Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931–1932)

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Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931–1932)
Sunshine in the Shadows.jpg
Compilation album by Carter Family
Released 1996
Recorded 1931–1932 in Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia
Genre Country, old-time, folk
Length47:28
Label Rounder
Producer Ralph Peer
Carter Family chronology
Worried Man Blues: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1930)
(1995)		Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931–1932)
(1996)		 Give Me the Roses While I Live: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1932–1933)
(1997)

Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931–1932) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1996. It is the fifth of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. [1] The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records. [2]

United States federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Country music, also known as country and western, and hillbilly music, is a genre of popular music that originated in the southern United States in the early 1920s. It takes its roots from genres such as folk music and blues.

Carter Family traditional American folk music group

The Carter Family is 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. They were the first vocal group to become country music stars, and were the first group to record commercially produced country music in recorded history. Their first recordings were made in Bristol, Tennessee under producer Ralph Peer on August 1st, 1927, the day before country singer Jimmie Rodgers also made his initial recordings under Peer. Their recordings of songs such as "Wabash Cannonball", "Can the Circle Be Unbroken", "Wildwood Flower", "Keep On the Sunny Side" and "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" made these songs country standards. The latter's tune was used for Roy Acuff's "The Great Speckled Bird", Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" and Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", making the song a hit all over again in other incarnations.

Contents

History

Recorded during the Great Depression, the Carters were paired with country singer Jimmie Rodgers in order to boost record sales. The two duets with Sara and the spoken word sketches featuring Rodgers were recorded in Louisville, Kentucky. [3]

Great Depression 20th-century worldwide economic depression

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations; in most countries it started in 1929 and lasted until the late-1930s. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how intensely the world's economy can decline.

Jimmie Rodgers (country singer) American country singer

James Charles Rodgers was an American country, blues and folk singer, songwriter and musician in the early 20th century, known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling. Rodgers, along with his contemporaries the Carter Family, was among the first country music stars, cited as an inspiration by many artists and an inductee into numerous halls of fame. Rodgers was also known as "The Singing Brakeman", "The Blue Yodeler", and "The Father of Country Music".

Louisville, Kentucky City in Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 29th most-populous city in the United States. It is one of two cities in Kentucky designated as first-class, the other being Lexington, the state's second-largest city. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, located in the state's north and on the border with Indiana.

The tracks have all been digitally remastered and include liner notes by country music historian Charles K. Wolfe.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, music critic Richie Unterberger stated the reissue "...displays the Carters' usual unadorned consistency, moving harmonies, and accomplished picking..." [1] Kels Koch, in his review for No Depression saying the recordings "... served to comfort the shivering and hungry masses.." also concludes that "Six decades later, the stilted dialogue and Rodgers’ tendency to punctuate every sentence with his trademark yodel make for recordings that are at once ridiculous and endearing, not to mention historically invaluable." [3]

Richie Unterberger American writer

Richie Unterberger is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.

<i>No Depression</i> (magazine)

No Depression is a quarterly roots music journal with a concurrent online publication at nodepression.com.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
No Depression (Favorable) [3]

Track listing

All songs are credited to A. P. Carter unless otherwise noted.

  1. "Sunshine in the Shadows" (A. P. Carter, Traditional) – 2:46
  2. "Let the Church Roll On" – 2:41
  3. "Lonesome for You" – 2:46
  4. "Can't Feel at Home" (Carter, Traditional) – 2:53
  5. "Why There's a Tear in My Eye" – 3:08
  6. "The Wonderful City" (Jimmie Rodgers, Elsie McWilliams) – 2:55
  7. "Jimmie Rodgers Visits the Carter Family" – 3:16
  8. "The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers in Texas" (Rodgers) – 3:16
  9. "'Mid the Green Fields of Virginia" (Carter, Charles K. Harris) – 2:46
  10. "The Happiest Days of All" (Carter, Will L. Thompson) – 3:14
  11. "Picture on the Wall" (Bud Landress, Charles E. Moody) – 3:17
  12. "Amber Tresses" – 2:46
  13. "I Never Loved But One" – 2:53
  14. "Tell Me That You Love Me" (Carter, Will S. Hays) – 3:02
  15. "Where We'll Never Grow Old" (Carter, James Cleveland) – 3:01
  16. "We Will March Through the Streets of the City" – 2:48

Personnel

A. P. Carter American musician

Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter professionally recording as A.P. Carter, was an American musician and founding member of The Carter Family, one of the most notable acts in the history of country music.

Singing act of producing musical sounds with the voice

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists. Singers may perform as soloists or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Different singing styles include art music such as opera and Chinese opera, Indian music and religious music styles such as gospel, traditional music styles, world music, jazz, blues, gazal and popular music styles such as pop, rock, electronic dance music and filmi.

"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.

Production notes:

Ralph Sylvester Peer was an American talent scout, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher in the 1920s and 1930s. Peer pioneered field recording of music when in June 1923 he took remote recording equipment south to Atlanta, Georgia to record regional music outside the recording studio in such places as hotel rooms, ballrooms, or empty warehouses.

Related Research Articles

Sara Carter American musician

Sara Elizabeth Carter was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on most of the recordings of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s. In her earliest recordings her voice was pitched very high.

Bristol sessions

The Bristol Sessions are considered by some as the "Big Bang" of modern country music., though in a 2015 roundtable discussion published in the periodical The Appalachian Journal several music scholars examined the "Big Bang" myth and suggested that other early recording sessions were equally important to the rise of country music. The Bristol Sessions were held in 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee by Victor Talking Machine Company producer Ralph Peer. Bristol was one of the stops on a two-month, $60,000 trip that took Peer through several major southern cities and yielded important recordings of blues, ragtime, gospel, ballads, topical songs, and string bands. The Bristol Sessions marked the commercial debuts of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. As a result of the influence of these recording sessions, Bristol has been called the "birthplace of country music". Since 2014, the town has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum.

Ernest Stoneman American singer-songwriter

Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman was an American musician ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade.

Helen Myrl Carter Jones was an American country music singer. The eldest daughter of Maybelle Carter, she performed with her mother and her younger sisters, June Carter and Anita Carter, as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters, a pioneering all female country/folk music group. The group was also known as The Carter Family.

The Carter Sisters, were an American singing quartet consisting of Maybelle Carter and her daughters June Carter Cash, Helen Carter, and Anita Carter. Formed during World War II, the group recorded and performed into the 1990s.

<i>My Dear Old Southern Home</i> album by Doc Watson

My Dear Old Southern Home is the title of a recording by American folk music artist Doc Watson, released in 1991.

Clarence Horton Greene was an American musician and recording artist, noted for his fiddle and guitar work, and a pioneer in country music of the 1920s.

<i>Anchored in Love: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1927–1928)</i> compilation album by Carter Family

Anchored in Love: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1927–1928) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1993. It is the first of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings.

<i>My Clinch Mountain Home: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1928–1929)</i> compilation album by Carter Family

My Clinch Mountain Home: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1928–1929) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1993. It is the second of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings.

<i>When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1929–1930)</i> compilation album

When the Roses Bloom in Dixieland: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1929–1930) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1995. It is the third of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records.

<i>Worried Man Blues: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1930)</i> compilation album

Worried Man Blues: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1930) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1995. It is the fourth of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings.

<i>Give Me the Roses While I Live: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1932–1933)</i> compilation album

Give Me the Roses While I Live: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1932–1933) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1997. It is the sixth of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records.

<i>Gold Watch and Chain: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1933–1934)</i> compilation album

Gold Watch and Chain: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1933–1934) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1998. It is the seventh of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records.

<i>Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934)</i> compilation album

Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1998. It is the eighth of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records.

<i>Last Sessions (The Carter Family album)</i> compilation album

Last Sessions: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934–1941) is a compilation of recordings made by American country music group the Carter Family, released in 1998. It is the final of nine compilations released by Rounder Records of the group's Victor recordings. The original Carter Family group consisting of Alvin Pleasant "A.P." Delaney Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter recorded many of what would become their signature songs for Victor Records.

Single Girl, Married Girl is a folk song made famous by The Carter Family, about the differences in lifestyle between the two title characters. The song was originally released on Victor Records in 1928 as the a-side of Victor 20937, the Carter Family’s second 78-rpm record for the label. It was recorded on August 2, 1927, the second day of their first session with producer and engineer Ralph Peer, and released in January 1928. This version was later included in Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 3. Notably, the song does not feature A.P. Carter, but is instead a solo by Sara Carter playing autoharp accompanied by her cousin Maybelle Carter playing lead guitar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Unterberger, Richie. "Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931-1932) > Review". Allmusic . Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  2. ↑ Zwonitzer, Mark; Hirshberg, Charles (2004). Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0-7432-4382-X.
  3. 1 2 3 Koch, Kels (September–October 1996). "Review: Sunshine in the Shadows: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1931-1932)". No Depression .
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