Guest Writer: Elton Jared Hughes
The Judds can suck it, The First Country Family: The Carter Family
Posted by: steve | From: May 24, 2004
The Greatest Band Of All Time hereby declares we are going to a 7 day a week schedule starting today with Sundays featuring guest writers. To kick us off is Elton Jared Hughes. (We apologize for the down time over the last 24 hours)
When I was a freshman at College I spent most my days watching free movies and checking out free music from the Media Library. To my surprise the music selection was vast and daunting. I decided to cover American music starting with early Folk Blues and Country recordings. I got a hold of the famed Harry Smith Anthologies and some of the music was good, others just dated and scratchy and some just down right funny. They were starting to sound all the same and I was getting tired of it, which is until I heard the Carter Family. Comprised of a shy gospel quartet member called Alvin P. Carter and two reserved country girls -- his wife Sara and their sister-in-law Maybelle -- the Carter Family sang a pure, simple harmony that influenced not only the numerous other family groups of the '30s and the '40s, but folk, and rock musicians like Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan , Emmylou Harris, and Will Oldham to mention just a few. The Carter Family's instrumental backup, like their vocals, was unique, often trading off melodies and harmonies and always singing together. The original Family consisted of Mother Maybelle Carter, who played guitar and sang harmony; Sara Dougherty who played autoharp and sang alto lead; and Sara's husband, Alvin Pleasant (A.P.) Carter who played fiddle and sang bass and occasionally the piano.
The Carter Family made their first recordings on the Victor label in 1927, in Bristol, Tennessee. During the next 17 years they recorded some 300 old-time ballads, traditional tunes, country songs, and Gospel hymns, all representatives of America's southern folklore and heritage. They operated out of their homes in the Clinch Mountain area of Virginia until 1938. The next few years they toured Texas and the various southern neighbors until they disbanded in 1943. Maybelle Carter, who has been called the "Queen of Country Music," continued the tradition and her career with her three daughters, Anita, Helen, and June who is married to Johnny Cash. Enough of their recordings remained in the vaults to keep the group current through the '40s. Their influence was evident through further generations of musicians, in all forms of popular music, until the end of the century. Thus giving them a deserving title of THE GREATEST BAND OF ALL TIME. by EJH
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"Toby Keith Sweeps Top Country Music Awards"
That is an argument against the existence of god.
That or it's time to retire the phrase "country music" and start calling this modern shit "cuntry music."
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F.Y.I. The Gribble, Lusk, & York Stringband is the best country band ever. Have you ever listened to the CD - Altamont: Black Stringband Music from the Library of Congress? That's my argument. I am getting a fever just thinking about how hot that CD is.
Posted by: bumtrash at May 27, 2004 08:19 AM