#13 'Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)' by The Carter Family (1935)

SONG

"This song has grown on me after a few listens. It sounds like a proper country song and it makes me wanna join in with the chorus. Definitely one of the better ones, so far." - LC

Written by: A. P. Carter, Ada R. Habershon, Charles H. Gabriel
Producer: Ralph Peer
Label: Okeh

FACTS

• It is a country/folk song reworked by A. P. Carter from the hymn "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" by Ada R. Habershon and Charles H. Gabriel.
• The song's lyrics concern the death, funeral, and mourning of the narrator's mother.
• The song has been covered by a large collection of artists but the ones that caught my eye include Bob Dylan, The Black Crowes, Spirit of the West with The Wonder Stuff, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Jeff Buckley.
• Its refrain was incorporated into the Carl Perkins song "Daddy Sang Bass" and the Atlanta song "Sweet Country Music."
• June Carter (daughter of Maybelle Addington Carter, who can be heard singing on this track), began singing with The Carter Family four years after this song was released and went on to marry Johnny Cash.