Who died this date in 1978, an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family
act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and
the Carter Sisters. "Perhaps the most remarkable of Maybelle's many
talents was her skill as a guitarist. She revolutionized the
instrument's role by developing a style in which she played melody lines
on the bass strings with her thumb while rhythmically strumming with
her fingers. Her innovative technique, to this day known as the Carter
Scratch, influenced the guitar's shift from rhythm to lead instrument.
— Holly George-Warren". CLICK ON THE PHOTO. SEE AN EARLY VIDEO HERE.
"Mother Maybelle" also popularized the "upright" style of playing autoharp (probably invented by Cecil Nutt). As a result, she made the Oscar Schmidt model 73 the most popular autoharp ever sold. Many thousands from the twenties to the sixties have survived, and quite a few are still playable.
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