The Winding Stream

If you'd asked me before I saw this documentary about the Carter family if I liked country music, I would have given you an emphatic NO! However, again and again and again, I found myself tapping my feet and swinging my head and enjoying the music tremendously. Because of this, I urge country music haters to think twice about skipping this excellent and interesting documentary.

The film is about the famed Carter family, the first famous country musicians. It follows A.C. Carter, his wife Sara and her cousin Maybelle as they gained fame. And, following the divorce of A.C. and Sara, the film then switches to Maybelle who began touring with her daughters, June (later June Carter Cash), Helen and Anita. Their influence on various musicians (such as Johnny Cash) is explored. Then, late in the film, how the daughter of A.C. and her family then took up the musical life as they created the Carter Fold (a performance venue and museum in Southern Virginia).

So what did I like about this film? Well, some of this is personal, as my wife's parents lived in Bristol, Tennessee and I didn't realize that this was very close to where the Carters lived and is the city where they were first discovered. I noticed a LOT of Tennessee Ernie Ford plaques but somehow never noticed any sort of monuments or roads named after the Carters. It also works well as a documentary because it seems very complete...following the various branches of the extended family. The music is also great as are the interviews. Overall, I learned a lot and liked this film...what more can I say?