Helen Carter
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Helen Myrl Carter Jones (September 12, 1927 – June 2, 1998) was an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer. The eldest daughter of
Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...
, she performed with her mother and her younger sisters,
June Carter June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in t ...
and
Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter (March 31, 1933 – July 29, 1999) was an American singer who played upright bass, guitar, and autoharp. She performed with her sisters, Helen and June, and her mother, Maybelle, initially under the name The Carter Sisters an ...
, as a member of ''The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle'', a pioneering all female country and folk music group. After the death of A.P. Carter in 1960, the group became known as
The Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...
.Scott County History Book Committee (1991) ''The Carter Family: A Biography''Zwonitzer, M. & Hirshberg, C. (2002). ''Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music''. Simon & Schuster, NY.


Overview

Helen Carter had a professional career in music that spanned 60 years. Many historians point to her 1937 radio debut as the beginning of her career Orr, J. (1998). ''Carter Family Daughter Dies: Helen Carter Jones Rites Friday'' Free-Lance Star, Fredericksburg, VACarter Family Fan Club News (no date). ''Historic Dates in the Career of the Carter Family.'' but Janette Carter (Helen's cousin and daughter of original Carter Family band members A. P. and
Sara Carter Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...
) recalled that she and Helen performed together at original Carter Family appearances at least two years prior to this date.''Carter Family Fan Club News'' (1998). As a child, Helen Carter played to some of the largest radio audiences in history by way of the powerful signals from the Mexican Border Stations of the 1930s and 1940s. Some of these stations could be heard throughout and even beyond the North American continent.Zitz, M. (1996). ''Country Legend Carter the Main Attraction''. Free-Lance Star, Fredericksburg, VA.Wolfe, C. (1998). ''The Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle: Living Tradition''. The Journal of the Academy for the Preservation of Old-Time Country Music. After the breakup of the original Carter Family in 1943, Maybelle formed a group showcasing Helen and her younger sisters Foley, (1961). ''Carter Family Swinging on GI Club Scene''. Stars & Stripes: European Edition. The group joined the cast of the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...
in 1950Irwin, J. R. (2000). ''A People & Their Music: The Story Behind the Story of Country Music''. Schiffer Publishing, PA. securing Helen, June and Anita's place in country music history as being among the youngest Grand Ole Opry inductees ever. They were aged 22, 20 and 17 respectively. The Carters were on the first nationally televised network program to feature country music, ''The Kate Smith Show'', and were among the first country music acts to tour behind the
Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...
in Czechoslovakia. They were given the "Favorite Country Group" award by the American Music Awards in 1973 and the "Gospel Act of the Year" award by the Music City News Awards in 1980. Helen rarely sang lead in the Carter Family group and seemed content to focus her efforts on harmony and instrumental backing. She played a variety of instruments including accordion, autoharp, guitar, piano and mandolin.Anonymous (1987). ''The Carter Family'' Editor's note: this item is believed to be a publicity sheet issued by PolyGram Records, the Carter Family's record label at the time Many writers and historians list Helen Carter as the best overall musician and most talented songwriter among the Carter Sisters. Helen Carter was largely responsible for arranging the group's vocals. It was not uncommon for some songs to have multiple key changes as each group member sang a verse or as the entire group varied vocal combinations throughout the song. Another remarkable technique, difficult to describe and rarely recorded, had the group members solo-singing small segments of lyric lines or even portions of individual words. The effect was a seamless transfer of the lead vocal from one singer to the next. Sometimes the switch was so subtle that it could go unnoticed except to the most discerning ears of long-time fans. Often the group sang in a chorale type arrangement that was reminiscent of old-time gospel music singing. In this style the various lead vocals were woven throughout the song and changed unpredictably. A harmony voice could be thrust into the lead vocal within fractions of a second and then fade into the background just as quickly a short time later. Helen Carter was also widely regarded as the Carter Sister most in touch with the group's rich musical tradition and the one most dedicated to its preservation. Along with her mother, Maybelle Carter, Helen Carter was recorded by the Smithsonian Institution in 1975.


Solo career

Helen pursued a solo career apart from the family. She recorded for a number of historically important independent labels such as
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, Republic, Starday and
Hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...
. She had releases on major labels such as Columbia and
Okeh Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
as well. She recorded duets with such acts as
The Willis Brothers The Willis Brothers were an American country music ensemble from Oklahoma, consisting of several brothers. Group history Early touring Two of the Willis brothers (James, Charles) and Webb "Robber Baron" Cardwell, played together as teenagers fr ...
,
Johnny Bond Cyrus Whitfield Bond (June 1, 1915 – June 12, 1978), known professionally as Johnny Bond, was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer and publisher, who co-founded a music publishing firm, he was active in the musi ...
, famed Grand Olde Opry announcer Grant Turner, and Wiley Barkdull (a singer who sounded a lot like
Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...
).''Sunny Side Sentinel: Official Publication for the Carter Family, Discography Issue'' (1980). In the 1960s, Helen teamed with Dolores "Tootsie" Dinning (of the Dinning Sisters and later The Nashville Edition) to form a short-lived group called the Blondettes that recorded for MGM. While many of Carter's solo recordings were favorites with loyal fans and always welcomed by concert goers, they did not have a great deal of commercial success. One likely reason for Helen's limited success as a solo artist may have been competition for radio air play with other members of her famous clan. Throughout the recording career of the Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle, much of the time, all four group members had individual recording contracts as well. Though each had her own style, it is of note that all members of the Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle group (in various combinations) often sang and played on one another's solo recordings.Various liner notes and credits from albums, singles, Compact Discs, etc. Therefore, it was not unusual for the members' solo recordings to sound a lot like the group recordings. Another possible reason for Helen Carter's limited success with her solo recordings may simply have been that she was ahead of her time in terms of what the conservative country music establishment was willing to accept. The 1950s was an era in which barriers were being broken by the likes of
Kitty Wells Ellen Muriel Deason (August 30, 1919 – July 16, 2012), known professionally as Kitty Wells, was an American pioneering female country music singer. She broke down a barrier to women in country music with her 1952 hit recording "It Wasn't God W ...
. Yet, some of Helen's self-penned lyrics may have been deemed a bit risque: From ''Unfit Mother: '' My neighbors said I was too wild, unfit to mother my own child From ''Heart Full of Shame: '' I came to him in a veil of purest white, but you came to him as an angel of the night From ''There Ain't no Future for Me:'' When you take me in your arms and snuggle me up tight, I can't help but wonder who you held last night On occasion Helen Carter's writing would lure listeners into uncomfortable, dark situations: From ''Satan's Child: '' ...he was tempted more than any man could stand...he thought he could save himself by taking Nelly's life... From ''Is this My Destiny?: '' At night I toss and wonder why I must live while others die From ''The Pickup: '' The morning papers told how she died. Jumped from a bridge; suicide Helen's greatest commercial success came by way of her songwriting. She wrote for
Acuff-Rose Music Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. was an American music publishing firm formed in 1942 by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms ...
and Pamper Music, among other companies. Some of the better known titles she wrote or co-wrote include "The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea", "Wall to Wall Love", "Fast Boat to Sydney," "The First One to Love You", "We Lived it Up," "
Rosanna's Going Wild "Rosanna's Going Wild" is a song written by June, Helen and Anita Carter for Johnny Cash. Cash released it as a single (Columbia 4-44373, with "Roll Call" on the opposite side) in November 1967. The song made it to number 2 on U.S. ''Billboard' ...
", "Loving You Was Worth This Broken Heart", "Poor Old Heartsick Me", "Is This My Destiny?" and "What am I Supposed to Do?" Music acts as diverse as Skeeter Davis, Red Foley, Australian singer Dorothy Baker,
the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
,
Jan Howard Jan Howard (born Lula Grace Johnson; March 13, 1929 – March 28, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. As a singer, she placed 30 singles on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, country songs chart, w ...
,
Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...
, Carl Butler, Ernest Ashworth,
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
, Linda Manning, Duane Eddy, the Knitters,
Billy Grammer Billy Wayne Grammer (August 28, 1925 – August 10, 2011) was an American country music singer and accomplished guitar player. He recorded the million-selling " Gotta Travel On", which made it onto both the country and pop music charts in 1959. ...
, Dawn Kight & the Casuals, Ray Price, Jimmie Dickens,
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
, Faron Young, Johnnie & Jack, the Osborne Brothers,
Jean Shepard Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard (November 21, 1933 – September 25, 2016) was an American honky-tonk singer-songwriter who pioneered for women in country music. Shepard released a total of 73 singles to the Hot Country Songs chart, one of which ...
, the Cowslingers, the
Louvin Brothers The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member. The brothers wrote and performed co ...
, the Browns,
Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...
, Chet Atkins, George Morgan,
Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...
and
Mark Dinning Max Edward Dinning (August 17, 1933 — March 22, 1986), known by his stage name Mark Dinning was an American pop music singer. In February 1960, the song " Teen Angel", written by his sister Jean (Eugenia) and her husband Red Surrey, reached nu ...
are among the more than sixty who have recorded her songs. Helen Carter recorded two solo albums for Old Homestead Records and did guest spots on recordings by her niece
Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith. As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 album ...
and Southern Gospel artist Jacky Jack White later in her life. Additionally there was an LP collaboration with old-time artists the Phipps Family. Helen also teamed with various members of the Carter Family for periodic recordings. In addition to the numerous recordings before Maybelle's death, Helen recorded with later versions of the Carter Family. In the 1980s a group featuring Helen (with two of her sons: David & Kevin; another son, Danny, occasionally performed with an earlier version of the group in the 1970s) and Anita (with her daughter Lorrie) recorded two albums and some singles for the Audiograph label. Helen, Anita and June (with one of her daughters, Carlene) recorded for Polygram/Mercury a few years later. June's other daughter, Rosie joined the group after Carlene's solo career began to gain momentum in the 1990s. On personal appearances it was not unusual for the lineup of the Carter Family to change. June's son
John Carter Cash John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970) is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. He is the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and the grandson of Maybelle Carter. Biography For several years after his birth, his fathe ...
, and her granddaughter, Tiffany; as well as other relatives, sometimes performed with the group.


More about Helen's career with the Carter Family

With the Carter Sisters and Maybelle, Helen did experience chart success. During the 1960s and 1970s, the group charted a few albums (such as ''Country's First Family'', 1976) and singles including "Traveling Minstrel Band", "The World Needs a Melody", and "A Song for Mama". Many were duet recordings with Helen Carter's brother-in-law
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
. It is also of note that the group was prominently featured on numerous Cash recordings but often went uncredited. Throughout their careers, in fact, all four group members recorded (as soloists and in various combinations) with such acts as Johnny Horton,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
, the
Wilburn Brothers The Wilburn Brothers were an American country music duo from the 1950s to the 1970s, consisting of brothers Virgil Doyle Wilburn (1930–1982) and Thurman Theodore "Teddy" Wilburn (1931–2003). Biography The brothers were born in Hardy, Ark ...
, Boots Randolph,
Grandpa Jones Louis Marshall Jones (October 20, 1913 – February 19, 1998), known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.McCall, Michael; ...
,
Flatt & Scruggs Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948. Flatt and Sc ...
, Carl Smith, Porter Wagoner,
Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
, Darrell Glenn, Lefty Frizzell and many others. They were sought after for both their vocal and instrumental contributions in the studio. These collaborations produced a number of charting hits (and in at least one case a multi-million seller) along with various obscure B-sides and album cuts. Helen Carter was a regular on Johnny Cash's network television program and on his TV specials. Along with other members of the Carter Family, Helen received a gold record for her participation in the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...
's ''Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II''. The group sang backup on two tracks from the album.


Marriage and children

In 1950 Helen married Glenn Jones of Baxley, Georgia. After the family's move to the Nashville area, they lived in Madison, Hendersonville and Dickson, Tennessee. They had four sons ( Kenneth Burton, Glenn Daniel, David Lawrence, and Kevin Carter Jones) and six grandchildren. They tragically lost their son, Kenny, as the result of an auto accident, at 16 years old. At the time, Kenny had recently been signed as a recording artist for Monument Records.


Death

Helen Carter suffered from
gastrointestinal problem Gastrointestinal diseases (abbrev. GI diseases or GI illnesses) refer to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum, and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, ...
s which led to heart problems that took her life in 1998 at age 70. Her interment was next to her son,
Kenneth Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byn ...
, in
Hendersonville Memory Gardens Hendersonville Memory Gardens is a cemetery located at 353 East Main Street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, United States, a few miles northeast of Nashville. Formerly known as Woodlawn Memorial Park East, it is the burial site of Johnny Cash as w ...
in
Hendersonville, Tennessee Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 61,753 at the 2020 census. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area after Nashville, Murfreesboro, an ...
. Buried nearby in the same cemetery are her parents, Ezra and
Maybelle Carter "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...
, and her sisters,
June June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
and Anita.


Legacy

Helen's song "Heart Full of Shame" was used in the 2003 movie ''
Northfork ''Northfork'' is a 2003 film directed by Michael Polish and written by Michael and Mark Polish. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2003 and later received a limited release in the United States on July 11, 2003. The film ...
''. "Juke Box Blues", co-written with Maybelle, was used in the 2005 movie ''
Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' M ...
''. Helen Carter was portrayed by actress Janet McMahan in the musical ''Wildwood Flower: The June Carter Story''. In 2006, a forgotten set of recordings that Helen made with her sisters and a niece in 1991 was discovered and released to the public on Sphere Records. Unlike the majority of recordings made with her family, most tracks from the collection prominently featured Helen on lead vocal. In 2009
Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...
released her acclaimed album '' The List''. In publicity for the album Cash repeatedly discussed the impact that Helen Carter (her aunt through marriage) had on her as a musician, performer and as a songwriter. Cash also noted that Helen Carter spent hours teaching her to play guitar. In the 2013 Lifetime Television Movie ''
Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring o ...
'' Helen Carter was portrayed by young singers Emma Peasall and Hannah Peasall at different stages of her life Anonymous, 2013. Ring of Fire. International Movie Data Base; IMDb.com


Partial discography for Helen Carter

Editors Note: A complete discography for the second generation of the Carter Family or any of its members will likely be problematic due primarily to how many of the recordings were credited and marketed. For example, some group recordings had a single vocalist or a single lead vocalist with highly subdued group harmonies. Examples of "solo" recordings where listeners can clearly identify one, two or all three other group members singing and/or playing abound. Finally, some records were credited as ___ Carter and the Carter Sisters (or Carter Family) or as The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle, featuring ___ Carter. Also, there are numerous collaborations with other artists on which the Carters may or may not have been credited.


Solo singles: 1950s

* "I'm All Broke Out with Love"; "Fiddlin' Around"; "There's a Right Way, A Wrong Way"; "Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes", Tennessee Records * "I Like my Loving Overtime", "Like All Get Out", "Unfit Mother", "You're Right but I Wish You Were Wrong", Okeh Records * "Heart Full of Shame"; "No No It's Not So"; "Set the Wedding"; "Sweet Talking Man"; "There Ain't No Future for Me"; "What's to Become of Me Now", Hickory Records


Solo albums: Old Homestead records

''This Is for You Mama'' (1979): lead and harmony vocals, guitar, mandolin, autoharp Songs include "Carter Guitar Medley", "Dark & Stormy Weather", "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room", "Helen's Mandolin Rag", "Hello Stranger", "I Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow", "Is This My Destiny", "Lonesome Day", "Poor Wildwood Flower", "Red River Blues", "Tickling the Frets", "Winding Stream" ''Clinch Mountain Memories'' (1993): lead vocals, guitar, autoharp Songs include "Clinch Mountain Love", "Poor Old Heartsick Me", "Why Do You Weep Dear Willow", "If You Were Losing Him to Me", "Kneeling Drunkard's Plea", "Mama Sang", "Meeting in the Air", "Hot Footin' It", "Lonesome Fiddle Blues", "No Distinction There", "You Are My Flower"


Collaborations on singles


1950s

*''He Made You for Me, I'd Like To'', duet with Wiley Barkdull, Tennessee Records *''I Went to Your Wedding'', duet with Johnny Bond, Columbia Records *''Counterfeit Kisses'', and ''Sparrow in the Treetop'', duets with Don Davis, Tennessee Records *''As Long as You Believe in Me'', Duet with Bob Eaton, Tennessee Records *''Heaven's Decision'', ''I'll Keep on Loving You'', ''My Dearest & Best'', and ''You Can't Stop Me from Dreaming'', duets with Grant Turner, Tennessee Records/Republic Records


1960s

*''Little Butterfly, My Love is Many Things'', with the Blondettes, MGM Records *''Release Me'', duet with Bobby Sykes, Starday Records *''Wild Side of Life'', with the Willis Brothers, Starday Records


1970s or 1980s

''Way Worn Traveler'', duet with Johnny Cash, Columbia Records


Collaborations on albums

*Appalachian Pride (Solo album by June Carter). Helen plays accordion and sings harmony on some songs. (Columbia Records, 1975) *Hills of Home (Phipps Family with Helen Carter). Helen sings lead on ''Walking in the King's Highway''. She sings or sings/plays guitar on several other songs. (Mountain Eagle Records, 1980) *Southern Songbook (Jacky Jack White with the Carter Sisters). Helen sings lead on ''Mary's Heart, Martha's Hands'' and sings harmony on some other songs. (Buffalo Run Records, 1996)


Selected examples of Carter Family recordings featuring Helen


1940s and 1950s: RCA Records

Helen plays accordion on most of the recordings. She sings lead on "Willow Won't You Weep for Me". A partial family collaboration with Chet Atkins titled "Under the Hickory Nut Tree" features Helen's singing.


1960s: Liberty Records

Helen sings lead on "Just Another Broken Heart" from the ''Carter Family Album.'' She and Maybelle duet on other tracks.


1960s: Columbia Records

Helen shares lead vocals with June on "Poor Old Heartsick Me" from the ''Best of the Carter Family'' album.


1970s: Columbia Records

Helen shares lead vocals with June on "In the Pines" from the ''Country's First Family'' album. She shares lead vocals with Anita on "2001 Ballad to the Future" and "Take Me Home Country Roads" from the album ''Traveling Minstrel Band''. Helen sings lead on "Let Me Be There" and "Where No One Stands Alone" on the ''Three Generations'' album.


1980s: Audiograph Records

From the album ''Audiograph Alive'', Helen sings lead and plays guitar on "Wildwood Flower". On the album "Breaking Tradition", she sings lead on ''Loving Me on His Mind''.


1980s: Polygram Records

Helen shares lead vocals on some songs, and her guitar work is featured heavily on many titles from the album ''Wildwood Flower''. According to taped interviews with various members of the Carter Family, the act recorded at least 30 other songs during these sessions. This material has not been released.


Selected songwriter discography


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Helen 1927 births 1998 deaths American women country singers American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Virginia People from Scott County, Virginia Hickory Records artists Tennessee Records artists 20th-century American singers Cash–Carter family Guitarists from Virginia The Carter Family members 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American women guitarists