Anita Carter
Lonestar Ranch, Reeds ferry, New Hampshire, 1974

Anita was one of Mother Maybelle Carter's sweet singing daughters and was blessed with a beautiful soprano voice. She began her career as a child—traveling, singing, and playing bass with her mother and talented older sisters, Helen and June (later, wife of Johnny Cash), as Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters. In the 1950s, the band worked as an opening act for Elvis Presley. Very few female singers of her day (1950s and 1960s) were able to manage a solo career. Most were part of a family band or acted as a featured singer with a band fronted by a man. Nevertheless, Anita did record and perform successfully on her own and also as a duet partner of Hall of Famers Hank Snow and Waylon Jennings. She also performed and recorded as a folk singer.