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Picture of the day -
May 8, 2006
Dale & Teresa Jett At The Carter Fold
By now most everyone in the Birthplace Of Country Music region is quite
familiar with the
Carter Family Fold in
Hiltons, Virginia
and how the late
Janette Carter started it as a means to keep a solemn promise she made to
her dying father A.P.
Carter way back in 1960. For over 30 years Janette kept that promise to her
dad, stopping only when the Lord decided it was time to bring her home. But that
wonderful Carter Family music will continue to ring out through the hills and
hollers of Poor Valley as her daughter Rita Forrester and son Dale Jett keep the
fires burning at the Fold.
Rita's resemblance to her famous mother is striking - both in looks and
attitude. Like Janette, Rita has a kind, gentle smile that immediately puts you
at ease when you first meet her. But behind that pretty smile is a carbon copy
of Janette's steely
determination to keep the embers of the Carter Family heritage and Old-Time
Music glowing brightly well into the future. Janette Carter's passing left some
mighty big shoes to fill, and Rita has stepped right into them at a dead run. In
fact, she had already taken over the day-to-day operations at the Fold some time
ago when her mom's health began to falter.
But as capable as she may be, running an enterprise like the Carter Fold would be
impossible without some help, and Rita's brother Dale and his wife
Teresa are there by her side week after week just like they were for Janette.
For years, Dale played guitar and sang along with Janette as she opened each
weekly Old-Time Music Show by performing a couple of Carter Family
standards. Now, Dale - with a little help from friends and wife Teresa -
handles the "welcome" portion of the show.
Last Saturday evening Cheria and I had the opportunity to visit the Fold for the
first time since Janette passed away back in January, and as you can see in
today's picture it was just Dale and Teresa standing side-by-side on the Carter
Fold stage, their fine voices ringing out in perfect harmony as they sang a
couple of opening songs.
And I must say that on more than one occasion I caught myself looking around the
stage in search of Janette, imagining that she was still sitting back there,
keeping a sharp eye on the proceedings as always was her custom. Although her
body is no longer there, her spirit surely is...it lives on through her beloved
children.
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