From the classic 1972 album, Will The Circle Be Unbroken by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a host of old-time country musicians. This double album introduced me to country music.
The vocal on Keep On The Sunny Side is by "Mother" Maybelle Carter (1909-78). In the studio audio before the song you can hear her mentioning other songs that were also included on the album. The male voice you hear near the end asking Maybelle a question is Doc Watson. Along with Maybelle, Doc, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members you can also hear Earl Scruggs on banjo, Randy Scruggs on autoharp, Pete Kirby dobro, and among the backup vocalists is Merle Travis.
Keep On The Sunny Side was published in 1901 and credited to Ada Blenkhorn (lyrics) and Howard Entwisle but made famous by the Carter Family Band, founded in 1927 by AP Carter (1891-60). At the center of the band were AP, his wife Sara, and Sara's cousin, Maybelle, who was married to AP's brother Ezra. They toured for many years, adding their children as they grew up, and are considered one of the most important founders of country music. Maybelle eventually became the headliner and a figure looked up to by other country performers.
Among Maybelle's children was her daughter June, who became a star in her own right and later married Johnny Cash.
Keep On The Sunny Side can also be heard on the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
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