The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken (2005)

Synopsis: In July 1927, a local newspaper reported that Ralph Peer of RCA Victor Records was to audition regional artists in Bristol, Tennessee. Responding to the open-call recording session was an unknown trio called the Carter Family--A.P. Carter; his wife, Sara; and her sister, Maybelle--who... In July 1927, a local newspaper reported that Ralph Peer of RCA Victor Records was to audition regional artists in Bristol, Tennessee. Responding to the open-call recording session was an unknown trio called the Carter Family--A.P. Carter; his wife, Sara; and her sister, Maybelle--who from that day forward would singlehandedly change the course of country music with their lilting vocal harmonies and distinctive guitar-picking. The first inductees into the Country Music Hall Of Fame, the Carter Family recorded a huge repertoire of songs (including "Keep on the Sunny Side" and "Wabash Cannonball") that have influenced and been covered by a whole cadre of artists such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and, of course, Johnny Cash, who went on to marry the Carters' daughter, June. Narrated by actor Robert Duvall, this episode of PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE history series recounts the life and work of these country music pioneers--from their aptly named hometown of Poor Valley, Virginia, to their breakup in 1943--through a wealth of rare archival footage, family photographs, and memorabilia. [More]