Among the first bluegrass albums that I ever owned was Flatt & Scruggs' Songs of The Carter Family featuring Maybelle Carter, which led me gently by the ear to the fine music of the Carters .

Bill Clifton's Carter Family tribute soon followed, together with cover versions of Carter songs from Mike Seeger to Sandie & Jeanie Darlington, Jodie Stecher & Kate Brislin, Ginny Hawker, Kay Justice, EmmyLou Harris and many other bearers of the Carter banner.

It is to my shame that I did not acquire any original Carter material for a year or so after becoming aware of their presence, but younger readers must understand that finding that type of album was not easy in 1962/63 in Northern England. Only RCA Camden seemed to release any of their material in my area.

As time passed, I became aware of their immense contribution to rural American music and always wished for a book on the life, times and careers of A. P., Sarah & Maybelle. Well, here it is at last. We owe the authors a real vote of thanks for this overdue contribution to musical Americana.

A major biography by Mark Zwonitzer & Charles Hirshberg, Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?, published in June 2002 by Simon & Schuster, is a must for every serious country music enthusiast. It follows the original Carter trio and their descendants through love, music, fulfillment, sadness and loss in a series of sepia vignettes from another era, and helps immortalise the fine music they created through well-researched and entertaining writing. At no point does it descend to the 'fanzine' genre.

It is a superbly-crafted and refreshing change from the current, ghost-written, so-called ' biographies' of country music stars of modern-day Nashville; if you don't plan on buying or reading another book in 2002, at least get this one. It's up there with Bill C.Malone and Neil Rosenberg for serious country facts and interest.

Price? Well, the sleeve says $25.00, but I got my copy for $17.00 including postage from New York. Go to www.abebooks.com, enter the details and shop around.

Roger Knowles, Knaresborough, Yorks.

4th Sept 2002