A tall far-away-eyed young man walked for miles and miles, year after year, across mountains, and down railroad tracks. He sat on the front porches of coal miners and old engineers. He listened. He was ever attentive to the songs of the people. He
went to Sunday gatherings and mountain churches, scratching down lyrics everywhere he went. He took songs passed down from generation to generation and added his own undeniable mark. He interpreted what he saw, dreamed, heard, felt and smelled onto the paper. The heat in his insatiable heart urged him on. He wrote and collected poems while memorizing melodies, ever consumed in the music. This writer and historian was Alvin Pleasant Carter. His songs of hope, struggle, tragedy and inspiration were a beacon to the nation during the depression of the 1930's. Woody Guthrie heard A.P.'s words and melodies on the radio when America was at an emotional and financial low. It is easy to notice a strong resemblance in style and melody when listening to "This Land is Your Land" and "Little Darlin' Pal of Mine." Hank Williams and Johnny Cash listened to A.P. 's songs on the radio. Among any other great writers, Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and John Prine all hold A.P.'s writing close to heir hearts. One day, while wandering the mountain hollows and countryside selling fruit trees, A.P. heard what he believed to be an angel singing from the front porch of her home in Midway, Virginia. He was fascinated. This girl, born Sara Dougherty, was soon to become Sara Carter. The music that began between them that day is still with us now. She was a well-kept and beautiful lady who handled herself like royalty. Songs of spirit, God, love, or tragedy rang from her heart with constant clarity. There was no pretension in her approach to this music. With unattended abandon and the passion of a great storyteller, she related these tales of heartbreak and inspiration of the people of her time. Like her cousin, Maybelle, she was also an accomplished musician; an autoharp and guitar player whose style was so intimately connected with Maybelle's, it is sometimes hard to tell if there is one instrument on the recordings or two. The songs of the Carter Family are as relevant and as close to our lives today as they were when first recorded. At the same time they paint a distinct picture of life in the southern United States in the early 20th century. Many of their songs are an immense part of America's musical heritage, yet some of us who could sing every line do not realize that they are ours because of these three simple yet amazing mountain minstrels. With songs of hope and purpose, the Carter Family gave many a listener solace and meaning during the Great Depression. They
sang of perseverance and faith in the face of adversity and hardship. They sang of lost love, despair and murder. They sang the blues and ancient Scottish and Irish folk songs. They sang songs of family and of God. There is great diversity in theme and yet the music has a definition and clarity.

Between August 1st, 1927 and October 14th, 1941, the Carter Family made nearly three hundred recordings. It is an immense body of work with great purpose. The legacy of this music is very much alive today. When the original Carter Family disbanded in 1941, Maybelle continued playing music with her daughters Helen, June and Anita. Together, they spread the music of the family throughout the world. They performed on numerous radio shows, as members of the Grand Ole Opry line-up and later as an essential part of the Johnny Cash show. The Carter Family in this form continued to perform and write music for over thirty years until Maybelle's passing in 1978. Helen, June and Anita continued on as a part of the Johnny Cash Show until Johnny and June's retirement from the road in 1997. A.P. died in 1960 and Sara in 1979, however, their children Janette and Joe Carter carry on the family's musical heritage to this day.

At the foot of Clinch Mountain, within walking distance of Sara, A.P.'s and Maybelle's homeplaces, sits the Carter Fold. Every Saturday night, within this musical shrine, Janette and Joe perform the songs of the family. The tradition lives on. All of what the Carter Family created and inspired, what they sang about, and how they played
their instruments are major factors in the formation of music as we know it today. In 1933, the Carter Family asked the question "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" Undeniably, the answer is no.
Over seventy-five years have passed now since the Carter Family's first recording session in Bristol, Tennessee. Now, with
hearts forever grateful and humble, an amazing group of musicians and artists gather to pay homage to the first family of country music. With great passion we offer these interpretations of song, spirit, musicianship and lyric. All of the performers contributing to these recordings are a part of this great unbroken circle. Join us!

 - John Carter Cash

2004