Reviewed by Dave Brassington

When Ralph Peer journeyed to the border town of Bristol, Tennessee in 1927 to record two young girls and a saw mill worker, each named Carter, he could not know he was opening the door to a musical influence that would permeate the American ethos for generations to come. A P Carter, his wife Sara and Sara's cousin Maybelle sang songs, mostly collected by A P, with a haunting poignancy that reflected loss and loneliness. It was a sound that touched people deeply when they first heard it, and it still touches them deeply today. This fantastic 5CD box set comprises recordings from the Depression years until the original group finally retired in 1941. Some of their earlier RCA Victor recordings are reworked here, but to give you a feel of the strong gospel content, Disc 1 opens with "Glory To The Lamb", disc 2 starts with "Sea Of Galilee" and disc 5 starts with "Heaven's Radio". The whole set is packed with superb original recordings such as "Can The Circle Be Unbroken", "Gathering Flowers From The Hillside" and "My Dixie Darling". The German Bear Family label have a box set comprising all the Family's original recordings. But that was hugely expensive compared to this compilation. So I would strongly recommend that you add this and Vol 1 to your collection if you seriously want to investigate classic old time and country gospel music. Johnny Cash once said that the original recordings by the Carter Family "were the single most important event in the history of country music" and who am I to argue with that?

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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