While I'm not a big fan of country music, I do appreciate its history, and to that end I bought the Carter Family's 1991 compilation Country Music Hall of Fame Series about ten years ago. At the time, there was very little in their catalog to choose from, if you wanted to catch an overview of their work like I did. This album samples their late 1930s recordings for the Decca label.

The Carter Family prove to be a tough listen for me. I know they recorded a number of country staples (the most prominent on Country Music Hall of Fame Series probably being "My Dixie Darling"), but they are so damn dour and strait-laced that the songs seem to blend into one another. Sara Carter and her sister-in-law/cousin Maybelle lack the exuberant highs and sorrowful lows of other country singers of the time like Jimmie Rodgers. For example, they plow right through love songs like "Lover's Lane" and "Charlie and Nellie" without any display of emotion. "Young Freda Bolt," about the courting and murder of a country lass is given a straight-forward reading. Another number, "Dark Haired True Lover," is certain to raise a few eyebrows today with its affection for a woman as sung by two sisters, but it is testament to the fact that the Carters treated every song at face value.

Yet there is a certain charm to the recordings, which, despite the recording dates, do not have that annoying tape hiss that mars other audio pieces from that era. While not joyful singers in the sense I described, Sara and Maybelle are raw and genuine. Accompanied only by Maybelle's guitar-playing (which apparently set the standard for bluegrass and C&W to this day), the songs have a rustic quality that can only come from growing up on the farm. Numbers like "Hold Fast to the Right" and "Just a Few More Days" sound like popular anthems during the Great Depression, even though the latter song's subject deals with death.

It seems like AP Carter's contribution to the group was as a manager and talent scout. Sure, he scoured the Appalachian countryside for traditional songs to record, but he also took credit for writing them in order to secure the royalties. On the cover, he looks like the typical stoic early 20th century patriarch. He sings back-up on a few of the numbers, but really this album is a showcase for the two women.

As far as the rating goes, I would give Country Music Hall of Fame Series 3 stars based on my listening experience. However, for its historical significance, it has to rate 5 stars. So, I'll split the difference and give it 4 stars. And to give the Carter Family their due, I'll make a note to myself to search for either the deleted nine disc Rounder series of their Victor recordings, or the two JSP box set imports.

Recommended: Yes