Title: Not so great
Review: This book covers an enormously important group in American music, and for that the authors deserve our thanks. It's a decent read and has plenty of fun and interesting information and anecdotes that people will no doubt enjoy. But as a serious (which is not to say scholarly) biography, it falls short. There are gaps in information, little real insightful analysis of what it is that makes the Carters' music so special, and some rather poor writing. Compare this to something like Nolan Porterfield's outstanding biography of Jimmie Rodgers, and the weaknesses in this book become startlingly apparent. Until a better study of the Carter Family comes along, there's no real alternative to recommend (there is Charles Wolfe's extensive liner notes to the Carter Family box set on Bear Family Records, but that's not easily accessible). If you're interested in the Carters, read this, but prepare to be underwhelmed--not by the story of the Carter Family, but by the way it's told here.
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