elvis Facts, Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters


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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.

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