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Will the Circle Be Unbroken? History of a Song

By Ed Hagen, Gallery Assistant and guest blogger

There is a dance floor inside of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum that features the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” playing over and over and sung by a mix of modern and old-time country artists. Toward the end of the looping video, John Carter Cash explains that the “circle” is music itself. In that sense “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” is a homage to the pioneers of country music and a salute to current artists who honor these diverse roots. The circle is unbroken because the music is handed down from generation to generation. 

Album artwork for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”. The album has a white background with an unnamed military officer in the center, with both American and Confederate flags surrounding the officer. Names of musicians featured on the album are written in cursive handwriting on each side of the profile of the unnamed man. The words "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" are clearly visible in large lettering at the top of the image, and the words "music forms a new circle" is written at the bottom of the image.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s 1972 album “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” cover

The song has had that association for many years now, perhaps starting with the release in 1972 of the Will the Circle Be Unbroken album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, a 1960s California jug band that had gone electric and was at that time best known for covering Jerry Jeff Walker’s Mr. Bojangles. Will the Circle Be Unbroken was their seventh album and came about when band member John McEuen asked bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs and legendary guitarist Doc Watson if they would record with the band. One thing led to another, and many of country music’s biggest stars – including Roy Acuff, Jimmy Martin, Maybelle Carter, Merle Travis, Vassar Clements, Randy Scruggs, Pete “Oswald” Kirby, and Norman Blake signed up for the project. It was a collaboration of two culturally different generations of musicians, traditional Grand Ole Opry stars and a group of hippies that Acuff described as “a bunch of long-haired West Coast boys” (Maybelle called them – affectionately – the “dirty boys”). By all accounts, the generation gap was bridged and new friendships were made, not to mention the incredible music. The album was a crossover success, introducing many folks to traditional country music, and in 1997 the original album was certified platinum. 

Since its release, the song has become an inspiration for intergenerational celebrity get-togethers. When the song is called at any local museum jam sessions, everyone sings the chorus, and the emotion in the room is palpable. 

A black and white image of lyrics to the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".
A hymnal page of the song “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” dated 1907 courtesy of hymnary.org

The original version of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” was a hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon, with music by Charles H. Gabriel. It is long out of copyright, and so we freely reproduce the sheet music here. According to hymnary.org, the song peaked in popularity just before World War II, when it appeared in about 20% of hymnals in use. It is down to about 7% today. Based on conversations I have had, the number is higher here in East Tennessee.

Note that the words and melody of the verses in the original hymn depart substantially from the way it is usually sung today (although the refrain is very close). That’s because A. P. Carter rewrote the song when The Carter Family recorded it in 1935. 

Victor producer Ralph Peer used to tell A. P. and his other folk and country artists to avoid recording songs heard on the radio, but to collect traditional music that could be modified and copyrighted. A. P. may have thought it was a traditional song. Perhaps to differentiate it a bit more, the Carter version was retitled as “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” (though nobody uses that title anymore).

The sentiment conveyed in both versions is that we have all lost loved ones, but that they have gone to a better place where we will see them again. It is interesting to compare the two versions of the song. Habershon’s version admonishes the listener to take the Christian view of family loss:

A black and white image of The Carter Family. Three people are facing the camera, A.P. Carter is wearing a blazer and vest, looking toward the camera. Sarah Carter is to his left and is standing facing the camera. She is holding an autoharp and wearing a dress. Maybelle Carter is sitting holding an archtop guitar and looking into the lens. All three individuals have a slight smile to their faces.
A promotional photo of The Carter Family taken by the Victor Talking Machine Company circa 1928. Left to right: A.P. Carter, Maybelle Carter, and Sarah Carter.

You remember song of heaven
Which you sang with childish voice,
Do you love the hymns they taught you,
Or are songs of earth your choice?

The Carter version, recorded and released in 1935, focuses on the painfulness of the loss:

Oh, I followed close behind her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave

Can the Circle Be Unbroken” also focuses on the death of a beloved mother rather than family members in general (as in the original hymn). In any event, it is not surprising that the more emotional Carter version won people’s hearts. Roy Acuff used the Carter lyrics when he recorded it in 1940, and that eventually became the standard version. You can listen to different versions of the song via the YouTube links below. 

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will The Circle Be Unbroken

The Carter Family – Will The Circle Be Unbroken

Will The Circle Be Unbroken Vol.2/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Johnny Cash/Ricky Skaggs

Ed Hagen is a volunteer gallery assistant and guest blogger at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. His earlier post, Celebrating Jimmie Rodgers: A Short Lesson in His Guitar Style, appeared here last year.

The World of Marty Stuart: Country Music’s Legacy in Mississippi

Today we welcome guest writer Miriam Meeks to the BCM Blog as she shares stories and objects from a wonderful special exhibit currently on display at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) in Jackson until December 31. Focused on Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion favorite Marty Stuart and his collection of country music artifacts, this exhibit is sure to be of interest to Birthplace of Country Music fans and friends! Enjoy!

As the year begins to wind down, many people are feeling nostalgic for the past. Until December 31, fans of country music will be able to take a walk down memory lane through the golden age of country music at The World of Marty Stuart, a collaboration between Grammy-winning musician Marty Stuart and MDAH to tell the story of country music with emphasis on its lasting role within Mississippi. The World of Marty Stuart exhibit covers his life and legacy of preserving country music’s stories, photographs, instruments, costumes, and more.

A white man with grey hair stands against a black background. He is wearing all black and holds an electric guitar.

Marty Stuart with his electric guitar. Photo by Alysse Gafken; courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History

As a young boy, Stuart began playing music in his hometown of Philadelphia, Mississippi. He joined The Sullivans, a family bluegrass gospel group based in Alabama, after being drawn to bluegrass and gospel music. He played guitar and mandolin with them until eventually meeting bluegrass musician Roland White, who invited Stuart to back Lester Flatt’s band.

After touring with Flatt, Stuart recorded his first solo album, With a Little Help from My Friends, and performed with various artists like Vassar Clements and Doc Watson before joining Johnny Cash’s band in 1980. Stuart collected memorabilia from shows played by fellow musicians, many of whom were friends and mentors of Stuart. His greatest passion to safeguard the legacy of country music strengthened as he continued to produce solo albums.

Over the years, Stuart’s trove of treasures grew as he recognized the importance of preservation. “Somewhere along the way, about the early ‘80s, those artifacts were being discarded,” said Stuart. “So it became a self-appointed mission to curate, protect, and preserve that end of country music: authentic, traditional country music. The people and their treasures.” Hundreds of these priceless artifacts are currently housed at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson as part of The World of Marty Stuart exhibit.

A full drum set against a white background. The drums are a deep blue color and the large drum in the front has the band name -- Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives -- on its head. Several cymbals can also be seen.

Drum set used by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. Artifacts courtesy of Marty Stuart; photography by Mark Geil

Stuart and the MDAH worked together to curate a truly timeless exhibit, one that gives a small glimpse into Stuart’s dedicated collection. A plethora of pieces from the golden age of country music are on display, including Stuart’s first guitar; original manuscripts from Hank Williams; guitars that belonged to Merle Haggard and Pops Staples; and costumes worn by Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, and Johnny Cash, including Cash’s “Walk the Line” performance suit.

Eagle-eyed visitors will recognize the connection to the namesake for Stuart’s second solo album from 1982. Stuart first experienced rhythm and blues as a young boy at the Busy Bee Café, now the Busy Bee Suites, in Philadelphia. Virgil Griffin and the Rhythm Kings frequently played there, and now the group’s original bass drum head rests at the Two Mississippi Museums. A school essay also hangs in the halls of the exhibit. A young Stuart was asked by his teacher, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to which Stuart wrote, “a musician.” Now his answer has come full circle. The exhibit is the living embodiment of Stuart’s musical journey resting in the state that raised him.

One of the exhibit displays from The World of Marty Stuart. Several stage costumes can be seen, along with posters and prints in the background. There are also a several instruments on display.

Various performance costumes featured in The World of Marty Stuart exhibit. Photo courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

What you see in the exhibit is only the tip of the iceberg – in actuality, Stuart has collected over 20,000 pieces of country music memorabilia and historic items, which will settle in the future home of Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia. This Congress will be a celebration of country music and a culmination of the musician’s ultimate goals.

The World of Marty Stuart exhibit is brought to you by the title sponsor, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, as well as by AT&T and Visit Mississippi. The World of Marty Stuart runs through December 31, 2022, with regular exhibit hours: Tuesday—Saturday, 9:00am—5:00pm and Sunday, 11:00am—5:00pm. For more information, visit www.mdah.ms.gov. You can also check out Stuart’s memoir, The World of Marty Stuart. The book covers his life with photographs and artifact reproductions straight from his collection. It was published by MDAH and distributed by the University Press of Mississippi.

Finally, check out the interview with Nan Prince, Director of Collections at MDAH, that we conducted last week on the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Museum Talk radio show.

Image at top of page: Marty Stuart and his acoustic guitar. Photo by Alysse Gafken; courtesy of Mississippi Department of Archives and History

Miriam Meeks is the Content Writer of Moore Media Group in Jackson, Mississippi.

A Celebration of Tennessee Music Pathways!

October 26 is National Tennessee Day, and we want to share one of the many things that we think makes this state so great – its connection to music! As the “home” to seven genres of music – country, blues, bluegrass, gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll – Tennessee’s music heritage is as diverse as its landscape. Beyond the lights of “Music City, USA,” the sounds of country music echo from the mountains of east Tennessee while the blues wails from the west. With so many musical points of interest – including our very own Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee/VA – the music heritage of this state runs deep.

In 2018 the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development launched Tennessee Music Pathways to help tourists and locals alike recognize the state’s significant musical history. Over 500 landmarks, attractions, and points of interest from all seven genres of music that call Tennessee home were identified, marked, and compiled into an online interactive guide. Using this guide, you can put together a driving tour across the state based on your own musical interests. You can search for sites related to a specific person or genre of music; search by type of venue or site such as a museum, recording studio, concert hall, historic marker, or festival; or by location if you have a destination already in mind and just want to turn up the volume on your trip by adding a few extra stops to your itinerary. The Pathway makes it easy to find music destinations to break up – and enhance – your drive.

Here are a few lesser known stops along the pathway you may want to visit on your way to or from the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, and Sun Studios, Graceland, or the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis.

Photograph of nine Black and white men and women standing around the TN Music Pathways marker dedicated to Lesley Riddle. The marker includes a panel with information and a photograph of Lesley Riddle with the guitar pick-shaped TN Music Pathways icon above it.

Image from the Tennessee Music Pathways website

Lesley Riddle Marker

Pathway markers have been popping up all over the state to highlight locations where significant musical events took place, such as this marker for Lesley Riddle in Kingsport, Tennessee, the city where he and A. P. Carter met in the 1920s. Riddle was a musician and friend of The Carter Family who taught them many songs and influenced Maybelle Carter’s iconic “Carter Scratch” guitar style. Riddle also travelled extensively through the segregated south with A. P. as one half of an interracial song collecting duo.  You can learn more about him by reading In Search of Lesley Riddle, one of our blog posts from 2017.

A photograph of 11 Black and white men and women standing around the DeFord Bailey TN Music Pathways marker. The marker is rectangular with info about and an image of DeFord Bailey; the TN Music Pathways guitar pick-shaped icon is above the main panel.

DeFord Bailey family with his Tennessee Pathways Marker. Image is from Smith County Insider

DeFord Bailey Marker

Another marker you won’t want to miss is located in Carthage, Tennessee. This marker honors DeFord Bailey, the first African American star of the Grand Ole Opry and the first performer introduced on the show under the name “Grand Ole Opry.” Bailey appeared on the show twice as often as any other artist in 1928 and remained a regular performer on the show through 1941.

A long single-story brick building with garden planting in front of it and the museum's name on a sign before the entrance door.

Image from Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum website

Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum

In Jackson, Tennessee, you can visit the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum. This is the original 1870s home of the railroad engineer who sacrificed himself to save his coworkers and passengers from a potentially catastrophic crash. Jones has been immortalized in country music with over 40 versions of the “The Ballad of Casey Jones,” giving him a nearly mythical status.

A white clapboard building -- an old schoolhouse -- with steps leading up to a pale blue grey door. There is a bell on a pole near the steps.

Image from Tina Turner Museum website 

Tina Turner Museum

In Brownsville, Tennessee, stop in to see the Tina Turner Museum, which is housed in the Flagg Grove School – a one-room school building Turner attended as a child. The school was built on grounds donated by Turner’s great-uncle, Benjamin Flagg, in 1889. The school was moved from Nutbush and renovated in 2012 to house a collection of the “Queen of Rock’s” memorabilia, from stage outfits to gold records to yearbooks, as well as interpreting what education and school life would have been like for African American children in a small rural community in the 1940s through the 1960s.

Two images: To the left, a statue of Minnie Pearl from the shoulders up made of chicken wire and set within some large rocks and trees in what looks to be a park. She is wearing her iconic flowered hat with the price tag on it. To the right, a large metal microphone with several dark coils (made to look like the mic's wire) that can be used to attach your bike to when leaving it behind.

Minnie Pearl statue image from Kelly Kazek’s (ODD)YSSEY blog; microphone bike rack image from nashvillepublicart.com

Public Art

If you don’t have time for a museum, maybe photo ops with public art pieces are more your speed! If so, check out Centerville, Tennessee’s larger-than-life statue of Minnie Pearl made entirely of chicken wire. And if you need a break while biking around Nashville, you can park your bike next to a giant microphone bike rack.

Two views of George Jones grave and cemetery monument. To the left is the grave marked otut on the ground with a raised border and a carved stone top with his name on it. There are flowers at the head of the grave. To the right is the large marble monument made of columns, arches, and bearing his name.

Photographs by Tony Stogsdill 

In Musical Memoriam

You can even curate a personalized graveyard tour to honor and offer tribute to your favorite musical stars of the past. See the list below for just a few places where some of country music’s most beloved stars are resting in Tennessee. If you want to expand your trip outside the state, check out our blog post From Rhinestones to Tombstones: Memorial Monuments of Country Music’s Dearly Departed to learn more about the gravesites of some of country music’s dearly departed stars.

  • Hope Cemetery, Franklin, Tennessee – Minnie Pearl
  • Williamson Memorial Garden, Franklin, Tennessee – Sam McGee, Kirk McGee, Carl Smith, Goldie Hill, Skeeter Davis
  • Hendersonville Memory Gardens, Hendersonville, Tennessee – Mother Maybelle Carter, Helen Carter, Anita Carter, June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Luther Perkins
  • Ridgecrest Cemetery, Jackson, Tennessee – Carl Perkins
  • Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery, Madison, Tennessee – Roy Acuff, Earl Scruggs, Louise Scruggs, John Hartford, Hank Snow, Kitty Wells, Jimmy Martin
  • Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee – Sam Phillips, Marshall Grant
  • Greenwood Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee – DeFord Bailey
  • Harpeth Hills Memory Garden, Nashville, Tennessee – Chet Atkins, Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin, Eddie Miller
  • Mount Olivet Cemetery, Nashville, Tennessee – Ernest “Pop” Stoneman, Hattie Stoneman
  • Woodlawn Memorial Gardens, Nashville, Tennessee – Eddy Arnold, George Jones, Porter Wagoner, Tammy Wynette
  • Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery, Sparta, Tennessee – Lester Flatt

Jimmy Martin's tombstone: a large rectangular marble stone with curved top. It bears a large amount of text extolling Martin's life events and career achievements, along with an etched image of Martin at the top.

Photograph by Lane Owens White 

Erika Barker is the museum’s Curatorial Manager.

Celebrating Jimmie Rodgers: A Short Lesson in His Guitar Style

Today is the anniversary of Jimmie Rodgers’ passing on May 26, 1933, and therefore we wanted to celebrate him with this blog post by volunteer Ed Hagen – including a short lesson in Rodgers’ iconic guitar style! Ed moved to Bristol last summer, and he soon joined us at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum as a Gallery Assistant. He has played guitar for many years, mostly jazz, but he has been working hard on the rudiments of country and bluegrass since moving to Tennessee. As Ed says, “There is no better place to start than with the guitar style of Jimmie Rodgers!”

Jimmie Rodgers

Jimmie Rodgers was born in 1897 in Meridian, Mississippi, and he learned to play guitar while working on the railroad as a water boy and brakeman. He was influenced by the music played and the songs sung by the African American railway workers he met at the railway yard and around town – their call-and-response singing style during work and the blues songs they sang made a distinctive mark on Rodgers’ sound. He also spent time in Meridian’s opera house, vaudeville theaters, and hotels where he heard jazz, parlor music, and popular tunes, all of which also provided inspiration.

In 1927 he moved to Ashville, North Carolina, where he started playing on the local radio station with a small band made up of three musicians from Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia. Later that year they heard about recording sessions that were going to be held in Bristol conducted by the Victor Talking Machine Company, and so they traveled up to audition. These were the famous “1927 Bristol Sessions” that we celebrate at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum today. After arriving in Bristol for their audition, Rodgers and the band ended up recording separately, with speculation attributing this to an internal squabble or a change made by producer Ralph Peer. For Rodgers, this led to a recording contract and huge success as a recording and performing artist – though for only six short years before his death from tuberculosis in 1933 – and he is now celebrated as the “Father of Country Music.”

Black-and-white photograph of Jimmie Rodgers. He is a white man, and he stands in front of a faux photographic background that looks like a garden trellis. He is wearing a dark suit, a bow tie, and a white stetson-style hat, and he is holding his guitar.

Promotional portrait of Jimmie Rodgers. From the John Edwards Memorial Foundation Records, #20001, Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jimmie’s Guitar Style

Jimmie Rodgers’ guitar style is iconic and made a huge impact on country music musicians and beyond – numerous artists have copied and embellished it for their own music playing throughout the years. It is based within a traditional style of guitar playing, but he is one of the most successful and well-known performing and recording artists to play in this style, and he certainly knew how to make it his own!

For guitar players, it’s a great style to learn because it is so versatile. As the bartender in the Blues Brothers would put it, the style works for both kinds of music, country and western. You can slow it down for a Hank Williams’ ballad, or swing it hard for a Bob Wills’ two-step. You can use it to play Gene Autry cowboy tunes or just about any Merle Haggard or Buck Owens tune. And once you master it, the style gives you the foundation to play the related but more challenging guitar styles of Maybelle Carter, Merle Travis, and Chet Atkins.

Playing Guitar Jimmie Rodgers-Style

Before we can play this guitar style, we need to begin with short introduction on how to play traditional country bass, because that is the foundation of the style. For the most part, traditional country bass players play the root note of the chord on the first beat of the measure, and the fifth note of the chord’s major scale on the third beat. The fifth can either be played above or below the root. Playing behind a C chord, these notes would be C and G. This is called playing “one five.”

A triplet (that is, three notes played where a quarter note would ordinarily be played) can be played on the fourth beat of a measure, especially before a chord change. This triplet anticipates the chord that is played in the next measure, either ascending or descending to the root of the target chord. The three notes in the triplet are the three tones just above or below the root of the target chord. For example, if ascending from a measure of C to a measure of F, the triplet at the end of the C measure would be the fifth, sixth, and seventh tones of the F major scale.

If descending from a C measure to a G measure, the notes of the triplet would be the fourth, third and second tones of the G major scale.

Alternatively, a bass player will sometimes play a third on the third beat, especially if that note is a seventh of the target chord (the chord to be played in the next measure).  If moving from a C to an F, for example, the third in C (E) is the seventh in F. Or sometimes, just to keep it simple, the bass player will play the root on the third beat.

Rodgers does all of this on the guitar rather than on a bass. He plays a bass line on his guitar by fingering a first-position chord with his left hand, which will typically have the first and fifth notes of the major scale on the bottom three (EAD) strings. Just like any country bass player, he’ll “one five” it, playing the first and fifth tones on the first and third beats of the measure, mix in triplets, and occasionally drop in a root or third on the third beat. While doing this, he’ll strum the treble strings on the other beats. This allows him to effectively play bass and guitar at the same time.

This is sometimes called a “boom chuck” rhythm, similar to a military band’s “oom pah” or a stride piano player’s left hand. The “boom” is the bass note, and the “chuck” is the strum. Sometimes, to spice it up, a down-up strum is added to the chuck, creating a “boom chucka” (sometimes called a “church lick”). So the last beat of a measure might be a “chuck,” a church lick, or a triplet.

A brief note about the strum: These first position chords typically include open strings, and no particular effort is made to dampen them. It is not essential to play every string on every chord; the treble top notes (the B and E string) are often omitted.

There are no strict rules about any of this, except that it all has to done with confidence and a swing feel. You should be able to sing, play the bass and chords, and drop in a triplet or church lick as the mood strikes you. This all comes with practice.

The exercise below will get you used to playing ascending and descending triplets. Start slow and play it until it becomes second nature.

Providentially, Rodgers made The Singing Brakeman, a short sound film released in 1930 where he plays guitar and sings three songs, so you can see exactly how he plays. The film is available on YouTube. You’ll need to take one precaution if you are playing along with the video. The guitar in the film is tuned a half step high, so to play along you’ll have to tune your guitar up a half step or put a capo on the first fret. When we talk about these tunes below, we’ll do so as if the recording was in standard tuning, that is, when he fingers something that looks like a C chord in the film, we’ll call it that, even though we are hearing a C# chord on the soundtrack.

With all this in mind, let’s take a look at the first song in The Singing Brakeman, “Waiting on a Train.” Rodgers begins by imitating a train whistle, and then sings some nonsense syllables over this short guitar opening:

The partial F chords in the first bar are played as four simple down strokes on the four beats. The second bar is a boom chuck, playing the root instead of the fifth on the third beat. The third bar is two church licks. He ends the fourth bar as a triplet leading into the first bar of the chorus, which is played “one five.”

I’m not going to tab out the rest of the song. It goes against the spirit of how these songs are played. Players are free to sprinkle triplets and church licks wherever they like. Jimmie Rodgers likely never played the same song the same way twice. But to get you started, the chords for the first verse go like this:

Four lines from the song "Waiting on a Train," showing the different keys for playing on guitar.

This is just a start for aspiring Jimmie Rodgers-inspired players, but it should give you a good place to begin as you explore the wonderful musical world of “America’s Blue Yodeler,” “The Singing Brakeman,” and the “Father of Country Music”!