The Carter family: pioneer country music singers

Nestled in the shadow of Clinch Mountain, in the crossroads hamlet of Maces Spring, Virginia, sits one of the most rustic concert theaters in the world. It is made of rough-cut lumber with sides that swing open on hinges to admit summer breezes. In winter, the entire building is heated by wood and coal-fed iron stoves. The seating is a medley of old chairs taken from abandoned theaters, and discarded church pews. Carpeting consists of remnants and sample squares, in an infinite variety of colors and designs. It looks like the entire building was thrown together from a jumble of second thoughts. Beside the theater is a tiny white clapboard building surrounded by spreading trees. Inside are stacks of ancient 78 rpm phonograph records, thousands of faded pictures and dozens of dogeared scrapbooks. Clothing is sealed behind glass wall cases -- the expensive dress worn by June Carter Cash on a visit to Jimmy Carter’s White House and a dress suit worn by her husband, Johnny, on the same night. In stark contrast is a pair of ragged britches with broken suspenders that are attached to the waistband with a rusty nail. The little museum was once a general store and it’s proprietor was one of the true legends of country music -- A.P. Carter. He opened his business in the 1940s simply because he wanted something to do. A.P. was also the threadbare owner of the pants with the broken suspenders. The theater and museum, now called the Carter Fold, are operated by A.P.’s daughter and son, Jeanette and Joe. Although Joe designed and built the theater, Jeanette is the prime mover behind the Fold. She wanted to build a living memorial to her father, her mother Sara, and her Aunt Maybelle -- members of the first modern country singing group. The Carter Family was not the first country music group and certainly not the first to make records. But the Carter Family, according to some scholars, heralded the beginning of modern country music -- a major break from the string bands that had recorded up to that time. Ralph Peer (first working for Okeh Records, then for Victor) had been recording so-called “hillbilly groups” for five years, mostly around Atlanta. But in 1927, he decided to take his recording equipment to Bristol, Tennessee on a talent search. To flush local singers out of the hills he advertised in local newspapers that he would audition all comers. About three dozen singers and groups answered the call, including the Carters and another country legend-to-be, Jimmie Rodgers. The Carters had already been singing in local churches, schoolhouses and auditoriums for years. On a hot July day the Carter Family recorded six of their songs for Peer including “The Wandering Boy” and “Single Girl, Married Girl”. The records sold well and Victor offered the Carters a long term contract. Over the next 15 years. the Carters cut over 300 sides for nearly every major record companyin the business. Sara, A.P.’s wife, sang lead and played the autoharp. Maybelle, a tiny woman who had married A.P.’s brother Ezra, sang harmony and played a jazz-style guitar that was almost as big as she was. A.P. sang bass. A.P. constantly searched out new material for the group. He would disappear for days, roaming the Virginia mountains, seeking new songs. Then he would arrange each new song to his family’s style and copyright it -- even the folk songs. This is why his name appears on songs that he could not have possibly written -- “Wildwood Flower” or “Wreck of the Old ‘97”. But he did pen new songs of his own like “My Clinch Mountain Home” and “The Cyclone At Rye Cove”. Throughout their recording career, the Carter Family never changed their musical style. Rising stars like Roy Acuff and Gene Autry modernized Carter material but the Carter Family remained the same, thereby losing ground to new performers. The first “modern” country singers were standing stone still while the rest of the world passed them by. On top of all this, A.P. and Sara separated in 1932 (they divorced seven years later) and Maybelle and her husband had moved to Washington, D.C. The trio seldom saw each other except at recording sessions. The Carter Family was definitely on the downswing by the late 30s. The group’s popularity was temporarily revitalized when they signed a contract with powerful radio station XERF in Del Rio, Texas. The increased exposure gave the Carters a brief surge in popularity. The group continued to record until 1943 when Sara decided to retire and move to California with her new husband. Maybelle, in the meantime, joined her three daughters and began making records on her own. A.P., who could not hold his own as a solo act, retired to Maces Spring and opened his general store. In 1952, A.P. and Sara, along with their grown children Jeanette and Joe, reformed the Carter Family to record about 100 songs for Acme Records of Kentucky, but the project failed. The act broke up for a second time in 1956. When A.P. Carter died in 1960, several record companies including Columbia and RCA Victor reissued LP collections of the original Carter Family sides. New interest in the group surfaced and scholars began looking seriously at their contribution to country music. In the meantime, a new generation of warblers -- Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Doc Watson among them -- began issuing their own versions of Carter Family songs. Now on Saturday nights, hundreds of fans crowd the Carter Fold in Maces Spring to celebrate not only A.P., Sara and Maybelle, but traditional performances of country music as well. Both Joe and Jeanette participate in the concerts, and Carter memorabilia and records are sold in front of the stage each night. The Carter Family made comparatively little money during their career because A.P. insisted on playing smaller dates. And, after 1932, the family was hardly together except for recording sessions. Even though most of their records sold well, royalties were low and the records seldom made them much money. When A.P. returned to Virginia for the last time, there was barely enough money left to pay the bills and he was forced to live with Jeanette and her husband. Perhaps, if he had been willing to change a bit more with the times, he would have been able to afford new pair of suspenders in his old age instead of having to hold up his britches with a rusty nail.

Biography of Abba

ABBA was one of the most popular groups in the world throughout the 70’s and early 80’s. Many of their hits reached the top of the charts everywhere from their native Sweden to here in the U.S. All of the members had previously been involved in the show business, but only in Sweden. Agnetha was a solo singer, and Benny and Bjorn were both in groups of their own. As these groups disintegrated at the end of the 60’s, ABBA slowly came together. Surprisingly, the first time they recorded as a group, it was disliked by the members and was shelved away for awhile. In the early 70’s, they decided to try it again. The first single that the world knew about was “Waterloo” – the one that won them the Eurovision contest. A year before this, they had entered and won third – not good enough. After “Waterloo,” though, their career took off. They topped charts with the song all over the world. More singles followed this, such as “Ring Ring” and “SOS.” “SOS” was their second UK Top Ten hit, proving that they weren’t one-hit wonders after “Waterloo.” This cemented their career. The first album, hesitantly titled “Bjorn and Benny, Agnetha and Ani-Frid” was released in 1972. It was an awkward album, released prior to their success at the Eurovision contest. Also, they needed a new name. Their manager suggested ABBA, and after a “Name the Group” contest came up with the same thing, it was sealed. The second album was “Waterloo,” titled after their famous hit. It was released in 1973. This was followed by “ABBA” in the spring of 1975. By this time, of course, they were on tour. “Mamma Mia” came in the summer of 1975, reaching number one in the UK. Along with “I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do,” this song conquered Australia for the first time, spreading their popularity even further. By this time, they were famous all over the world. ABBA, as most people know, is made up of two couples – Agnetha and Bjorn, and Frida (as Ani-Frid is called) and Benny. Agnetha and Bjorn married in July of 1971. Their first child, Linda, was born in 1973. Their second child, Christian, was born in late 1977. Frida and Benny didn’t marry until much later (they’d been a couple for nine years by this time) in 1978, on the same day that the single “Summer Night City” reached number one in Sweden – the last of their songs to do so. Sadly, both couples later divorced – Agnetha and Bjorn in 1979, Frida and Benny in 1981. By the end of the 70’s and the beginning of the 80’s, they were experiencing many of their “lasts.” Some singles, such as “The Day Before You Came” were met with confusion, reaching number one in some countries, but barely making the charts in others. “The Visitors” was their last album, released in 1981. 1982 was their last year together. After that, the members felt the need to do something different for awhile. Their record of nine number one hits in the UK was a record topped only by The Beatles , Elvis Presley, and Cliff Richard . They were truly a famous group the world over – this was proved when the ABBA Gold albums were released in the early 90’s, topping charts in several countries. Since then, the group has been asked to do several revival tours (the latest in 2000, for around a billion dollars), but all have been refused.

Biography of Marian Anderson: singer

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897 in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Beginning at the age of six, she sang in the Union Baptist Church Choir. Her voice was classified as contralto, she could sing the high soprano notes and the low baritone notes. Marian's father died when she was a child and her mother worked as a cleaning woman and laundress to support the family. Her mother's religious faith and strength were lasting influences throughout Marian's life. The members of the Union Baptist Church gave a benefit concert to raise money for Marian to take Private singing lessons .The advertisements for the concert had a picture of Marian and the words, "Come and hear the baby contralto, ten years old." When she was nineteen, she began studying with Giuseppe Boghetti. In 1925, he helped her enter a contest in which she competed with 300 singers for the Lewisohn Stadium Concert Award. The prize was an opportunity to perform with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. She won the contest and sang with the Orchestra on August 26, 1925. After performing with the Orchestra, she received a Rosenwald Foundation Fellowship and had the opportunity to go to England and Germany. In Germany she studied "Leider," German,songs, which became part of her repertoire. She gave concerts throughout Europe and received rave reviews and accolades for all 116 of her performances. In 1939, she planned to give a concert in the Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The Hall was owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The DAR refused to let her perform because she was African American. Franklin D. Roosevelt was president at this time and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, was outraged at the prejudice shown by the DAR and resigned her membership in the organization. Mrs. Roosevelt helped arrange for Anderson to give a concert outdoors at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday. Anderson performed in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln for an audience of 75,000 people. She began the concert by singing "America." This was one of the most famous concerts given in the United States. This event helped open the doors of opportunity for other African Americans. From this time on, Anderson refused to sing at any place that was segregated. In 1943, a mural was unveiled on the wall of the Department of the Interior building depicting the concert. In her autobiography, "My Lord, What a Morning," she said: "There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other fellow to make the first move--and he, in turn, waits for you. The minute a person whose word means a great deal dares to take the open-hearted and courageous way, many others follow. Not everyone can be turned aside from meanness and hatred, but the great majority of Americans is heading in that direction. I have a great belief in the future of my people and my country." In 1941, Anderson received the Bok Award from the city of Philadelphia, given to the citizen of which it is the most proud. She was the first African American to receive the award. The $10,000 award was used to establish the Marian Anderson Scholarship Fund for music students of all races. In 1943, Anderson married Orpheus Fisher, an architect, who designed their home in Danbury, Connecticut named "Marrianna Farm." On January 7, 1955, Anderson performed with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York as Ulrica, the Gypsy fortune-teller, in Verdi's opera "The Masked Ball." With this appearance, she became the first African-American to sing an important role at the Metropolitan Opera as a regular company member. In 1956, Anderson made a farewell tour throughout America and Europe. In 1957, she toured twelve Asian nations on behalf of the U.S. State Department. In 1958, she was named to the U.S. delegation to the United Nations. In 1986, Anderson received the National Medal of Arts. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. In 1991, she appeared at the dedication of St. Christopher's Hospital for Children's pediatric sickle-cell anemia clinic and research center, which is named in her honor. Marian Anderson died in 1993 at the age of ninety-six. During her professional singing career she was considered the world's greatest contralto.