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Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters
Maybelle Addington, her cousin Sara and Sara's husband A.P. Carter
formed a country musical group called The Carter Family in the late
1920s. The group became famous for Maybelle's style of guitar
playing that is still used by today's bluegrass groups. Their simple
harmonies on such songs as "Wabash Cannonball" and "Will The Circle
Be Unbroken" endeared them to many.
Maybelle married A.P.'s brother Ezra and eventually their three
daughters, Helen, June and Anita and Sara's daughter Janette were
added to the group. Sara and A.P. divorced in 1939 and by the mid
1940s the group disbanded. Maybelle formed a new group with her
daughters, calling themselves Mother Maybelle and The Carter
Sisters. June had a flair for comedy and became the comedienne of
the group and eventually studied at New York's famed Actors' Studio.
Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters sang for various radio
programs and became members of the Grand Ole Opry by 1950. Elvis
toured with them early in his career in the mid-1950s. Today,
Elvis's personal collection of musical instruments still includes an
dulcimer given to him by the Carters. At this writing in 2005 of it
is on loan for display at the Rock 'n' Soul Museum in Memphis.
In 1960 the group began using the name The Carter Family. Soon after
that June fell in love with Johnny Cash, one of Elvis's fellow Sun
Records artists, and The Carter Family toured with Johnny's show.
Mother Maybelle was also much in demand as a solo act on the folk
music circuit. Anita also maintained a separate career and Helen
focused on songwriting. The group continued to record together and
their last chart entry was in 1973.
Maybelle died in 1978, Helen in 1998 and Anita in 1999. June and
Johnny Cash married in 1968 and went on to long successful careers
that also included film and TV. June died in May 2003 and Johnny in
September 2003.
On November 18, 2005 "Walk the Line," a film about Johnny Cash's
life, will be released. The movie, much of which was filmed in
Memphis, stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny, Reese Witherspoon as June
and Tyler Hilton as Elvis Presley. |
