Three Chords and The Truth: Essential Country Music Songs: “Wildwood Flower”- The Carter Family. “Wildwood Flower” started out as “I’ll Twine ‘Mid the Ringlets” written back in 1860 by Joseph Philbrick Webster who wrote the music, Maud Irving wrote the lyrics. Over the years the song evolved into other songs. The Carter Family recorded the song in 1928 and it was released in 1929 as the a-side of a 78 single with “Forsaken Love” as the b-side. “Wildwood Flower” is one of the most famous songs that The Carter Family recorded. The song is noted for the guitar work of Mother Maybelle Carter and her “Carter Scratch” technique. Mother Maybelle would years later in 1972 record the song again on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Bands iconic “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” album- and she also performed the song often in concert with her son-in- law Johnny Cash in concert and on his television show The Johnny Cash Show. A classic country song as old as the hills which I would bet most of you have heard before.
slicethelife 
This music is as real as it gets while being celestial at the same time. Wonderful!
I now want to make a trip to Carter Country…………sounds like a tv show..
Yes! It would! I’m sure there are a lot of stories to be told in Carter Country.
Sara having an affair with A.P’s cousin-and later divorcing A.P. and marrying the cousin was kind of kept hush hush back in the 1930’s- just known within the family. Would kind of go against the image they had.
Then didn’t she and the cousin move out to CA? I need to watch that show again to remember all of it.
Yes- they had been separated for years- the letters she sent to him in California were destroyed by his mother without his knowing she was writing them. The Carters were performing out of a powerful station across the border in Mexico and one night Sara dedicated “Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes” to him- he was listening and left to get her– and they quickly married and ended up in California. I have that and another doc ordered on the library system looking forward to seeing them.
Oh my gosh! I bet she was a mother in-law from hell after they wed also. Can’t imagine interfering like that in my child’s life. What a romantic story though. Love prevailed. Cool on the docs!
My mother had a great aunt born in 1902 that would sing this for us. I was a child when she died but remember her well.
That is a great memory!