Old Folk Music Artists You Need to Know
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Learn about some of the most influential old folk music artists that you need to know. Discover their stories, their music, and what made them so important to the genre.
The Carter Family
The Carter Family was a country music group that first gained popularity in the 1920s. The group consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Carter. The Carter Family was one of the first groups to be recorded and their recordings helped to popularize country music.
The group’s history
The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1956. The group was founded by A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and her cousin Maybelle Carter. The trio became one of the first country music groups to achieve commercial success, with their records reaching a wide audience.
The Carter Family’s recordings were enormously popular, and their style had a significant influence on subsequent country music artists. The group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970, and they were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008.
The group’s sound
According to NPR, “The essential Carter Family sound — a template for so much that would come afterward in country music — emphasizes simple instrumentation (guitar, autoharp, sometimes a fiddle) and close harmony vocals. The group’s best-known lineup featured A. P. Carter on guitar and lead vocals, his wife Sara on autoharp and lead vocals, and Maybelle Carter on guitar. The Carters’ music often dealt with themes of love, loss, death and heartbreak — universal topics that still resonate today.”
The Stanley Brothers
The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo from Southwest Virginia who performed and recorded together for most of their careers. They are among the earliest and most influential figures in the history of bluegrass music. They were inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
The group’s history
The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo from southwestern Virginia, formed in 1946 by brothers Carter Stanley (1925–1966) and Ralph Stanley (1927–2016). They performed together until Carter’s death in 1966 and released many successful recordings, appearing on television and radio. Ralph Stanley continued to perform and tour with his own band until his retirement in 2005; he died nine years later.
The group’s sound
The Stanley Brothers’ music was heavily influenced by both Appalachian folk music and brother duets popularized by acts such as The Blue Sky Boys and The Delmore Brothers. The group’s signature sound employed close, harmony singing reminiscent of the brother duet style, while also featuring a single lead vocalist backed by rhythmic guitar playing. Their songs often included references to mountain life, religious imagery, and stories of personal struggle and hardship. In addition to originals, the Stanley Brothers’ repertoire included many traditional folk songs and bluegrass standards.
The Louvin Brothers
The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin. The brothers are considered pioneer artists of close harmony and country music. Their style is often referred to as the Louvin Brothers sound. The Louvin Brothers were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
The group’s history
The Louvin Brothers were American country music artists who achieved their greatest fame in the 1950s. The duo consisted of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin. Although they performed different genres of music, they are best known as country artists and are considered pioneers in the genre.
Ira and Charlie were born in rural Alabama and began singing together as children. They first gained attention as members of a family gospel group called The Louvin Family Singers. In the 1940s, they began performing secular music and soon after, they embarked on a professional career as the Louvin Brothers.
The brothers began recording for a small local label in 1949. Their first hit, “When I Stop Dreaming”, was released in 1955 and reached the Top 10 on the country charts. It was followed by a string of other hits including “Cash on the Barrelhead” and “Knoxville Girl”. The Louvin Brothers’ success continued into the 1960s with such hits as “Hickory Wind” and “I Don’t Love Nobody”.
The Louvin Brothers’ career came to an end in 1963 when Ira was involved in a serious car accident that left him unable to sing. The brothers continued to perform together until Charlie’s death in 2011.
The group’s sound
The group’s sound was characterized by close two-part, Although they wrote and performed their own material, much of their repertoire consisted of contemporary gospel musicBuyer’),Value(‘The group disbanded in 1963, but re-formed at various later points
