Joe Carter, 78, youngest son of
Sara and A.P. Carter, died March 2, 2005, after a
long fight with pancreatic cancer. He had been a
fixture at the Carter Fold in Hiltons, VA, since
his sister Janette created the venue in 1976. Joe
was a natural country comedian as well as a fine
singer and guitar player. His most memorable part
of the Carter Fold show was probably his vast array
of animal noises. As his niece Rita related just
a week before his passing, “he’s the
only person I know who can start a fight between
two perfectly peaceful cats just by making noises.” Joe
was with the Carters at the original Bristol sessions—Sara
was nursing him at the time. In the 1950s he appears
on the ACME recordings done by the Carter Family.
He also appeared on the famous Border Radio shows
and on radio with the Carters into the early 1950s.
After returning to Hiltons, he worked as a carpenter
and was an avid gardener. Rita says that he grew
the biggest tomatoes in Scott County.
For much more
on Joe, see http://www.carterfamilyfold.org/joecarter.htm.
