Travelin’ Minstrel Band cover

Travelin’ Minstrel Band

The Carter Family

Album · 1972 · Columbia KC 31454

Travelin’ Minstrel Band is a Columbia album (KC 31454) by the Carter Family — Mother Maybelle Carter and her daughters Helen, Anita and June — released in April 1972. It was recorded at Columbia Recording Studio in Nashville over several days in 1971: “A Song to Mama” on 19 May, and most of the rest in October, with the title song cut on 8 October.

Johnny Cash sings on two songs. “A Song to Mama,” written by June Carter Cash, Helen Carter and George Jones as a tribute to Maybelle, was released as a single in the summer of 1971 and reached number 37 on Billboard’s country chart. “The World Needs a Melody,” by Red Lane, Johnny Slate and Larry Henley, came out as a single in August 1972, backed with “A Bird with Broken Wings Can’t Fly,” and reached number 35. At the 6 October 1971 session, Larry Butler produced and the studio band included Bill Pursell on piano, Tommy Allsup, Red Lane and Billy Sanford on guitars, Henry Strzelecki on bass and Willie Ackerman on drums.

The album also includes “Never Ending Song of Love,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “2001 (Ballad to the Future).” The title song was released as a single of its own on Columbia 4-45581 in March 1972.

Tracklist

  1. 1 A Song to Mama (with The Carter Family) 2:40
  2. 2 Never Ending Song of Love alt version 2:53
  3. 3 Come Back Home 3:50
  4. 4 Take Me Home, Country Roads 2:48
  5. 5 Jubal 2:55
  6. 6 A Bird With Broken Wings Can't Fly 2:55
  7. 7 Travelin' Minstrel Band 2:52
  8. 8 The World Needs a Melody (with The Carter Family) 3:20
  9. 9 2001 (Ballad to the Future) 3:50
  10. 10 Set the World On Fire (With Love) 2:30
  11. 11 Poison Red Berries 3:38

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