Keep on the Sunny
Side, a musical about America's First Family of Country Music,
explores the origins of the legendary Carter Family. Step back
in time to the day in June 1914 when Alvin Pleasant Delaney
Carter met his future wife, the young Sara Dougherty. From their
early days together in the Appalachians, when they gathered
in homes and played schools and churches, to their later musical
triumphs, Keep on the Sunny Side follows A.P. as he discovers
and writes the songs that would secure the family's place in
musical history. In addition to the rich musical heritage, the
story also sheds light on A.P. and Sara's love story, and the
strains and stresses that enormous success placed on their relationship.
The original Carter
Family, who recorded more than 300 songs and was the first group
to be elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970, consisted
of A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter, who was married to A.P.'s
brother Ezra. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass,
country, Southern gospel, pop and rock, as well as the U.S.
folk revival of the 1960s. Keep on the Sunny Side features more
than two dozen songs, including "Worried Man Blues," "Are You
Lonesome Tonight," "Wabash Cannonball," "Will the Circle Be
Unbroken," "Wildwood Flower" and, of course, the song from which
the show's title was taken.
