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32nd Annual Carter Family Memorial Festival Promises Two Days of Great Music



The 32nd Carter Family Memorial Music
Festival and Craft Show will be commemor-
ating not only the great Bristol sessions of
1927, but also the work of Janette Carter
(pictured above) and everything she did to
keep the music of Appalachia alive and well
until her passing on Jan. 22, 2006.

For years, the Carter Family Memorial Music Festival at the Carter Fold has served as a commemoration of one of the most famous stories in American music: the weekend that three young musicians from Maces Springs, traveled to Bristol to record what would be known as some of the first commercially successful "hillbilly" music put down on wax.

That trio was the Carter Family--A.P., Sara and Maybelle--who, along with other key Bristol find Jimmie Rodgers, would show the world that country music could be just as commercially viable--and artistically brilliant--as any other music put onto a 78.

While the legend of the Bristol sessions is no doubt an often-repeated tale, another story concerning the Carter Family is quite well-known among music fans and historians alike: the day that an elderly A.P. implored his youngest daughter, Janette Carter, to do everything she could to carry on the tradition of mountain music years after it was slowly giving way to late-20th Century modern music.

This year, the 32nd Carter Family Memorial Music Festival and Craft Show will be commemorating not only the great Bristol sessions of 1927, but also the work of Janette Carter and everything she did to keep the music of Appalachia alive and well until her passing on Jan. 22, 2006.

Janette Carter followed her father's last wishes by presenting country music performances at the site of the general store her father operated in his final years. As the attendance to these shows steadily grew, they began to be showcased at a building known as the Carter Family Fold, which was constructed by Janette's brother Joe Carter and built by several members of the community. Janette's lifetime of hard work and struggles brought her countless awards and phenomenal national and international recognition.

The latest honor--and among the most significant--occurred last September when she was presented the Bess Lomax Hawes award from the National Endowment for the Arts in recognition of her lifelong efforts in the preservation and performance of Appalachian music. Janette spent over three decades of her life working to keep the Carter Fold alive, and her dedication remained even in her final days.

On the last Saturday before her passing, a critically ill Janette demanded to be released from the hospital long enough to attend the Fold once more. It is easy to now see that every one of Janette's efforts made a difference--the Carter Fold now attracts over 50,000 visitors each year, and is known worldwide as one of the key venues of Appalachian music. Her family and friends are proud to dedicate this year's festival in her memory and in her honor.

The 32nd Carter Family Memorial Music Festival will be presenting some of the greatest mountain music acts of today on Friday, Aug. 4 and Saturday, Aug. 5. Music will get underway each day at 2 p.m. and last until around 11:30 p.m., though performers quite often play late into the night. Admission is $15 for adults or $25 for two-day admission. Children 6 -11 are admitted for $1 per day; under age 6 free. Tickets are sold at the gate only. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day.

Seating is available for over 800 inside the Carter Fold building. Those coming late in the day may want to bring along a blanket and/or lawn chair for outside seating. Parking is free; limited handicapped parking is available. The official line-up for both days is presented below: Performers scheduled for Friday, Aug. 4: Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, Raymond McLain and Mike Stevens, LeRoy Troy, Fescue, Home Folks and Old Dominion Cloggers. Performers scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5: ETSU Bluegrass Band, Larry Sigmon and Barbara Poole, Big Country Bluegrass, Whitetop Mountain Band, Ron Short and Great Smoky Mountain Cloggers. Dale Jett, the son of Janette Carter, grandson of A.P. and Sara Carter, Bill Clifton and Lorrie Carter-Bennett, the daughter of Anita Carter and granddaughter of Maybelle Carter, will be performing both days. Artists will perform twice each day an afternoon performance and an evening performance. The music begins at 2 p.m. each day and runs until 6 p.m., with a supper break scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. The evening performance gets underway at 7 p.m. and lasts until around 11:30 p.m. Craft and outside food booths open at 10 a.m. each day. Soup beans, cornbread, Polish sausages and funnel cakes will be available as well as hot dogs with homemade chili, barbecue, and nachos.

Several homemade quilts will be raffled off during the festival and given away at the beginning of the evening performance on Saturday. The Carter Family Museum and A.P. Carter Cabin Birthplace will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. There will be lots of music and jamming on the grounds in addition to the scheduled performers inside the Carter Fold.

Mountain Empire College's Mountain Music School will conduct workshops in fiddle, banjo, and dance. Rough camping is available (no hookups), and space is available for RVs on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Janette Carter was especially fond of many of the musical acts performing at this year's festival, and each act is proud to be honoring this legendary figure. Upon Janette's receiving of the National Heritage Award, musician and good friend Marty Stuart said "She is our voice in the wilderness. Our diamond in the rough. The child of country music's royal people. She was there in the beginning when country music was discovered. She drank of the original cup and she is now the foundation that sustains us as our spirit grows thirsty in a sea of musical conformity."

While Janette's voice now belongs to the heavens and the heavens alone, visitors can attend the festival this year and know that there are many other voices to continue the traditions that Janette Carter spent her life working to preserve.

For more information on the Carter Family Memorial Music Festival, Rita Forrester, (423) 292-6755 daytime or 386-3027 (evenings) or visit the Carter Fold website at www.carterfamilyfold.org.

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