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Take a spin with Golden Graham's choice album reviews

 

 CD cover I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow

Songs Of The Carter Family

King KG-0544

 

The most famous family in country music's history must be credited to the Carter Family, whose musicianship almost spans the whole of the 20th century. The original Carter Family group was formed in 1926, when A.P. (Alvin Pleasant Delaney) Carter, his wife Sara and Sara's cousin Maybelle formed a trio, singing and playing mountain music around their hometown of Maces Spring, Virginia. They recorded together between 1927 and 1941. In the 1940's the original trio went into decline and from 1943 Maybelle continued through the 50's and 60's with the assistance of her three talented daughters Anita, Helen and June asThe Original Carter Family Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. The great respect and the affect that the Carter Family had on country music over the decades is best summed up with them being elevated to the status of "First Family of Country Music".

The release of I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow - Songs Of The Carter Family on King Records finds 12 tracks with various artists who recorded in a bluegrass style on the King, Starday and Gusto family of labels covering songs identified to the Carter family. "Wildwood Flower" is perhaps the most popular of the songs performed by the Carter Family. Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper open this collection with a pleasant version of the number underscored by banjo and resonator guitar replacing Mother Maybelle's autoharp.

The title track "I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow" is a rarer tune from the Carter Family catalogue that they originally recorded in 1928. The Country Gentlemen recorded the track on Starday around 1959 and drive it along at breakneck speed. Various performers recorded "Charlie & Nellie" well before the Carters Hylo Browngot hold of and recorded it in 1938. Here Reno & Smiley offer their 1959 recording, which is rather slow and doesn't perpetuate a great deal of enthusiasm from a group who were a leading duo in bluegrass music. Bluegrass balladeer Hylo Brown included "Lulu Wall" on his 1962 album Bluegrass Goes To College and gives the number a lively quality, making it a standout track on this choice album. Hylo got his nickname from his vibrant vocal range that allowed him to sing both 'high' and 'low' producing a sound that was both amazing and unique.

I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow - Songs Of The Carter Family is chock full of classic vocal performances combined with down-to-earth acoustic based musicianship that is second to none. Bringing this marvellous collection to its close areRed Allen two further striking tracks…the penultimate track being The Country Gentlemen featuring John Duffey, Charlie Waller and Pete Kuykendall with "I Never Will Marry" which they recorded on Starday back in the 1950's. The final track is said to contain the best-known melody in country music. It served as the tune to Roy Acuff's "Great Speckled Bird" and Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels". Here we see Red Allen backed-up by an all-star cast including Frank Wakefield on mandolin, Don Reno on banjo, Chubby Wise on fiddle and Roy Husky Jnr on bass for the Carter Family favourite "I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes", making this a highly sort after collection for the bluegrass devotee.