The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle Era

07/04/2026

Coffee with the Carters ! Happy 250th birthday America!🇺🇸
🇺🇸"It's My Lazy Day"🇺🇸 (It's a tradition)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ColB2i-Ml0M
🎼❤️👍🇺🇸🎂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUbjDeBC-Vs
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDhXRGUesP8
This post goes out to all of my friends that love the Carters and have been sharing Coffee with the Carters ! Thanks so much!
It's a tradition to share this song performance on the birthday of our nation July 4th
🇺🇸Happy 250th Birthday of our great country !🇺🇸
The Carter Sisters were Americas band , I'm so happy they were highlighted in New York in 1952 and we have these rare performances to enjoy.. They were the most humble, most beautiful and the most talented all female band that ever graced our world ! True legends ! This song fits today!
Helen with an accordion solo....😁🎵
Kate Smith Evening Hour New York City 1952

>>>The book is in the start of the publishing phase

06/20/2026

Coffee with the Carters 🎵💖🎶🇺🇸
Enjoy! Helen and Anita Carter sing a beautiful duet titled "Today"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-hZS1ldLAw

(Stay tuned for updates the book is finally in the publishing phase)

Below is an excerpt from an interview of Melvin Hartley a classmate of June Carter at John Marshall high school in Richmond VA. when the Carters were starring on the Old Dominion Barn Dance 1946-1948. Most high school students would all go to the ODBD on Saturday night. "It was the place to be post war"

When I was doing interviews for the book I would play some of the recordings of the Carters Sisters and MM songs they sang years ago and a lot of times these songs would summon up great memories of the "Girls".

I asked Melvin if remembered, Helen and Anita singing duets and he said yes so I played their duet titled “Today” from the first KWTO radio audition show because that would have been one duet that they had success with and most probably sang it back in 1947-48 at the Old Dominion Barn Dance.

Hearing them sing and play the slow melodic ballad “Today” evoked a memory immediately and as soon as they finished Melvin says,
“I remembered that song mainly because Sunshine Sue would introduce the Carters as;
‘One of the greatest family singing groups to ever sing’, to great fanfare from the crowd”

Mary Workman aka Sunshine Sue had heard them on the border stations and met them while they were helping to sell war bonds as their show on WRNL and Sue’s WRVA program were both broadcast on-remote joining the traveling War Bond mobile before she hired them. Now a fan herself she had witnessed them rise to become fan favorites right away on the ODBD.

{Mission accomplished as far as music evoking memories!} (I love the two recordings on the KWTO transcriptions of them singing “Today.” I’ve posted many posts and have listened to them sing that song many, many, times. I still listen to them sing that, in fact I am going to post a Facebook post “today” in honor of Helen and Anita singing that song so beautifully.)

06/13/2026

Coffee With the Carters 🎶👍🎵💖
Good Morning Folks! PUT ON THAT SMILE😊😁and DON"T WEAR A FROWN!!! Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYtPxqPpcls

I'm very happy to inform people that YES I'm finally moving into the PUBLISHING PHASE of the book about the "FAB FOUR of the 40's" who recorded on the RCA Victor and Columbia labels as "The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle". Maybelle's group are also referred to as the Carter Family (2nd generation) and Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters by some. Below is the back cover.

There are over 300 photos in the book and 15 renderings or illustrations done by a great artist my friend Kate Henriot Jauw who is pictured below holding a couple of renderings that she and I came up with that represent memories / stories from many different sources. I will be posting updates periodically but I'm really happy with the overall result of my years of dedication and work.

"Gone, Gone, Gone, But Not Forgotten" (The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle from Poor Valley to the Grand Ole Opry) (and beyond)

Pictured below is the back cover as well as Audrey Hatem (Taylor) and the illustration of a memory that she shared with me from her interview in 2016. Kate is holding

2-11 by 14" prints of her work. I have blown up 9 illustrations to 11" by 14" for book signings.

Audrey's memory ....Stars of the Old Dominion Barn Dance put on a July 4th show at her hometown lake at Dillwyn, VA. On Stage are the "Girls" dressed in the blue summer dresses with white polka dots just like Audrey remembered when she was 12 years old. The other illustration Kate is holding is the cover of the book

(1947-48) Stay tuned for updates !!!
Thanks Tony! 314 680 7947 cell
PS: call or text if you want to chat.

03/31/2026

Today is Anita Carters birthday, March 31st. 👍🎵🎂🎁🎶

Having fallen into the deep rabbit hole so to speak around 2013. I discovered that Anita Carter's amazing life in entertainment has never been celebrated or recognized by the CMA. Anita sang solo on the radio first at 4 years old and with her sisters at WOPI in Bristol. (1937)

https://youtu.be/JcfCHnn3tQI?si=Awp0_dJtPj_xHITi

Thousands of letters came pouring in to XERA wanting to hear the 5-7 year old sing coast to coast (1938-1941 Mexican Border Blaster radio)

https://youtu.be/NK_G87ZCJiM?si=ScgJMvSaqaOeizhI

Anita received thunderous applause and standing ovations her whole life. I heard firsthand stories of her singing an old jazz song as a 14 year old, "St Louis Blues" (made famous in 1925 by Bessie Smith) on the Old Dominion Barn Dance and routinely bringing the house down singing solo or beautiful duets with her sister Helen.
1946-48
(In a newspaper article I discovered Minnie Pearl praising Helen and Anita's duet singing on the Opry in the early1950s)
https://youtu.be/9Mv0w-pZSac?si=PlkvH09sTf0MKrBm

Maybelle's legendary band and subsequent success story is so unique and has never been told until the book comes out. Each of the members of Maybelle's group have their own separate path in the rabbit hole. I'm going to take you down some of Anita's path. Anita was the baby and the bass player of their group and she loved that quote, "family time." Fast forward to 1950 and Maybelle and her daughters join the Opry.

Because the CMA was formed in 1958 with it's own agenda, Anita's unique achievements as far as females in the history of the Opry and American entertainment have been overlooked or never celebrated. There were other females that entertained on the Opry before them. But the Carters were the first regular featured females to stand the test of time as members of the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1950 at 17 Anita was the youngest / female member of the Opry. In 1951 Hank Snow and Anita had the hit record that sold over a million copies. Down the Trail of Broken https://youtu.be/IgLBi_ms4Gk?si=7pO1PkMT9qRvTjid Hearts" / Bluebird Island Anita Carter & Hank Snow Down The Trail Of Aching Hearts

Television was in it's infancy (1952) Debut! Anita Carter live on the Opry 1952 "Anything That's Part of You"
In March 1952 Maybelle's group were the first featured females that were regulars on the Opry that represented "Music City," the Opry and Ryman auditorium on the very first NBC network telecast of "Hillbilly or Country" music stars across the nation.
In April 1952 Anita with her majestic voice sang the only filmed duet with Hank Williams at the peak of his popularity. (Every female watching across the nation wanted to be Anita at that moment) (Having heard Anita sing on the radio since she was a toddler she was a superstar across the nation in their eyes.) Years later I discovered a lot of babies named after Anita Carter during research for the book.I Can't Help It - Hank Williams & Anita Carter

https://youtu.be/QYhAs2kmTV4?si=ExUcuDB33NfhYme3

In April 1952 again Anita would be the very first featured female to sing a solo on the NBC network singing "Just When I Needed You." bringing the house down (studio audience) Debut ! Anita Carter "Just When I Needed You" First Female Opry star to solo on national television

https://youtu.be/BeAT5CEXeh8?si=ytEWLBLQLAAl6duD

In Oct 1955 Anita would be a featured female singing "Making Believe" on the very first Grand Ole Opry program telecast on ABC network television filmed on the historic stage of the Ryman auditorium. Anita Carter & Chet Atkins Making Believe

https://youtu.be/MGadIKs7E6k?si=CMnZsJz6yS-UsuKQ

I just added a few of her performances on You Tube for you and others that love country music to enjoy!

Tony Lupo,
Author "Gone, Gone, Gone, But Not Forgotten"
(From Poor Valley to the Grand Ole Opry and beyond)

03/26/2026

Coffee with the Carters

https://youtu.be/WfDfOin8CFM?si=_bWBpizRp3L1m4n9

On this day March 26 in 1952 the A-list Stars of the Grand Ole Opry traveled to New York and appeared on network television for the first time in history. Television was still in its infancy.

They appeared on NBC on the Kate Smith Evening Hour, Hank Williams, the Drifting Cowboys, Roy Acuff and the Smokey Mountain Boys, the Duke of Paducah (comedian) Tennessee Square Dancers.

On this day the Carter Sisters Helen, June and Anita and Mother Maybelle were the first and only featured females from the Grand Ole Opry to represent Hillbilly or Country music on National television. This is the full show on YouTube.
Enjoy! 👍🎶💓🎵

01/29/2026

01/12/2026

Coffee with the Carters 🎵👍💖🎶
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUubmWdgCq0
Songs, Intro Put On a Smile, Keep Moving On, Little Orphan Girl, Instrumental, Where Shall I Be, The Waves On The Sea, exit song In The Pines |

Helen Carter, vcls, accordion, June vcls, femcee, autoharp, Anita, vcls, Bass, Mother Maybelle, vcls, acoustic guitar, Chet Atkins, electric guitar





John Carter Cash June Carter Cash Lorrie Carter Bennett

Induct Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle into the Country Music Hall of Fame

The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle Era
After 12 years of work I'm looking to publish the book about the Carter Sisters and mother Maybelle band era 1943-1956 this year They truly were the "Fab Four of the 40's" then the "Fab Five" once they hired Chester Atkins!
Anthony Lupo author: "Gone, Gone, Gone But Not Forgotten The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle from Poor Valley to the Grand Ole Opry and Beyond)
🎵👍💖🎼🎸