Women in the Performing Arts

Sara Dougherty Carter and Maybelle Carter

29-cent Carter Family stamp
This stamp depicting The Carter Family was issued September 25, 1993.

Sara Dougherty Carter (1898-1979) and Maybelle Carter (1909-1978) were cousins that formed their own country music group, The Carter Family. The third musician within the group was Maybelle Carter’s husband, Alvin P. Carter. Sara acted as the lead vocalist within the group, while Maybelle played the lead guitar. The Carter Family started out performing more traditional folk and gospel songs throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s, and split up in the 1940’s. However, despite the group’s deterioration, Maybelle and Sara remained active within the country music scene as late as the folk revival movement of the 1960’s. Due to their contributions to the country music genre, the group was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.