The Carter Family: Don't Forget This Song is a graphic novel retelling of the life and career of country music's first superstar family. Created by David Lasky and Frank M. Young, the narrative follows the founding generation of the Carters as they blaze trails and forge an unforgettable career that sets a gold standard not just in the country/western genre, but in all of popular music. The volume also highlights some of the Carter marriages and love stories, births and deaths, and the ever-present complexities of familial relationships. The book opens with a prologue set in 1893. In the rural settlement of Scott County, Virginia, Alvin Pleasant Carter shows up to a family gathering with a new purchase: a fiddle. The family mocks him for bringing such a disruptive instrument into the home, one that makes screeching, jitter-inducing sounds that they are certain no one would ever enjoy. But Alvin is not deterred by his family's initial reluctance, and as the story progresses, his relatives soon come around, finding both joy and meaning in his music. They too take up playing instruments and singing, and music fills the rooms of the Carter homestead. At first, the songs they play are mostly English and Scottish ballads. But as the 19th century gives way to the 20th, A.P., his wife, Sara, and his cousin Maybelle help develop the unique sound of American roots music in their part of the country. They start writing their own music, which eventually brings the trio to the attention of a record producer who arranges for them to record their first music in 1927. Their original brand of Americana-infused compositions catches the attention of the record-buying public, too. The Carters enjoy a string of hits, many of which become enduring classics. They have so many memorable songs, in fact, that Lasky and Young take each chapter title from a Carter Family tune. Some of their most well-loved hits include "My Old Virginia Home," "Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?," "Can the Circle Be Unbroken?," "The Storms Were on the Ocean," "The Birds Were Singing of You," "Look How the World Has Made a Change," "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room," "The Picture on the Wall," and perhaps their most instantly recognizable song, one that future generations of the Carter Family would make their own, "Wildwood Flower." But despite their success, the Carters are not immune to family drama. After retiring from music, A.P. becomes a traveling salesman, spending long periods of time away from home. As a result, Sara falls in love with another man—A.P.'s cousin, no less. She and A.P. divorce, and she marries Coy Bayes. After Sara and Coy marry, the original trio that comprised the Carter Family comes to an end. Almost on the heels of the first incarnation wrapping up, the next generation of the family takes the mantle. Maybelle performs with her daughters Helen, June, and Anita—and adopts the nickname for which she will be known for the rest of her life: Mother Maybelle. The majority of the action in The Carter Family occurs around the Great Depression, a time of great hardship and change for both the Carters and the country. Their music hits at a time when the nation experiences the lowest economic point in its history. The Carters don't just boost spirits (though they certainly do that). They give voice to the common folk, the everyday people working the land who are often forgotten when hard times strike. Their music affirms the humanity of their fellow country people, reminding them that they are not alone in their struggles. The Carters provide a much-needed escape as well. When you're wondering how you're going to put food on the table that night, a catchy tune that gets under your skin and makes you want to dance seems an impossibility. But the Carters do that for their listeners. They sing of love and loss, and through their words, they give hope to the hopeless and a face—or a voice, rather—to the unsung man, woman, and child of rural America. The Carter Family contains a family tree illustrating the connections between members and the many ways the branches have grown over the years. There is also a selected bibliography of other helpful Carter Family information. But no biography of the Carters would be complete without at least a mention of June Carter and her husband, Johnny Cash. In an epilogue, Lasky and Young follow June and Johnny as they visit a tree planted decades ago by A.P. This closing chapter serves as a gentle reminder of how June and Johnny bear the torch for the original Carter Family members as they—and music as a whole—move into the future. The Carter Family includes a compact disc of rare Carter Family recordings.

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David Lasky

Frank M. Young

Adult

Biography

Nonfiction

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