"The songs are about people, and the things that people go through, on a really sort of basic emotional level -- and spiritual level."
-- Gillian Welch, musician

A.P. Carter gathered traditional songs that had traveled across the Atlantic with immigrants from Ireland and the British Isles and had been passed down through generations. The Carter Family's interpretations and arrangements of these songs were among the first ever recorded -- and they became the definitive versions.

Since then performers have dipped into the hundreds of songs in the Carter songbook. In 2004, Dualtone Music Group released The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of The Carter Family, featuring a wide range of artists including Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.

Listen to four songs from the Dualtone release and learn about their significance to the Carter family:

Single Girl, Married Girl

Engine One-Forty-Three

Worried Man Blues

Gold Watch and Chain

Many thanks to the Dualtone Music Group for their permission to present these songs. Visit the Dualtone Web site for more information about the Carter Family tribute album.