It's difficult to gauge the amazing influence the Carter Family had on Johnny Cash. He grew up listening to the original trio - A.P. Carter, his wife Sara, and sister-in-law Maybelle (married to A.P.'s brother Ezra). The Carter Family began recording on Victor Records in 1927, and went on to have enormous influence on all of music, not only country, but modern rock and blues, as well. Maybelle Carter is credited with creating a style of guitar playing which was later adapted by Merle Travis; her distinctive playing gave the Carter Family their unique, and lasting, sound. They switched the emphasis of "hillbilly" music from instrumentals to vocals, their simple harmonies creating a sound which would characterize country music for decades. They recorded together despite Sara and A.P.'s divorce in 1939, continuing on and off (they re-formed in 1952 with their grown children) until A.P.'s death in 1960. Maybelle, with her daughters Helen, Anita, and June, continued to tour and perform, joining Johnny Cash's show in 1962. The Carter Family was the first group inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970.
