy of my grandmother who introduced to me such wonderful artists such as The Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Grandpa Jones, Johnny Cash, and many others. This collection of the original Carter Family is a superb trip down memory lane and soothes the tortured soul with its simple vocals. I wish I could find some good documentaries or biographies of Carters on DVD or VHS.

Every song is a wonderful piece of history and some even brought tears to my eyes as I recalled how grandma loved so many of them.

After watching the PBS special about the Carter family, and loving their music from my childhood, I wanted to hear again the many wonderful songs and sounds. I have always loved hearing the autoharp.

The cd is great.