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Picture of the day - August 28, 2005
The Prettiest Smile In Music: Janette Carter
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Photo by Rick Rouse.
Janette Carter is a very special lady with a unique mission: to honor, preserve
and perpetuate the great music and appreciation of the original Carter
Family. For over 31 years,
Janette has done her very best to complete the mission left for her by her
father A.P. right before he passed away in 1960.
Week in and week out she personally opens every show at the Carter Family Fold
by extending a heartfelt welcome to all who are in attendance, then she sings a
couple of Carter Family standards. And for all of those years her brother
"Little Joe" was by her side singing with her. But no more...
Joe Carter passed away in March 2005, and his larger-than-life persona is deeply
missed up on the stage by all who had the pleasure of seeing him up there. But
more importantly, he is missed very much by Janette, a fact that she mentions
every time she takes the Carter Fold stage. Janette and Joe were sister and
brother, partners and confidants - Janette was a major part of Joe's life and Joe
was a major part of Janette's.
Just a few months after Joe's passing, Janette's son Don succumbed to
complications of surgery, compounding the ache in her heart from losing Joe. As
to be expected, you can see the pain and tears in her eyes as she talks about Don. Losing
a child is one of the most painful events that can take place in life, and
Janette has experienced that pain. My heart and prayers go out to her.
But while Janette deals with her personal losses and her body grows weaker with
age and illness, her spirit and dedication to completing the mission assigned to
her by her dad are as strong as ever. She still loves that old-time Carter
Family music and the powerful legacy her famous elders left behind...
A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter literally gave the world the gift of Country
music as we know it today. They blazed the trail leading to the commercial
success and widespread appreciation of a genre of music that previously had been
confined to the hills and "hollers" of the Appalachians. Janette
Carter's mission is a simple one, but one that requires rock-solid determination
and a deep love for the Carter Family legacy. She still has both after all these years
and everything that has happened.
Yes, Janette misses Joe and Don and she probably always will, but her strong
faith that God will reunite them some glad day keeps her driving forward. And
that faith also allows her to enjoy the performances at the Carter Fold,
including her own. Want proof? Well just look at that beautiful smile in today's
picture!
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