COMMAERNTTARY
Foot-Stompin’
If you are a fan of country music,
you have A.P. Carter to
thank. Back in the 1920s, he
and his family, wife Sarah and
cousin Maybelle, formed a trio that
helped pave the way for the country
music that would eventually sweep
our nation. The Carter Family not
only broke new ground with music
that combined the heritage of this
country, including African beats and
rhythms sung with a banjo, they
also helped to set the standard for
this new musical form.
A.P. Carter ’s music was from the
“backwoods,” the Appalachian Mountains
of Southwest Virginia, Kentucky and
Tennessee. Much of it can be traced back
to the 1700s, when immigrants coming
to this country from England, Scotland,
Wales, Ireland and Africa brought their
own music with them.
A. P. Carter was a songwriter, a singer
and a banjo, guitar and violin player.
His breakthrough “Appalachian” music
included some of the very first country
hit records. Many years later, the Carters’
daughter June, who became known as
a “queen of country music,” married
Johnny Cash. This famous pair had
their final performance at Carter Fold,
the family’s showplace near Gate City,
Virginia. This rich legacy of country music
is still performed there every weekend in
a renovated barn.
112 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE
By John Wilson
On a recent trip back home to Virginia,
Mary K and I visited the Carter Fold, where
we toured the little museum and sat in that
barn to watch men, women and young
children rush onto the dance floor, some
wearing tap shoes, to dance and clog. Their
steps were a mix of the cultures of many
countries, the most recognizable being
Ireland. No cell phones, I-pads or alcohol
were permitted, and you had to go outside
to smoke. The Fold is a national historic
site, where it is a dramatic reminder of a
much simpler time in America, when all
it took to be happy was a little toe-tappin’,
foot-stompin’ country music and a few
dance steps, thanks to the rhythms and
lyrics of the country music that was born
here.
I had seen this vibrant musical celebration
years ago after I graduated from high school
back in the ‘50s, but it was different this
time – more energetic, congenial, genuine.
| SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
The expressions on everyone’s faces
were priceless, as the excitement
soared to fill that old barn. It was
all we could do just to sit there and
watch. Then it occurred to me; when
I first saw the show so many years
ago, it was before I had travelled
the world in search of news stories.
I didn’t have the same take on life
that comes with almost fifty years in
the media. I find that, at this point
in my life, I want to go back to the
basic simple things. The Fold is that,
as they even have popcorn and Cokes for
a dollar. This music has played a critical
role in shaping my life and expectations.
That’s the country boy in me coming back
to where it all began.
America has contributed many types of
music to the world, from jazz to Broadway
show tunes. However, country music,
with its storytelling and captivating beats,
may well be one of its most underrated
contributions. Today, many people enjoy
this music that came to us from the
backwoods of our nation. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Wilson ended
50 plus years of radio and television news
broadcasting with his final goodbye on
WTVT Fox 13 on November 26, 2014, the
day before Thanksgiving.
John Wilson