Single Girl, Married Girl

Last updated
Single Girl, Married Girl
Folk song
TextTraditional
LanguageEnglish
MelodyTraditional
PublishedJanuary 1928
Recordings
1927 recording of Single Girl, Married Girl, by the Carter Family, released in January 1928

Single Girl, Married Girl is a folk song made famous by The Carter Family, about the differences in lifestyle between the two title characters.

Contents

The song was originally released on Victor Records in January 1928 as the a-side of Victor 20937, the Carter Family’s second 78-rpm record for the label. [1] 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. [2] 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 (Maybelle Carter used an inexpensive Stella guitar during the August 1-2, 1927 sessions).

The song was re-recorded during the last months of Sara and A.P. Carter’s marriage, on May 8, 1935, during a 4-day recording session with Ralph Peer. [2] The tempo of this version is much slower, and Sara Carter sings at a much lower pitch. This version was first released on Arc Records, along with the song “No Other’s Bride I’ll Be,” as ARC 8733. [3]

Personnel

Notable Versions

Artist: The Haden Triplets Album: The Haden Triplets [4]

Artist: Charlie Haden Family and Friends (featuring Petra Haden, Tanya Haden, and Rachel Haden); Album: Rambling Boy

Artist: Petra Haden Album: The Harry Smith Project: Anthology Of American Folk Music Revisited

Artist: Ruby Vass

Artist: Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin Album: Songs of the Carter Family

Artist: Levon Helm Album: Dirt Farmer

Artist: The Kossoy Sisters Album: Bowling Green Heard on: soundtrack of Obvious Child

Artist: Alex De Grassi Album: Now And Then: Folk Songs for the 21st Century [5]

Artist: Promise and the Monster Album: Transparent Knives

Artist: 16 Horsepower Album: Folklore

Artist: Peter, Paul and Mary Album: In Concert (Peter, Paul and Mary album)

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Due to the song's popularity and historical importance, many have covered the song, including Bing Crosby, Gene Autry, Burl Ives and The Andrews Sisters. Some artists shorten the title to Broken Ties or Broken Vows or Broken Hearted Lovers. In February 1939 on XET Station, Mexico, Sara Carter dedicated the song to her long lost boyfriend Coy Bays, who was in Washington State at the time. On February 20, 1939 Sara Carter and Coy Bayes married at Brackettville, Texas. Mother Maybelle used the Carter Family picking on the song, which was new at the time, the bass notes are played with her thumb and she strums with her other fingers. The song was later put on the Carter Family album: My Clinch Mountain Home: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1928–1929). Ralph Stanley in 2006 recorded a complete album of Carter Family songs, including "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes", titled A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family.

References

  1. Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Zwonitzer, Mark, and Hirshberg, Charles. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?: The Carter Family & Their Legacy in American Music. New York. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   0-684-85763-4
  3. Russel, Tony and Pinson, Bob. Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942. New York. Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-513989-5
  4. Mazor, Barry. (January 29, 2014) "Sister Act." The Wall Street Journal.
  5. "Outsight Radio Hours interview 2003". Archive.org. Retrieved 23 January 2019.

Further reading