The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound influence on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock music, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.
A. P., Maybelle, and Sara Carter (L–R) in 1927
Birthplace log cabin of A.P. Carter at the Carter Fold at Maces Springs, Virginia near Hiltons, Virginia.
A.P. Carter General Store Museum at the Carter Fold at Maces Springs, Virginia near Hiltons, Virginia
The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional folk music, contemporary folk music, vernacular music, or roots music. Many traditional songs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back to such origins as the British Isles, Mainland Europe, or Africa. Musician Mike Seeger once famously commented that the definition of American folk music is "...all the music that fits between the cracks."
Singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie emerged from the dust bowl of Oklahoma and the Great Depression in the mid-20th Century, with lyrics that embraced his views on ecology, poverty, and unionization in the United States., paired with melody reflecting the many genres of American folk music.
