Country Music

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Betty

We would sing anyplace, anyplace. We'd sing at funerals, we'd sing for the politicians, we'd sing in different churches. Every Sunday we'd go to a different church. I know every church in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, and a little bit of Alabama and Arkansas. That's just what we did and that was our income and we sold our pictures for 25 cents a piece. We'd have an intermission and Dad said, 'now you've enjoyed our show, would you like to take us home with you? We'll be happy to sell you a picture for 25 cents.' And Mother had a sugar bag, and those sugar bags were kept underneath their bed and when we needed anything you'd roll it out and there'd be all these quarters. So, that's my childhood. He'd say, children we're gonna get some gas. Now when I go inside I want you all to start singing and who's ever in the store is gonna come out and gonna say, 'who is this singing in this car,' we were singing up a storm. We singing, wonderful gospel songs and then Dad would make the announcement that my family would come and sing any place for you at any time. And he said to the man that he owed the money to, how much do I owe you, and the store owner said, 'nothing, you've made my customers so happy.' And they would come out and say, 'would you mind coming to my house' or 'would you stay over and go to my church on Sunday and sing' or 'would you whatever' and Dad says, 'long as you give us a bed to sleep in we're fine.' So that's how we got known and then Dad had the wonderful idea of, Dad said, 'why don't we start giving a concert on Sunday afternoon at our house.' So we had this wonderful log cabin with a porch and Dad would bring the guitar and we'd stand out on the porch and people would start coming and they'd have their blankets their quilts and they'd sit out on the ground and we'd sing our hearts out and they loved every bit of it. People would bring a ham, they'd bring a watermelon, they'd bring whatever was in their garden. They would bring wonderful wonderful food to us. -

Interviewer

What's the schedule like if you're performers on, you know this is live radio so give me what a day or a week was like? -

Betty

Not only was it live, but it was early morning live. We'd leave our little house, cabin at 4 o'clock in the morning and drive to WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina and go in the Wilder building, go up to the sixth floor, get out go into the studio and we would sing. We would do a 15 minute program and the Carter family would sing, do their program. We were six in the family and as we grew in popularity we had more than one program, we had Quaker Oats as a sponsor, coast to coast sponsor and we got all of 60 dollars a week. When I got old and grown I got very mad about that. I'm gonna take a ride On a cloud When I have thrown away Earth's dark shroud I'll sing a happy song Happy song Sing it loud I'm gonna take a ride On a cloud That's a gospel song, you know that song? Isn't it great?