Maybelle Carter in Concert, April 1963

Subject: Maybelle Carter in Concert, April 1963
From: Martha Burns
Date: 01 Jun 10 - 08:59 PM

Believe it or not, Maybelle Carter's first ever concerts for a folk audience, at the Ash Grove in L.A., are available on the web. And if that isn't remarkable enough, she's even got Mike Seeger backing her up.
It was the New Lost City Ramblers who persuaded Maybelle to do the concerts. They brought her to the Newport Folk Festival soon afterward, thus launching her late career in the folk revival.
The concerts are amazing. She plays autoharp, banjo and guitar. For me, it's a thrill just to hear her speak her introductions.
Can hardly believe what's on the web. Had to share this one.

First Concert, April 17, 1963

Second Concert, April 18, 1963

Third Concert, April 20, 1963

Fourth Concert, April 21, 1963

There's a cost if you want to download the concerts, but streaming is free.

Subject: RE: Maybelle Carter in Concert, April 1963
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 01 Jun 10 - 09:43 PM

Thanks for the links Martha! There seems to be a ton of other stuff to explore as well on that site. Somehow I doubt though that this was her "first ever" anything since she was playing folk music all of her life. It may however, have been her first solo performance, since most earlier stuff was with AP and Sarah or with her daughters or AP and Sarah's son and daughter in different family combinations.

Subject: RE: Maybelle Carter in Concert, April 1963
From: Martha Burns
Date: 01 Jun 10 - 10:04 PM

They were her first ever concerts FOR A FOLK AUDIENCE, and yes, among the few solo concerts she had performed at that point. Really very important events for the folk revival. Before that, she had been backing up her daughters, Gladys, June and the amazing Anita, working in commercial country music, doing Grand Ole Opry roadshows and such.
You can read about the concerts, and their significance, in Mark Zwonitzer, WILL YOU MISS ME WHEN I'M GONE: THE CARTER FAMILY AND THEIR LEGACY IN AMERICAN MUSIC (2002), pp.340-42.