Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? The Carter Family and Their Legacy in American Music

by Mark Zwonitzer

The first major biography of the Carter Family, the musical pioneers who almost single-handedly created the sounds and traditions that grew into modern folk, country, and bluegrass music.

Meticulously researched and lovingly written, it is a look at a world and a culture that, rather than passing, has continued to exist in the music that is the legacy of the Carters—songs that have shaped and influenced generations of artists who have followed them.

Brilliant in insight and execution, Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? is also an in-depth study of A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter, and their bittersweet story of love and fulfillment, sadness and loss. The result is more than just a biography of a family; it is also a journey into another time, almost another world, and theirs is a story that resonates today and lives on in the timeless music they created.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, American History, Southern

417 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2002

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s too much to say about the Carter Family. I could start with their oddball personalities : the chirpy, pocketsized indomitable Maybelle, the spaced-out Alvin Pleasant (note great middle name - how nice to have been called Paul Pleasant Bryant or Paul Niceenoughwhenyougettoknowhim Bryant), and the dour, flinty Sara. Of all the photographs of the Carter Family, there’s only one where Sara is smiling and even on that one, it’s not a grin, just a mild softening of the features, a fleeting holiday from the thousand yard stare she gave to every camera. She looked like fun was something she was occasionally told about by people she didn't trust. But like Ralph Peer said, “As soon as she started to sing, I knew it was gonna be all right.”
The Carter Family were the Beatles of the first wave of country music and Jimmy Rodgers was the Elvis. They were both discovered in the same remarkable recording trip to Bristol, Tennessee in March 1927 by Ralph Peer, that most accidental of benefactors to the world of folk music. Which must have been like turning up to a folk club in Skelmersdale on a Thursday evening and signing up two floor singers who then go on to make you a million quid. Each. In 1927 money!

But whilst Jimmie Rodgers was all over the musical map, recording with string bands, jazz bands, Hawaiian bands, musical bloody saws, anybody who wandered into the studio, the Carters ploughed just the one single straight deep furrow, from 1927 to 1943, when the original trio disbanded. To Jimmie Rodgers' evident hedonistic get-while-the-getting's-good weltenshauung they firmly opposed their strict Calvinism.

They had an extreme division of labour within the group. Sara played rhythm guitar and autoharp and sang lead, Maybelle played lead on a guitar nearly as big as she was, occasionally using slide, and she sang backup; and A.P. took a rare very trembly lead but mostly “bassed in” on the choruses. A P (that's what they called him) 's actual job was to give the women the songs to sing, so he went out a-rambling and collected them all from the actual folk. And then copyrighted them all under his name (this was Mr Peer’s idea). Wherever the songs came from, even if it was right out of a published songbook, A.P. claimed to have written them. (The Ralph Peer effect requires a whole article in itself, but this “bring me material I can copyright” demand of his was the origin of the alternative to Tin Pan Alley and was also one of the largest sized nails in the coffin of the oral transmission of folk music.)

So all those “Carter Family” songs, like My Dixie Darling, Keep on the Sunny Side, No Depression in Heaven, I’m Thinking tonight of my Blue Eyes, and so on, hundreds of them, are theirs because they recorded them first. Not because A P wrote them. Okay, he may have written maybe two.

Their music is therefore a patchwork of hymns, sentimental Victorian parlour songs, folk ballads, humorous sketches, broadsides and gospel songs, folk flotsam and politely antique jetsam, all melted down and recast into the magic of the strong clear voices and dexterous filigree playing of Maybelle and Sara, and of course, when all three harmonise together on something like River of Jordan or Lonesome Valley it’s like a tree you never notice at the end of your street until the day you do notice it, amazed at the sunlight in the leaves.

So anyway, this book tells the whole complicated story of the Carters, and since no one ever did that before, it's essential for anyone who loves them and old American music in general.

[Jonfaith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wanted to read this book. What I found was more of an oral history than a scholarly approach to the first family of American Music. Even from it's anecdotal orientation the book is a hagiography. That said, much of the Ken Burns documentary Country Music (2019) pertaining to the Carter Family and their legacy is lifted verbatim from this text.

It would be impossible for me to describe how important the Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers have been in my life these last six months since I first saw the series. I loved the anecdotal portraits in this book but desperately wanted more.

The story is pretty simple: Ralph Peer made millions recording both rural white and black artists during the period from the mid-1920s through WWII. he is famed for "catching lightening in a bottle" and twice at that with the 'discovery of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rogers at the epochal Bristol Sessions of 1927. The Carter Family consisted of AP carter his wife Sara and her cousin Maybelle (who was also a Carter by marrying AP's brother Eck). The result was simply astonishing. I am ready to place Maybelle alongside Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman for their trailblazing in instrumental technique and the sum of their respective impact. She's that important.

The narrative traces their recording career and the corresponding family dram which curtailed the band in its original conception. It then follows the myriad trajectories of the members while devoting time to many of those in their milieu i.e Elvis, Hank and Johnny Cash.

GR Friends Kris and Paul Bryant brought this to my attention and for that I'm grateful. I may explore to see if a more nuanced approach exists.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my very favorite books. You know that book that each of us has in our collection that we want everyone to read? That book that we loan to friends, family, colleagues, and (I suppose in some cases) strangers, just wanting them to read it because we KNOW they'll love it? This is that book.

I'm sort of OCD about my music; I tend to overanalyze and obsess about who (stylistically) begat whom. That being said, The Carters are near the top of the family tree of much of what has become today's (Country and non-Country) music. In my little world, they are the forbearers of many of the artists that have come to dominate my iPod playlists: the Birds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Big Star, the Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, and anything Bob Mould-related (Hüsker Dü, Sugar, etc.). In essence, the Carter Family is my Musical Rosetta Stone.

As a general rule, I love biographies. My main gripe with them is that they are often flawed by being either too thin in terms of a story, too weighed-down with undocumented speculation, or an obvious product of an author with an agenda to heap praise or scorn upon the subject. This book is tainted by none of these problems.

The story of the Carter Family is told in such way that everything is just very natural...it's actually told in an almost folksy manner where you could be hearing it from an old man in the rocking chair on the porch of a simple mountain home. The setting (be it the hills of Southwestern Virginia, the Grand Ole Opry, or just over the border in Mexico) is painted in such a way that you really get a sense of almost being there. The principles (AP, Sara, and Maybelle Carter) are complex three-dimensional characters that you can watch develop through the courses of their lives. Even the supporting characters (spouses, children, other artists, etc.) are more than just props; they themselves have some depth. Everything just meshes.

One thing that really got my attention was Johnny Cash's interactions with the family (especially June and - perhaps even more so - Maybelle). Until picking-up this book, everything I'd ever read about Johnny Cash's demons from when he first met the Carter Family had been told in the context of Johnny Cash and June as the main foci with Maybelle being in a supporting role. In this book, the Johnny Cash story is told as a relatively small subset of the Carter Family story. Johnny's demons and eventual redemption are told from a perspective of Maybelle being the one holding everything together. It's just neat to see a familiar story with a different spin.

I strongly encourage you to give this book a chance. Even if you don't like old-time Country or Bluegrass music, the story is compelling and masterfully told. I'd give it six stars if I could.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moved to tears reading this, I think the Carter Family is America’s first family. Divorce, distance, and myriad flat tires could not put an end to them. This book will take you on an adventure and introduce you to so many colorful and innovative musicianers, as A.P. called them, but always come back to the original thread of the unstoppable trio, A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. We are so lucky to have the Carters in our canon of music.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any country fan who hasn't read it should put it on their Christmas present list. It would fill any empty hours between turkey and the chimes at midnight perfectly. I enjoyed the writing. the relaxed style reflects the way that country has influenced the syntax of American English. I enjoyed adding to my knowledge of the history of what we Brits call Americana. And I added to the pleasure by using the internet to prepare me a party tape of all the songs mentioned in the section that I'd just read which has seranaded me through the chores that led to the next chapter. I even found a documentary to which Zwonitzer contributed on Youtube. I was a Carter Family fan before this. I'm an even bigger and decidedly more knowledgable fan now.

[molly Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must-read for anyone interested in the Carter Family and the history of American music. This book was both historically informative and incredibly interesting to read. This book made my husband cry.

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the founding members of the Carter family, who blended church music, traditional tunes from the British Isles and Appalachian traditions to create a musical form that spoke to Americans in difficult times and grew into or shaped bluegrass, country and folk music. The focus is on cousins Sara and Maybelle, who would marry brothers from the other side of the mountain in southwest Virginia. Sara’s husband, A.P. Carter, would be the third member of the group.
They set American music on its ear after being “discovered” in a talent search. The prize was $50 per song they recorded, and the music publisher put a premium on new and original music. That led the Carters on a lifelong quest to recover music that was fading into obscurity. Their role as musical preservationists can’t be overstated.
They wrote music, too, some of it inspired by A.P. and Sara’s difficult marriage. The two eventually divorced, but kept the Carter Family act going, helped by the next generation of musicians. The family made regular radio appearances that made them well known across North America. They toured relentlessly, too, in the days before tour buses and roadies.
Along the way, the family worked with the giants of country, folk and bluegrass music and pop culture. The name-dropping and backstage glimpses here are a delight. The book is meticulously researched, with a lot of firsthand information. The only thing missing is a soundtrack.

[Helen Robare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid fan of "old time" country music. I have loved the Carter Family since my father introduced me to their music back in the 1960's. I could and can still sit and listen Maybelle Carter play the autoharp and the guitar for hours. What I loved about this book is that it wasn't just about AP, Sara, and Maybelle but continued the story with Maybelle and her girls (Helen, June, and Anita). This book told the good and the bad but told it with heart and soul. By the time you finish this book, these people you have never met will seem like old friends.

The stories of these country pioneers is amazing. When one reads this book and realizes that the Bristol sessions might never have happened and then stop to reflect on what a loss that would have been for music in general, it will amaze you.

I read this book and then went right back to the beginning and read it again to make sure I didn't miss anything. I recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of real old time Appalachian mountain music. You will NOT be disappointed.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books about the music that became bluegrass I've ever read. It illustrates the weird amalgamations, "hawaian style" really did come from Hawaii over the radio, the influence of itenerant black musicians, the exposure to cowboy music, and the good scots irish folk tunes that are the bones of bluegrass. Most of all the human drama and failings in AP and Sara's failed marriage and what it meant for everyone. A beautifully researched and written book.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about legends of country music. Absolutely entertaining to read. Made me want to go find all The Carter Family songs and play them again.

[Priscilla King · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very few books outsiders have written about my part of the world that didn't make me queasy. In fact, I like it. Zwonitzer never confuses Gate City, Weber City, Hiltons, Maces Springs, or Bristol with one another (or with Appalachia); instead of generalizing about what people would or would not have had at a given year, he's researched what they actually bought, sold, or remembered having. That ought to be normal but it is in fact rare. He talked to the surviving members of the Carter extended family and their friends, some of whom are still living, and described those people's businesses the way they were (and many still are). Visitors can still use this book as a tour guide.

If you remember the Carter Family's records (and others of that vintage), this book about twentieth-century country music will be a perpetual feast. You could reread it every year or two, slowly, just to listen to all those songs and singers in your memory--and I do, sometimes pausing to sing along. Yes, people in my part of the world still remember the ways the Carters sang these songs (different arrangements, sometimes, as different friends and relatives sang), and we still sing them as best we can. Dale Jett still hosts concerts at the Fold.

Also this book does more, in a more tactful way, to describe the enigma that was Alvin Pleasant Carter than I would have believed possible. People wanted to cast him as the leader of the family, a real patriarch. He was a serious song collector, but not a patriarch, and not much of a musician either. His family loved him, but from the words of their actual memories it's hard to understand just why even the ones who did try to live near him made that effort; if his parenting behavior didn't qualify as abuse or neglect, it came close. Zwonitzer has gathered evidence to show that A.P. was a rather heroically competent survivor of brain trauma.

This is definitely not a book about political or social issues, but it may shed some light on some of those. The whole point of being one of Virginia's "country gentry" or "landed poor" class is that there's no real stereotype, lots of room for individuality. That said, this history of A.P., Ezra, Sara, Maybelle, Janette, Joe, Gladys, Helen, June, Anita, friends including Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, and the Cashes and Jetts as well, does a good job of showing what my kind of people actually do: travel, read, learn other languages, buy and sell farms, actually till the soil, sing and play instruments, tend the sick (Maybelle Carter was a practical nurse), take jobs in town but never take those too seriously, live frugally when young and poor, spend and save money in quirky ways when less young and less poor...Most of us have at least tried adding Modern Conveniences to our rural farms, and/or living in cities. Many of us are enthusiastic about some Mod. Con. but underwhelmed by others. Those who don't end up back on our less than lucrative family farms usually wish we were there.

Despite a hundred years of blather about the poor, pitiful hill farmers who need help to give up an obsolete way of life and move into urban apartment projects, the fact is that quite a lot of us prefer to remain hill farmers. The Carters made a lot of money but weren't obsessed with making more, dressed plainly, went to small middle-class or poor churches, sent some of their children to public school, saw the lights of cities but mostly chose rural homes. This seems to confuse a lot of would-be "social planners" but it makes perfect sense to most of the people I know. Perhaps this book can help reduce the confusion. I don't know. I love it for its soundtrack.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

To get the negative out of the way: like some other readers, I found the writing style slightly annoying at first. But the story was so compelling that pretty soon the sometimes affected "countryisms" no longer bothered me.

The story of the Carter Family is inspiring and often quite sad. Much of the sadness centers around A.P. Carter, who alone had the conviction that the family trio was as good as any country ensemble out there, and insisted that they audition for Victor Records at the famous 1927 "Bristol sessions," sometimes called the "big bang of country music." He was right, of course - their Victor records changed the course of American music. But A.P. was an odd duck, who apparently lived inside his head much of the time. His wife Sara, the trio's lead singer, eventually became exasperated with the marriage and had an affair which led to the couple's separation and divorce. A.P. never got over the breakup, although the group continued to perform and record together for a decade.

In contrast, I found "Mother" Maybelle Carter to be an incredibly inspiring figure. Born Maybelle Addington, she became a Carter when she married A.P.'s brother Ezra, or Eck - a marriage which lasted until Eck died in 1975, three years before Maybelle. In her quiet way, Maybelle Carter was a brilliant, innovative musician on guitar and autoharp. The latter instrument was designed as a tool for amateur musicians to play simple chordal accompaniments, but Maybelle figured out a way to play melodies above the chords. And on guitar, she developed what inauspiciously became known as "the Carter scratch" - a style of playing which included the melody, bass, and chords, and which became the basis for much of American guitar style ever since.

But the most impressive aspect of Mother Maybelle was that she seemed to have developed, at an early age, a Zen-like understanding of how to live. She had a sense of presence and professionalism, but no ego. Over and over in this book, the reader gets the impression that she exuded calm and reassurance. During the period when she and her family gave stability to the drug-addled and self-destructive Johnny Cash, Cash remembered that the harshest thing she ever said to him - no matter what transgressions he had committed - was, "Oh, John." I love the stories from the wild and woolly 1970s that show what a revered figure Maybelle became among the hippies and other younger music fans. At a festival, Maybelle's (very talented) daughter Anita and Anita's daughter Lorrie were walking through the crowd, and were starting to attract some lecherous comments, until someone set everybody straight: "Shut up, you fool - those are Maybelle's girls."

This is a moving book about an important American musical group - I recommend it.

[Martyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1927 the Carter Family answered a newspaper call put out by recording engineer Ralph Peer. The songs cut by the Carter Family were released on 78 rpm records, and the commercial success of these recordings brought demand for more sessions. Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone is a biogaphy of the expansive group of people surrounding and then continuing out from the three individuals who recorded together in Bristol in 1927. It’s interesting that the original Carter family consisted of three people who were interrelated by marriage, but who had each grown up as separate from each other as the individual members of the Beatles would a few decades later. They were from the start more a “group” than a family, and that only became more clear as A.P. Carter and Sara separated and then divorced.

Some of the early scenes in this biography are instructive as to the relationship between folk traditions and popular music. I’d define folk music as musical practices not formatted by the market but by the demands of everyday life. The musical traditions of the Carter family grew out of the small scale world that surrounded them in the mountains of southwest Virginia (which isn’t to say this region wasn’t criss-crossed with outside influences). As they attended more recording sessions with Ralph Peer they worked up their songs at home, and they’d ask neighbors their opinion about new songs. Their practice of playing was the same as it had been (for neighbors in the yard) but now it had become a rehearsal for the recording sessions which would net them money. Before long they also had to range around to find traditional songs. A.P. Carter would visit people around the region with a reputation for knowing old songs, and having learned those songs the Carter Family would then record them. By current legal standards, this would be stealing, but given the fact that the long-term monetary reward wasn’t yet clear, it feels more benign, more like an effort to give voice to a whole region, and the creation of country music as a genre was the result.

Commercial music made two particular demands upon musicians that weren’t present in folk music. The profit for Ralph Peer came from holding copyright on these songs, and so there was a demand for songs that were original enough that copyright could be claimed. In practice this meant working over and streamlining traditional material. Then something about the voice on a record led to the creation of musical stars. There was a demand to see and hear these musicians live that wasn’t present when performance was a part of everyday life. This demand for celebrity presence drove Sara Carter into semi-retirement.

Why was this “hillbilly” music successful while the “serious” recordings of the time are forgotten? That question isn’t directly answered, but the hints are here that this music from the hills tapped into deep themes in Black and Pentecostal music that gave voice to a metaphor of homelessness and loss. I would argue that as these metaphors came to define American spirituality in the 1960s, this older music became a source code for understanding ourselves.

[Ally Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great biography, I loved how little stories of Elvis Presley, Chet Akins, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash were woven with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family. I knew relatively little about the OG Carter Fam so this book was helpful in understanding their beginnings and I was fascinated with AP’s work collecting songs throughout the VA mountains as he traveled as a tree salesman. The authors did a wonderful job giving the reader a sense of the impact of the radio in the 1930s and so forth. I loved reading about the larger than life character of Doc Brinkley and his medical practice and radio station on the border. The anecdotes from contemporary country stars is welcomed because towards the end of the book their story spreads out and slows down (AP and Sara settle in their homes and mother Maybelle humbly plays the Opry and works a second job throughout the 1960s). This collection of accounts and interviews from superstars to grandchildren help to make AP, Eck,and Maybelle seem like down home country folk that would open their door to offer you milk and biscuits and talk about their music.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Anyone interested in the history of American music ought to read it. A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter began making music together in the 1920s but their roots stretch back to the 1800s and their legacy is still felt in the 21st century.

A year or so ago I visited the Carter Family Fold in the Clinch Mountains of Virginia. It was a fun trip but after reading this book I now want to go back.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating history of the Carter family and their rise in the music world.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, terrific writing. It's a great weaving of timing, culture, family dynamics, personalities and characters, events, technology, economics, and the extraordinary consequences that have led to a uniquely American phenomenon ... hillbilly/bluegrass/country music. And the first family of this amazing genre.

More personally, this book shed interesting, unexpected insight and perspective to my own family members who were part of the same generation as the Carters. I really enjoyed this one. And its pointed me toward some other reads, views, listening.

[Shelly Mundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading CASH, The Autobiography(See December 2003 Journal Entry)and learning about the Carters through him, I had to have more. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone is the first major biography of the Carter Family and their legacy as musical pioneers. Their musical style became the basis for what is country, folk, and bluegrass music today. A.P. Carter was a poor, eccentric mountain farmer from Poor Valley, Maces Springs, Virginia in the foothills of Clinch Mountain. He married Sara Dougherty, who was the cousin to the late famous Mother Maybelle Carter. Maybelle was the wife of A.P.'s cousin Eck Carter. A.P., Sara, and Maybelle started out playing for friends and neighbors in the early 1920's. Soon A.P. would travel about the mountain area collecting songs and writing songs of his own. In 1927, the three went to Tennessee to audition for a New York recording executive who was paying fifty dollars for any song recorded. Two of country music's first stars were produced from those sessions: Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family.

By the 30s, the Carter Family was selling more than a million records and was appearing regularly on XERA, a high-powered radio station broadcasting from coast to coast. People all over the country would gather around their radios listening to this music that told their life stories.

Here is the story of the Carter family as they were. Their trials and tribulations. Their down home lives, their sadnesses, the great scandal and divorce of Sara and A.P. The story of how A.P. died a lonely man on a mountain with a lot of land but very little recognition of what he had accomplished. The story of Sara's true love Coy Bays and how she ran off to live with him in California and left her children behind with A.P. in Virginia. The story of Maybelle, the sweet, talented, mother who eventually made her daughters, June, Helen, and Anita famous and traveled with the Johnny Cash show. Maybelle was idolized by many, many musicians and her guitar picking style is still copied today.

Now, I have been listening to the old Carter Music. My husband can't stand it, he comes in a asks if we can listen to something else. I, on the other hand, get the chills from listening to Maybelle on guitar or autoharp, Sara's country voice, the songs from our past, or A.P.'s deep bass voice chiming in from time to time. Even if you don't like country music, you should read this book. It has a lot of history, American history and I learned a lot. Thanks Mark and Charles. You have researched, recorded and written an awesome story of a family that will live on in America's heart forever.

To hear samples of the music please visit: http://www.un-broken.net/music/

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book quite a bit, even though I had some problems with the way it was written. The author throws in colloquialisms and writes in a self-consciously informal way that I found distracting. As though he is trying to write "country". I know a few times I had to pause in my reading to roll my eyes and if had just been written in a more straight forward way, I wouldn't have noticed it, nor would have detracted from the story in the least.

Also, many times things are written where I would find myself questioning "how would you know this?"
For example:
"Charlie watched with a pang of recognition as the flatlands began to roll and climb and the scrubby chaparral and manzanita bushes gave way to a fragrant mix of pine. fir, and spruce. it reminded him of home."

I am aware that when writing a biography it can be a useful device to write about things that might have been going through your subjects minds, but sometimes I also find it off-putting.

These are really minor qualms though, as, overall, I found the book engaging, entertaining and interesting. The Carter family's very private lives are written about with depth and insight. Apparently, even though they were extremely successful and popular, they kept their personal lives to themselves, and didn't reveal much about themselves to the public.

I recommend this book to people that want to know more about the heritage of our American music or to anyone that enjoys bringing the Carter family's historic music into greater focus.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was supposed to read this book in college for a History of Pop Music course. The course favored heavily on popular music no one really cared about like folk and country from the Depression through the 1950's and not music I actually consider to be popular which was a disappointment. I think we covered the 1970's-2000's in the last two weeks because the prof would not shut up about Hank Williams and the Carters. Needless to say this collected dust until about a week ago.

Now the fact that they refer to it as hillbilly music and that there were competing hillbilly acts is hilarious to me and I just picture yokels having autoharp playoffs. BUT, the Carters are actually interesting, a very family first act that spans 4 generations. In the beginning it feels like they ripped off a bunch of songs and made them their own so they weren't entirely original, but they laid an important groundwork not just for country and fold, but for women performing. Plus, there's scandal and a couple of chapters on Johnny Cash. And there's a great deal of detail even though they weren't specifically candid about their lives.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about the Carter family gives great insight into one of First Families of American music. A.P. figured out how to make this recording business into a vehicle to feed his family, seeing as farming, mining and most other ways of making living in Appalachia did not. But of course, it is not a simple tale. A.P. is a wanderer and finds many a tune as he visits different rural communities, but he loves the wandering more than the home life he had with Sara. Sara wants more than anything to stay home and not be a musician at the beck and call of the early recording execs. A.P.'s sister in law,Maybelle Carter, becomes part of this group and it's her talent that really gives the oomph to the music. From these folks come a great many talented musicians, including June Carter (Cash) and Rosanne Cash. It is just a fascinating read, to see A.P's struggles for success, then to see the family work so hard to keep what they have. If you have any interest in country music or as we call it now, American roots music, you'll find this book riveting.

[Joanie Chevalier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Carter family (originally A.P., Sara & Maybelle) lived a hard life in Poor Valley, Virginia, in the foothills of Clinch Mountain. Music in the 1920s & 30s came from ancestorial lines and by sheet music handed out or sold after a music gathering. In the mid-1930s, the Carters were approached to do a record and it was amazing to me to learn that they performed twenty 20 songs in one day. People from all over loved their music, because they lived like all of rural America and they made "hillbilly music."

I was introduced to the Carter family music when I was turned on to bluegrass. Their lyrics tell stories of the hard life. The melodies are engaging. Their music influenced many up and coming stars of that time like Chet Adkins, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and of course, Johnny Cash, who later married Maybelle's daughter, June Carter.

If you love country/bluegrass/gospel music, you'll love this biography of the Carter family. I recommend it for all music lovers.

[Ira friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Carter Family are one of those groups I have much respect for but hardly listen to. I love many of the songs they brought to our attention but must admit that the warbly recordings and dented voices in those recordings never did it for me.

Nonetheless there innovation, craft, and blood permiates much of the music I enjoy listening to so me pulling Will You Miss Me off the shelf and reading it right away was never in doubt.

While the book is not at the top of literary biographies it gets the job done and thanks in part to its compelling subject matter and the characters this story about the first family of country music is a must for students of american history and fans of music.

There's a heck of a lot of Carters and sometimes it can get pretty confusing but story is worth knowing.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, the Carter Family deserves the best treatment, and this is it. This book has something for everyone. It's as authoritative and as relaxed as a country yarn, full of larger than life characters from the kin in Maces Springs to Nashville's country stars. On top of which the musical analysis enriches the story, rather than boring the casual reader. (How A.P. collected and copyrighted traditional songs, the way Maybelle developed her influential guitar playing.) I was fascinated by the chapters in musical history that have been overlooked by even fans of the Carter family - their years on border radio, touring with Chet Atkins, how the original family continued their legacy in later years. Plus no shortage of juicy details - Anita was pursued by both Elvis and Hank Williams (shots were fired!) Johnny Cash's mother baked Scripture cakes (every ingrediant from the bible)!

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a touching, beautifully written tribute to the legacy of the Carter family, and to a bygone era. I had the privilege to meet June Carter Cash, in the few years before her death, at the church pastored by Johnny's brother-in-law and sister. She seemed to be such a sweet, down to earth lady, made you feel as though she could be your neighbor. From what I heard from others in the music business there, all the Carters were the same way.

All that aside, this was a touching book which seemed to be well researched and was well written. He didn't sugarcoat any of the people, just portrayed them for what they were. That and the non-stereotypical description of mountain communities, and of the United States, growing and changing through the 20th century, with the monumental service A.P. and the others did for the preservation of music birthed before recordings, make this a wonderfully read.

[jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5, but edging toward 4. This book had some boring moments, especially at the beginning, when discussion of Carter relatives that had nothing to do with recording music seemed to dominate. But, then, I read this book primarily to get the dirt on A.P. and Sarah's divorce, Hank Williams, Elvis, and, of course, Johnny Cash, all of who showed up in the second half of the book, and provided lots of gossipy fun.

On a less salacious note, my admiration for Maybelle Carter is now officially bottomless. After reading about her funeral, I can probably never listen to "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" without a box of tissues again. And Sarah begs to be novelized.

[King Haddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. Written with love. There isn't a moment across the pages I found unengaging. The words flow easily, eloquently, and quickly, but with a storytelling-like approach, providing small but quirky details about the daily going-ons from witnesses, neighbors, celebrities, family, and friends. The narrative feels as refreshing as a novel. This is a biography more about the humans than the music, so don't expect in-depth music theory analyses or anything, but it still centers the events of their lives around their music. One of the best biographies on country musicians I've read, and I already know I'm going to read it again.

[Eddie Mcgehee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone: the Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music” by Mark Zwonitzer. It’s my favorite book in a long time. To my mind it is the best book I’ve read on, not just music, but on the people and culture of Appalachia. My birth family is from that region and he handles it with deep respect and reverence without becoming an apologist.

Now I’m reading two more music books:

“Jimmie Rodgers” by Nolan Porterfield

“Long Steel Rail: the Railroad in AmericanFolksong” by Norm Cohen

Haven’t finished either but am enjoying both.

[Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Zwonitzer meticulously researched his work. He has an exceptionally breathtaking ability to breathe life into the world of the past. That is very essential because there is just not a lot of letter, or documental evidence of the thoughts and feelings of some of the drama depicted here.

The story of The original Carter family's rise to notoriety, their career and their downfall as a band was very incredible, sad, a lesson in endurance and a lesson in history and just how tough Americans were back then. In some ways they still are.

The original Carter family consisting of AP Carter, his wife Sarah Carter, and Sarah's cousin Maybelle Carter, made country music famous and marketable in the early twenties and late 30s before they broke up for good in 1943. The surprising and sad fact is they were a broken family long before they disbanded in 1943. I had no idea whatsoever that the Carter family were basically the first country music band. That they brought the soul of country music onto the radio, that they were some of the first people to sing on the radio and make records and make money.
Living in Virginia, they would travel for miles to record in model t's and then later Cadillacs with terrible roads, through the night with no headlights in the beginning to make 50 bucks a song. Which was amazing money in the depression era of the South.

AP Carter was the brain of the operation, the songwriter in many ways. Without him, the Carter family never would have started, and arguably the later success of mother Maybelle would not have happened because he was the one anxious to start singing for a living. Getting his wife and her cousin Maybelle on board to sing with him, and driving everybody to the events. He even went and collected songs from the local coal miners, farmers, millers, even black families. It's pretty sad that all of the genius and creativity he had in crafting these songs wasn't really rewarded in his lifetime.

Sara, noticeably beautiful even in her old photos, never liked the fuss from the music industry and just enjoyed singing.

Maybelle later went on to have a career of her own 50 years in the music industry after the original band broke up. Maybelle came out the other side and succeeded, unfortunately AP and Sara did not.

In many ways the story of the original Carter family is tragic, rife with affairs and selfishness, deep heartbreak and broken dreams, broken futures. It not only is a lesson in how to be a better family, it ends up being a lesson on how to have a better marriage, how not to put your dreams before your family.

AP Carter cuts a tragic figure who learned too late, though he was unlike Johnny Cash in the way of wanting to go on Long tours around the world or having affairs on his wife, that his obsession with his music destroyed his marriage and his family. Even more pitiable is his lack of action in fighting for his family and his marriage. I don't know if the desire was there and he was unsure of how to go about saving his family or he was too stubborn to admit wrong and paid the heavy consequences. Whatever the case, he was left broken the rest of his life from the destruction, didn't even pursue music anymore and never could quite figure out how to reconcile with Sara. Even with the fact that he caused a lot of his own anguish, your heart breaks for him to learn even before he died how happy he was to see his ex-wife occasionally visiting, how on his deathbed he hoped she would come and visit him. It's one of the saddest love stories I think I've heard in a long time.

I have to wonder if Sara herself suspected how much she impacted the future of the Carter family when she divorced AP and left her kids to move out to California. She had to have known, seeing AP never pursued music again after she left, how much she affected that family. And even though I understand in some ways why she left AP, it's very hard to feel a lot of sympathy for her. Basically abandoning her young kids for a new life in California, betraying her husband with his own cousin in the first place instead of maybe warning her husband how overwhelmed she was, she tore that family up. She's a hard person to like. The major difference between her and Johnny Cash decades later is Johnny Cash apologized to his daughters, he apologized to his ex-wife, he grieved over all the things he did wrong and spent years trying to make amends with everyone. Sara? Not a word of regret or apology. I think we in modern society tend to excuse or celebrate adultery especially if it is a woman that commits adultery and divorces and we shouldn't. And even if Sara found greater marital happiness in her marriage to Coy, that victory is sour given the lifelong brokenness of the family she left behind.
Too often affairs and divorce are an easy way out, instead of fighting for the marriage.
Although, I like to think one reason for her moving out to California was she didn't want to deepen AP's heartache by living close by, married to his cousin. Several of her actions lead me to think she may have internalized her regret.

Theirs is a sad reminder that divorce is ugly and sad. It kills families and causes lifelong sadness. Even as late as the writing of this book, the surviving children of Sara and AP are still hurting over it. Yet you see where AP and Sarah went wrong. Neither of them, despite their Christian hymns and despite their professed faith, really seemed to embody the merciful Spirit of Christianity. Neither of them had the right form of love. Maybe that was a cultural problem back then. Lot of judgment, not love. Not trying to please and love your spouse the way the Bible says to.

Beyond the AP and Sara Carter, Maybelle and her family feature heavily. She went on with her family to have a wonderful career for the most part and a good family. It doesn't mean they didn't have their share problems, divorces, drugs, ect. However, Maybelle understood something her cousin did not, true Christianity requires a loving spirit. The reason why she and Ezra were so successful is because both wanted to please the other. Both were willing to forgive and be patient. If only AP and Sarah had learned that, I think they could have saved their family.

I can only hope that AP and Sara and this family are reconciled up there in heaven. And even though it was a bittersweet read in many ways, it was a very good book.

If anybody loves country music and the stories that are never dull, this is the book for you. I enjoyed it very much and I'm going to take the lessons from this book to become a better person.

Keep on the Sunny side is more than just a song, it's a way of life. And even if this family didn't live it out perfectly, the beauty of The song remains. And I hope that America keeps on that way.

[Daniel Greear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spoke to me on so many different levels. My grandmother just passed away, and I luckily received many of the books that she and my grandfather owned. They were both born in the early 30s, and grew up listening to the original Carter Family on the radio. I am from the same area as the Carter Family and as a kid, I can remember going to the Carter Family Fold in Hiltons, VA and flat-footing, probably badly, to bluegrass music. This book was also masterfully written and very enjoyable, giving cradle-to-grave biographies on each of the original members, Sara, A.P., and Maybelle.

If you are a fan of country music, you should look to the Carter Family, as they, along with Jimmie Rodgers, were the first country artists to be recorded and obtain national fame in 1927. The recordings took place in Bristol, Va/Tn (the town's main street is the state line with the north being Virginia and the south being Tennessee) and they became celebrities almost over night. If you have ever heard the songs "Keep on the Sunny Side", "You are my sunshine", or "Wildwood Flower", then you have heard a Carter Family song.

I don't like to get into the details of the book, as I don't want to give everything away. But here some interesting notes I took:

-The Carter Family first performed for money near Charlottesville, Virginia after their car broke down and they needed to fix it.

-Maybelle was eight months pregnant when the Bristol Sessions took place and Sara was breastfeeding.

-Maybelle invented a particular style of guitar play, called "the Carter strut".

-A.P. travelled through the hollers and hills of the Appalachian region, collecting many songs from many groups of people. He would collect an untold number of songs and the family would record hundreds. The songs were diverse, many were hymns, music from African-Americans, or songs that had been passed down from generation to generation orally, dating back to the British Isles.

-One particular song, "Wayfaring Stranger", has been redone many times, including most recently in
"1917".

-The Carters had many connections to other celebrities. Most famously, Maybelle's daughter June married Johnny Cash. The family also knew and/or performed with Hank Williams, Elvis, The Nitty Gritty Band, Robert Duvall, James Dean, and many more.

-Maybelle and June helped cure Johnny Cash of his drug addiction.

-Johnny Cash's last performance before he died (and after June had passed away), was at the Carter Family Fold.

-Johnny and June's son John Carter Cash, along with his cousin (the grandson of A.P. and Sara), Dale Jett, have restarted the Carter Family, called the Carter III.

Today, the Carter Family's effects are still felt. They helped jump start country music, and many future country artists listened to them and loved their music. In Bristol, there is not only a historical marker but now a Smithsonian affiliated museum called The Birthplace of Country Music Museum. In nearby Maces Spring, one can visit the houses of the Carters and the Carter Family Fold, which performs live folk/bluegrass music every Saturday night. Nearby on the slopes of Clinch Mountain, sits Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, where one can find the graves of A.P. and Sara Carter and on each of their headstones "Keep On The Sunny Side".