A. P. Carter

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A. P. Carter
ARC, Decca

Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (December 15, 1891 – November 7, 1960) was an American musician and a founding member of

The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music
.

While A.P.'s mother was pregnant with him she was struck by lightning, which gave A.P. a tremble in his right hand, but that didn't stop him from learning the fiddle and guitar when he was young.

A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter started the Carter Family with Maybelle's husband and A.P.'s brother, Ezra, as manager in 1927. They played up until Sara and A.P.'s divorce in 1936, but reunited in 1956.

Biography

A.P. Carter was born to Robert C. Carter and Mollie Arvelle Bays in Maces Spring, Virginia, an area in what is now Hiltons, Virginia, located in Poor Valley. A.P. was sometimes called "Doc."[1]

On June 18, 1915, he married

Keep on the Sunny Side of Life" was published in 1901 with the words being credited to Ada Blenkhorn and the music credited to Howard Entwisle,[2] and "The Meeting in the Air" has been published with credit given for music and words to I.G. Martin.[3]

In a case of perfect timing,

Victrolas". Victor Records sent a "mobile" recording team around the country, seeking popular music. One of their stops was in Bristol, Tennessee
, just a few miles from Maces Spring, and the Carter Family went there to record some songs, which soon became popular country-wide.

A.P. and Sara separated in 1932, in part as a result of Sara's having an affair with A.P.'s cousin—A.P. was away from home for long periods in his job as a traveling salesman—and his search for new musical ideas. They divorced in 1939. The band remained together for several years afterwards, but broke up in 1943. While Maybelle and her daughters continued to tour as the Carter Family, A.P. left the music business to run a general store in Hiltons, Virginia.

A. P. Carter Store, which A.P. ran after retiring from the music business

Beginning in 1952, A.P. reunited with Sara, along with their children Janette and Joe, to record for the Kentucky based Acme Records. The majority of these recordings were made in the same building in Bristol where the original family first recorded in 1927. The new Carter Family was featured on stations such as WCKY, WWVA, KXEL, and many more. The family also appeared on a national CBS program. These records would prove to be A.P. Carter’s final recordings, with records with the new lineup being made well into 1956.

A.P. Carter died in Kingsport, Tennessee, on November 7, 1960, at the age of 68.

Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church cemetery in the Maces Springs area of Hiltons, Virginia.[6]

Legacy

Mount Vernon United Methodist Church
at Maces Springs, Virginia, now Hiltons, Virginia

Despite dying in relative obscurity, A. P. Carter was inducted into the

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor
.

PBS aired a one-hour show on A.P. Carter and the Carter Family in 2005 on American Experience
titled "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".

In recent years, Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, has performed a play by Douglas Pote based on A.P.'s life, called Keep on the Sunny Side .

On her 2008 album

Kate and Anna McGarrigle
, about the relationship between A.P. and Sara, inspired by a documentary that the three of them saw on television.

The song "When I'm Gone", written by A.P. Carter and performed by the Carter Family in 1931, was revived in 2009 when Lulu and the Lampshades created a reworked version, using the cup game as percussion, titled "Cups (When I'm Gone)," which in turn was famously covered by Anna Kendrick for her 2012 film "Pitch Perfect".

The A. P. and Sara Carter House, A. P. Carter Homeplace, A. P. Carter Store, Maybelle and Ezra Carter House, and Mt. Vernon Methodist Church are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as components of the Carter Family Thematic Resource.[8][9]

In keeping with A. P.'s dying wishes, his daughter Janette Carter restarted regular performances at A. P. Carter's general store venue, and the organization became known as the Carter Family Fold, which continues to offer regular Appalachian music performances.

Family tree

Robert C. CarterMollie Arvelle Bays
Maybelle CarterEzra CarterA.P. CarterSara Carter
Helen CarterAnita CarterJune Carter CashJohnny CashGladys CarterJanette CarterJoe Carter
John Carter Cash

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7432-4382-7
    .
  2. ^ Geibel, Adam and R. Frank Lehman, eds. Uplifted Voices (song no. 9). Philadelphia: Geibel and Lehman, 1901.
  3. ^ Tillman, Charlie D. The Revival No. 6 (song no. 159). Atlanta, GA: Charlie Tillman Song Book Co., nd.
  4. ^ "Nashville Songwriter's Foundation". Nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com. November 7, 1960. Archived from the original on July 11, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  5. ^ "Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle (American singing group) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Britannica.com. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  6. ^ Daniel, Wayne W. "Carter, A. P. (1891–1960)". Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Wolfe, Charles. "Carter Family". Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  9. ^ Carter Family TR

External links

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