Free Republic

KINGSPORT - The last of her generation, Carter Family matriarch Janette Carter, 82, died early Sunday morning at Holston Valley Medical Center after slipping into unconsciousness and being hospitalized on Tuesday. Carter was the last surviving daughter of country music legend A.P. Carter, who was the founder and leader of the country music trio The Carter Family that began recording in 1927. With the death last March of Janette's brother Joe, Janette became the last surviving child of members of the original Carter Family group. Janette Carter had been unconscious since Tuesday evening, but her struggles with health problems were...

Country's Carter Family son dies Joe Carter, a member of country music's most influential family, has died aged 78 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was a member of the Carter Family, led by his parents AP and Sara, which is credited with revolutionising country music in the 1920s and 30s. They influenced artists including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie. With his sister Janette, Joe helped set up the Carter Family Memorial Music Center in Virginia to preserve the family's traditional music. Joe was five months old when he travelled with his parents for a 1927 recording session...