|
Cheria and I were able to make it to the
Carter Family Fold
last night for the first time since
Janette
passed away back in January, and we had enough time before the show started to
visit the cemetery at historic Mount Vernon United Methodist Church.
The Mount Vernon Cemetery is the final resting place for Janette and several
members of her family, including her beloved brother
Joe and sister
Gladys as well as her parents A.P. and Sara. Along with "Mother Maybelle"
Carter, Sara Carter Bayes and A.P. Carter performed as the original Carter
Family singing group, the trio credited with creating the musical genre that we
know today as Country Music.
 A.P.
Carter was a prolific songwriter who authored many of the songs that we sing and
listen to every day. His tunes have been recorded and performed by numerous acts
over the years and they continue to be extremely popular even today. It's hard
to imagine what the world of music would be like if there had never been an
Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter!
As I walked through the small hilltop cemetery at Mount Vernon looking for the
Carter Family graves, I was struck at how ordinary it looked. There was nothing
really special about it that would lead passersby to believe that virtually the
entire first family of country music was buried there (Mother Maybelle is buried
in Hendersonville, TN).
But as I found one Carter grave after another I began to feel overwhelmed by a
feeling of being among greatness. When I finally spotted A.P.'s headstone I
realized that this small, ordinary graveyard perched on a hilltop at the foot of
Clinch Mountain is a very special place indeed. Simple, yet powerful - just like
all of those timeless A.P. Carter songs that we all still enjoy so many years
after his passing.
Picture Of The Day Homepage |
Submit
a photo
More Interesting Articles
|