The Carter Family was a pioneering American folk and country music group that became one of the first vocal acts to achieve commercial success in country music. The original trio consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara Carter, and Sara’s sister-in-law Maybelle Carter. They made their first influential recordings in 1927 and helped popularize Appalachian folk songs, shaping the sound of early country and influencing generations of musicians across genres like country, bluegrass, and folk.