Classic Album Review-Mother Maybelle Carter “A Living Legend”
This week, we’ve been all over the country music map, from the 1980′s style of John Anderson, to some folk-influenced country from Johnny Cash and Eddy Arnold, to the multi-genred sounds of Jimmy Buffett. Today that week long trip winds up with a release from one of country music’s pioneers, Mother Maybelle Carter.
For those not familiar with her, Mother Maybelle was one-third of the original Carter Family, country music’s first star group. During the late 1920′s and 1930′s they released classics such as “Wildwood Flower”, “Keep On The Sunny Side”, and “Can The Circle Be Unbroken”. After the Carter Family broke up, Maybelle would continue working, usually touring and recording with her daughters, Helen, June, and Anita.
The album up for review, today, is a 1966 release, titled “A Living Legend”, which features both vocal and instrumental work from Mother Maybelle, with vocal backing from her daughters.
First up on the album is an answer song. At the time of this album’s release, Dave Dudley was coming off of a top ten hit, “What We’re Fighting For”, a song from a soldier’s point of view who doesn’t understand why people back home are protesting what he and his fellow soldiers are doing. Here, Mother Maybelle gives us the mother’s answer, “I Told Them What You’re Fighting For”. Not a bad track, for an answer song. Mother Maybelle’s voice is in great shape, here, melding surprisingly well with the then-contemporary arrangement. The track was released as a single, but never charted.
Next, we get the instrumental “Kitty Puss”, featuring Mother Maybelle on the autoharp. It’s a nice piece of instrumental work.
“Charlie Brooks” is a tale of love ending. It’s an old-time ballad that is in the same vein as many of the original Carter Family classics. Again, Mother Maybelle’s vocal strength really comes through, holding up well for 57 years of use; her age at the time of release.
Another instrumental with the autoharp is next, this time the Bob Wills classic “San Antonio Rose”. Good recording and actually a little short. I think it would have been even better had it been stretched out a little.
One thing I notice as I listen to this disc, is how much alike Mother Maybelle and her daughter, June Carter, sound. Close enough one could conceivably mix them up. It is especially apparent on “We All Miss You Joe”, an okay track that’s not particularly special.
“Black Mountain Rag” is a song that’s seemingly been around forever and can be found in the repertoire of many bluegrass performers. Mother Maybelle’s instrumental is one of the best I’ve heard, and again, is almost too short. I actually would like to hear it go a bit longer. “Black Mountain Rag” concluded side 1.
Side 2 opens with “A Letter From Home”. Like most of the album, a mid tempo ballad, that would be considered a story song; this time a sad tale of a cowboy waiting for a letter from home, who is fatally shot. Despite it’s morbidity, it’s not a bad track, perfectly suited for the early country style of Mother Maybelle.
“Tom Cat’s Kitten” is another instrumental that, like the others on the album, is a pleasing, up tempo piece of music that arguably are the highlights of the album, not to take anything away from the vocal tracks. Mother Maybelle played the autoharp as well as anyone.
“Let’s Be Lovers Again” is about quarreling lovers, in which one ultimately dies after a quarrel, leaving the other in deep regret. It’s a theme that is often heard in early country music. It’s a bit too morbid for me, though I’m sure many of her fans loved this track.
“Give Me Your Love And I’ll Give You Mine” is another track that I like. A very simple arrangement consisting only of Mother Maybelle, a guitar, and her daughters singing background. The result is a beautiful, intimate sound.
The album wraps with “A Mother Always Knows”, where a mother is preparing to let go of a son who is heading to the big city, only to return years later, penniless. Lyrically dated, but a theme that was used numerous times in early country music. Average song, at best.
The majority of the tracks, were either written or arranged by Mother Maybelle, with the exception of Bob Wills’ “San Antonio Rose”; Tom T. Hall’s “I Told Them What You’re Fighting For”; “Let’s Be Lovers Again”, written by A. P. Carter; and “We All Miss You Joe”, written by future son-in-law, Johnny Cash.
If you go searching for this album in it’s original form, it will likely take some effort to find. In my online search, I found but a single copy on Ebay, but at a good price, only about $2. However, all of the album’s tracks do appear on a CD that is currently available. Titled “Sara And Maybelle Carter”, it includes all of this album’s tracks, along with the tracks from the album “An Historic Reunion: Sara And Maybelle: The Original Carters”.
As for the album’s Standout Track, I will go with “Give Me Your Love And I’ll Give You Mine”. The Hidden Gem is “I Told Them What You’re Fighting For”, while the Weakest Track goes to “A Mother Always Knows”.
Overall, this is an album that is not a classic, but it is a good album. Despite years of use, Mother Maybelle’s voice is still in fine form, plus we get to hear her excel on the autoharp. The only real regret of this album, is that her legendary guitar-playing style, known as the “Maybelle Scratch”, was not featured on any of the instrumentals. This album is a solid 3.5 out of 5, and you could argue for a 4. Thoughts?
