Thursday, January 24, 2008

Kerfuffle Erupts at Carter Family Fold

UPDATE: The Bristol Herald Courier has a guest op-ed piece responding to Dale Jett's forced resignation from the Fold's board of directors. Jett doesn't have much to say about the details, but the writer makes it clear that Jett's loyalty to his family's heritage has never wavered: "I am first, a member of the Carter family."



According to an article in the Richmond Post-Dispatch, the Carter Family Fold board booted the grandson of Sara and A.P. Carter. Ron McConnell, a walking wealth of information on country music, alerted me to the story.

Apparently, the dispute is over a collection of audio recordings that Dale Jett, the country-music legends' grandson and a long-time member of the Carter Family Memorial Music Center's board of directors, gave to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


In December Jett was formally voted off the board. The article says:
At the heart of the dispute was an April 2007 agreement that Jett signed
with UNC. Under the deal, Jett sent about 4,000 audiocassettes containing 1,500
hours of live performances from the Carter Fold to the school's Southern
Folklife Collection, (board President Howard) Klein said.

"This began as a project to find the best way to preserve 30 years of tape
recordings from the Fold," Klein said. "I don't know when it changed into giving
the collection away. The board never knew about this."

Klein's account is disputed by Maxine Kenny, former project director for a
grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities to preserve the Carter
Fold's audio archives. Kenny, who left the project in response to Jett's
departure, said in a written statement that the board was notified of the
agreement with UNC in April, the month it was signed.

The dear Janette Carter - Jett's late mother - created the fold in 1974 in tribute to her parents A.P. and Sara and her aunt "Mother Maybelle." The threesome's 1927 recordings made in Bristol, Tenn. - along with Jimmie Rodgers - are usually referred to as the "Big Bang" of country music.


For folks who haven't been to the Fold, it's an amazing experience, a place filled with music lovers of all ages and from all around the world. Tucked into a corner of Poor Valley, Va. at the foot of Clinch Mountain, the Fold is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of old-time country and folk music with performances every Saturday night. The music is all acoustic and in the history of the Fold, Miss Janette granted exceptions and permitted plug ins for only two performers: Johnny Cash and Marty Stuart.


While I have never met Jett, I can say his sister Rita Forrester is a lovely, lovely woman. Within minutes of meeting her, I felt as if we'd been friends forever. On one of my visits, she made it possible for me to spend a Sunday afternoon with her mother, not long before Miss Janette passed away. I sat with her in her tiny living room filled with porcelain angels as she talked about her life and the history of her family. It will remain forever one of my most treasured memories.


As Ron McConnell said in an e-mail, "Let's hope (the controversy) gets worked out." I agree. I hate to see such a wonderful place be disrupted by disharmony.


For more information on the Fold and its events, go here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

kerfluffle at the carter fold? holy musicological archival chicanery, batman! now you've got me all kerflutter and cerfused and kafoozled.
at least you've inspired me to take a brief etymology primer on the word and it's many variants: http://www.wordwizard.com/ch_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6152
seriously, man's weakness never ceases to amaze. the old bag keels over, and the next thing you know some soulless bastard is making a power grab.
you are right on the money, though, the fold is a one-of-a-kind american institution, and let's hope this regrettable carfuffle doesn't signal a change in its timeless character.
i remember cooking spaghetti on a propane burner and getting spooked by headlights as the occasional car wandered past on the a.p. carter highway on saturday night show. we slept in the car, right on the property, no security police chasing us off. want to hear more about your time with miss janette among the porcelain angels … reminds me of a brief chat with her, where she admitted that the "parkington's" was making her life miserable. thanks for the sad news.

Anonymous said...

speaking of the big bang of country music, is it true that mother maybelle had a stormy love affair with the great delta bluesman robert johnson? and i've heard that it was a jealous paramour of maybelle who slipped robert the poison. any feedback would be appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Boxes of wood and wire! Rates at historic lows! Now is the time to invest! Get a $300,000 loan for as low as $395 a month! Act now! Limited time offer only! With rates falling, NOW is the time to get that box of wood and wire you've always dreamed of! Make your dream a reality! White picket fence! Plastic pipes and vents! Latex paint! Gypsum and paper walls! Polyester carpet on the floor! Who could ask for more?!?!?!!??!?!? Don't hesitate. He that hesitates LOSES!!!!! Get your very own box of wood and wire NOW! ACT!

rube said...

Do you know where I can get a hold of that guy who says you can get a $300,000 loan for $395 a month? Do you think it's a scam? Omar been out of pocket for a while and could use a roof over his head. Indeed.

Anonymous said...

That wasnt George say that last comment. That Omar! George ain't in the game he got nothin' to worry about. Cause the game's the game. Indeed.

Anonymous said...

Crazy Omar ... You out there, my n-word? Stringer requests a parley. Security can be guaranteed by my fat ass. Bury the hatchet. Put that shotgun down for a second. Can't hurt to hear him out. Respond via this site. Will await your answer. I'm out.