Gaither Wiley Carlton (February 3, 1901 – June 24, 1972) was an American Old-time fiddle player and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

player. He is best known for his appearances accompanying his son-in-law

Doc Watson Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ...

during the

folk music revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...

of the 1960s. While not recorded before the folk revival, Carlton had been playing with some of the region's most well-known musicians— such as

Al Hopkins Albert Green Hopkins (1889 – October 21, 1932)
, Southern Folklife Collection, Uni ...

G. B. Grayson Gilliam Banmon Grayson (November 11, 1887 – August 16, 1930) was an American Old-time fiddle player and singer. Mostly blind from infancy, Grayson is chiefly remembered for a series of sides recorded with guitarist Henry Whitter between 1927 a ...

, and

Clarence Ashley Clarence "Tom" Ashley (September 29, 1895 – June 2, 1967) was an American musician and singer, who played the clawhammer banjo and the guitar. He began performing at medicine shows in the Southern Appalachian region as early as 1911, and gai ...

— since the 1920s.Ralph Rinzler, "Biographical Notes." In ''Clarence Ashley and Doc Watson: The Original Folkways Recordings, 1960-1962''

D liner notes D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...

Smithsonian Folkways, 1994. Carlton was born in

Wilkes County, North Carolina Wilkes County is a county located in the US state of North Carolina. It is a part of the state's western mountain region. As of the 2020 census the population was 65,969, in 2010 the census listed the population at 69,340. Its county seat is ...

in 1901. His father was an accomplished local musician, and the family often played at church events and other gatherings. In 1960, folk music producer

Ralph Rinzler Ralph Rinzler (July 20, 1934 – July 2, 1994) was an American mandolin player, folksinger, and the co-founder of the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall every summer in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a curator for American ...

"rediscovered" Clarence Ashley at the Union Grove Fiddler's Convention, and offered to re-record Ashley at Ashley's home in Shouns, Tennessee. Ashley invited Carlton, Doc Watson (who was married to Carlton's daughter Rosa Lee Carlton), and several other bandmates to join in the sessions, which took place on

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United ...

weekend in 1960. Carlton accompanied Watson and Ashley to a recording session in

Saltville, Virginia Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 2,077 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a compone ...

the following year, and to subsequent recording sessions and folk festivals throughout the remainder of the decade. He died at his home in

Deep Gap, North Carolina Deep Gap is an unincorporated community located in Watauga County, North Carolina, United States. The community is named after the natural gap, called Deep Gap, at Fire Scale Mountain, where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over US 421. Influen ...

in 1972. Carlton played banjo in the

frailing Clawhammer, sometimes called down-picking, overhand, or frailing, is a distinctive banjo playing style and a common component of American old-time music. The principal difference between clawhammer style and other styles is the picking direct ...

style similar to Ashley. His fiddle style resembles that of his friend G.B. Grayson and

Gid Tanner James Gideon "Gid" Tanner (June 6, 1885 – May 13, 1960) was an American old-time fiddler and one of the earliest stars of what would come to be known as country music. His band, the Skillet Lickers, was one of the most innovative and influ ...

. His banjo recordings include "Rambling Hobo", which Rinzler described as reminiscent of Carlton's "peaceful, centered nature", and "Old Ruben", which he learned from his brother. His fiddle recordings include "I'm Going Back to Jericho", which he recalled learning from a neighbor, and "Handsome Molly", which he learned from G.B. Grayson. In 1961, Carlton played fiddle on a memorable recording of the traditional mountain tune "Hicks' Farewell", which Rinzler called "one of the most powerful pieces of recorded music I know."

References

External links

Gaither Carlton
— ibiblio.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Carlton, Gaither 1901 births 1972 deaths People from Wilkes County, North Carolina Musicians from Appalachia People from Deep Gap, North Carolina Southern old-time fiddlers Musicians from North Carolina 20th-century American musicians