On This Day in 1998, We Said Goodbye to the Trailblazing Daughter of Country’s Music First Family Band

On this day (June 2) in 1998, Helen Carter died at the age of 70. She was the eldest daughter of Maybelle Carter, a member of the original Carter Family. After the original trio split, Maybelle formed a new group with her daughters, Helen, June, and Anita. As a child, she was one of the first country singers to be heard outside the United States.

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Carter’s career officially began in 1937 when she appeared on radio broadcasts along with her family at the age of ten. However, she had already appeared alongside the original Carter Family two years before that, according to family historians. Those early radio appearances helped her and her famous family go down in history.

According to The Accordion Americana Project, some of Carter’s earliest radio performances were on XERA, the most powerful radio station in North America, alongside the original Carter Family lineup. Listeners all over the continent and beyond could pick up the station’s signal. As a result, she and her family became the first country singers to be heard by an international audience.

After the original trio split, Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters carried the family torch into the future. They were one of the first country groups to be made up solely of women. In the late 1970s, they became the first country music artists to perform in a communist country when they toured Czechoslovakia. In short, Carter spent most of her life blazing new paths.

Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters Find Success

Before they were the first country act to travel behind the Iron Curtain, Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters found major success in the United States.

They recorded and released their debut album in 1949. A year later, they were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry. Helen, June, and Anita Carter were among the youngest inductees in Opry history, at 22, 20, and 17, respectively.

Not long after joining the Grand Ole Opry, the four-piece became the first country group to perform on television. They appeared on an early episode of the hit variety show The Kate Smith Evening Hour. A few years later, in the mid-1950s, the group toured with Elvis Presley as his opening act. In 1960, they partnered with Johnny Cash, singing and playing with him on tour and in the studio.

Helen Carter’s Contributions to the Family Band

Helen Carter was a talented songwriter, penning popular tracks like “Poor Old Heartsick Me” and “What Am I Supposed to Do,” which was a hit for Ann-Margret. Later, she was hailed as the most gifted musician and songwriter of the Carter sisters. She even helped shape the quartet’s sound.

It was Helen’s responsibility to arrange their recordings. She paid special attention to the vocal arrangements. One of her standout techniques was to seamlessly transfer lead vocals from one singer to the next.

Chet Atkins, who performed with the group in their early days, reflected on Helen Carter’s musical prowess. “She was the best musician of the bunch, I guess,” he said. “She played accordion and piano and guitar just like Maybelle and brought a lot to the group.”

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