Dale Jett
Dale Jett is the grandson of Sara and A.P. Carter from the original Carter Family and the son of Janette Carter. With the important aspect of being a descendant of the "First Family of Country Music," Dale made a decision to learn the guitar and autoharp, to carry on this rich musical heritage. In his youth, there would be a lot of activity around the homestead, as his mom Janette, and uncle Joe, established The Carter Fold performance center, in tribute to A.P. Carter's wish to carry on the music. One of the performers at the Fold was the legendary singer songwriter Elizabeth Cotton. With Dale being left handed and having only righty guitars around the household, Elizabeth was instrumental in giving Dale the confidence to learn the guitar in the unorthodox way of playing it upside down. It didn't take him long to master this technique and would himself, be a regular performer at the Fold... backing up his mom and uncle Joe. Eventually he formed his own group called "Hello Stranger" which features his wife Teresa on bass and Oscar Harris on other various instruments. Hello Stranger performs all over the Appalachian area and had once appeared on the Marty Stuart TV show. Dale states " I guess my “message” to the music community is that my music is real-passed down to me through my family; it’s a tribute to them as well as other songwriters that strike my heart; and an expression of myself." I recently had the opportunity to ask Dale about his storied career and he reflected on his desire to keep the Carter Family music alive.
R.V.B. - You come from a rich musical family with a great history. When did you first realize that something special happened in your family?
D.J. - I was aware of the Carter Family as a boy of course, but my mother’s focus was on working and raising her family. I remember visits from June and Johnny Cash, my grandmother Sarah, and others; I knew that they were special, but I think when I realized the full impact of the mark that the Original Carter Family had made on the music world was when my mother started having shows at the Carter Fold. I became involved with that and started meeting people in the music world. I learned more about the Carter Family’s history and the impact they made on the world.
R.V.B. - What kind of daily tasks did you do in your Appalachian upbringing? Did you have any other interest's in your youth besides music?
D.J. - My daily tasks consisted of school and sometimes helping my uncle on his farm, putting up hay or working in tobacco. For pleasure, I roamed the woods and mountains and hunted and fished.
R.V.B. - When you first picked up the guitar, did you realize that some people actually played the guitar in upside down fashion? Two that come to mind are Bill Staines and of course Elizabeth Cotton.
D.J. - When I first became interested in the guitar, I found it very frustrating because everything was right handed and I really struggled with playing that way…it wasn’t natural to me. All the instruments that I had access to were right handed, so I eventually just turned it upside down and began trying to play the way it felt right to me. That was before internet and you tube so information or instruction was difficult to find. I had heard of other people playing that way but was unsure about how they were making their chords or if there was a “standard” for playing.
R.V.B. - How did it come about that you had some guitar lessons with Elizabeth Cotton? Is there anything that she may have showed you that made a mark in your playing?
D.J. - My mother knew Elizabeth Cotton and she came to play at the Carter Fold. I was fascinated by her. Her playing was so smooth- like listening to rippling water. She loosened her guitar strings a bit to accommodate her arthritic hands and she got that real bluesy sound by doing that. I got a chance to visit with her while she was in the valley; she asked me if I played and I told her about the frustrations I experienced with trying to play the “correct” way. She laughed and began to show me how she chorded the guitar. When I asked her what chord she was making she said, “Lord, Honey I don’t know”. She played by ear and that’s how I learned too. She gave me the confidence that I needed to continue. I will always appreciate Mike Seeger for promoting her and helping to preserve her music.
R.V.B. - With your mom and uncle Joe being musicians, I'm sure they factored in some way with helping you understand music and learn both the guitar and auto harp.
D.J. - My mom used to play and sing to me as I was growing up. She helped me to understand music and taught me a lot. She was a pretty good guitar player too, although her standard instrument was the autoharp. I learned how to play the autoharp from her. She taught me about timing and rhythm. Joe was supportive too and gave me encouragement. He was a song writer in his own right and I admired that ability.
R.V.B. - What were some songs that may have been in your first set in the woodshed years of learning?
D.J. - Carter Family songs were my primary “go to” songs when I first began to play. I tended to like the lesser known Carter Family songs instead of the standard “Wildwood Flower” and others that are more well known.Later I began to learn songs by people that I admired in other genres of music. I have always been drawn to songs that tell a story. The lyrics of a song are just as important to me as the melody.
R.V.B. - Where were some of your first public performances and how did they go?
D.J. - I was playing on my grandfather A.P. Carter’s guitar and my mother said that if I played a show with her that she would give that guitar to me……so I agreed. We played at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. I was so scared, and I think I turned green! My mother and the audience were very encouraging and I managed to get through it. After that, I began to play with my mother and Uncle Joe at the Carter Fold, and then began to perform with my mother at other places.
R.V.B. - Your granddad A.P. Carter was a great collector and arranger of songs. Did you follow his path of finding music that you think was important to showcase throughout your career?
D.J. - My grandfather collected songs that otherwise would have been lost to the world I believe. When the Carter Family were recording, they had a set amount of recording time that a song could last so they had to rearrange some songs to fit that time limit. It is astounding to me that they did most songs in one take. They didn’t have the option back then to go back and fix mistakes, so they had to get it right the first time. I have great respect for my grandfather in his ability to find songs and arrange them to the time frame of the standard of the day. He was also a good songwriter as was my grandmother, Sara.
I guess that I am like my grandfather in that I rearrange some of the melodies in songs. One of the songs that my grandfather wrote was “Cyclone of Rye Cove”, about a tornado that touched down and killed several people. The first time we recorded that, we did it the “Carter Way”, but I rearranged the melody, adding minors, changing the timing and dynamics, etc..I think you have to make a song your own and many people do that. There are a lot of songwriters that I admire. I try to showcase their songs as well in our performances. Some that come to mind are David Via, Fred Eaglesmith, Tommy Thompson of the Red Clay Ramblers, the Amazing Rhythm Aces, Tom T. Hall, etc.. I write a few songs here and there as well and perform those on occasion. One of the most gratifying experiences for me as a songwriter happened when we were recording our Civil war themed album, “When the Sun Comes Out Again”. I got the chance to co-write with Tom T. and Dixie Hall. That will always be like a nugget of gold to me.
R.V.B. - Your mom Janette was a strong person with great values, and was also a very good musician and singer. How special was it to play music with her, for you?
D.J. - My mother was such a wonderful person. She was so supportive and kind to all the musicians and young people that were interested in learning about music that she encountered over the years. When she started the Carter Fold back in the 70’s there weren’t that many venues around, so I really admire her for continuing to preserve and perpetuate the Carter Family music, and for inspiring so many musicians. She always provided a place for the musicians to stay and cooked big meals for everyone when they came to perform. She treated everyone the same, regardless of their status in music. She was so encouraging to me as a musician and it was such a privilege to be able to learn from her and to accompany her musically for so many years.
R.V.B. - Who were some other popular musicians and artists that you may have shared the stage with through the years? Any special memories?
D.J. - I have been so blessed to get to meet and play with a variety of musicians over the years.
My cousin, John Carter Cash, and I recorded a cd, Carter Family III, together and that he produced. We have done some shows together throughout the years and have collaborated on and co-wrote a few songs too. He’s a special person to me. His father, Johnny Cash, was an inspiration to me as well and I was fortunate to have played a time or two on stage with him and June.
I’ve also had the privilege of knowing Marty Stuart and he is a special, dear friend- like a brother to me. It is because of him that our band got to perform at the Opry in Nashville, and on the Marty Stuart Show. I got to share the stage with him and Steve Miller in New York not long ago and got to perform a song with him and Chris Stapleton last year in Nashville too.
I got to meet and play with some of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band members with my mother several years ago and that remains a special memory to me. Mike Seeger was also a special friend that encouraged me and that I got to perform with several times. And of course, I will always cherish the moments that I got to spend with Elizabeth Cotton.
R.V.B. - How did you meet your wife? She seems like a solid band member?
D.J. - My wife, Teresa, and I met through a mutual friend in 1978. She didn’t play music when I met her, but she has been one of my biggest supporters. She’s the kind of person who just does what is needed - when I had to travel for work, she became the sound technician at the Fold; when we needed a bass player, she learned how. She is a good traveling companion and a good musician.
R.V.B. - Tell me a little bit about how Oscar Harris became a member of your group "Hello Stranger?"
D.J. - Oscar grew up in the same community I did but I really didn’t get to know him until later.He has been a musician since his teens. He had one of the first music venues in the region for teens and helped to organize his own house bandand also ran a recording studio. We got together in the early 80’s and started playing with one another. It wasn’t long before we had formed our own band, “Mendota”, with a few other friends. Oscar started helping out at the Fold later. The three of us- Oscar, Teresa, and I began helping my mother perform at the Fold as she got older and after my Uncle Joe died. After my mother’s death we decided to form our own band and continue playing together. Oscar’s a great musician. We call him the swiss army knife of our group because he is so versatile in the instruments he plays.
R.V.B. - Were you present for the famous last sessions of Johnny Cash at the Fold? How was that experience for you?
D.J. - I was present for Johnny’s last performance at the Fold. I helped set the stage up for him. He was in very poor health but it was important to him to continue playing and performing. He had lost his wife and his health, so music was probably what gave him the inspiration and ability to go on. John had been doing benefit shows with June at the Fold for years and this show was sort of a tribute to her. The Carter Family was important to him, not only because of June, but because of their importance and influence on music as a whole.
R.V.B. - What kind of day work do you do when you're not playing music?
D.J. - I’ve been a construction worker for years and I eventually started my own company, doing industrial construction- mostly in paper mills. I certainly couldn’t have lived on what I make from music! It’s been a way to provide for my family and allows me the freedom to continue to play music. What’s amazing to me is that the Original Carter Family was able to make a living during the depression years.
R.V.B. - What are you proud about of your career and do you have any message for the music community with your music?
D.J. - I’m proud that I have been able to pay tribute to the Carter Family through my music. I’m also thankful that I have had the opportunity to meet so many people through music and can call them my friends along the way. Music is something that binds us all together and has certainly enriched my life. I guess my “message” to the music community is that my music is real-passed down to me through my family; it’s a tribute to them as well as other songwriters that strike my heart; and an expression of myself.
Teresa Jett
R.V.B. -Did you come from a musical family and can you play other instruments aside from the bass?
T.J. - I grew up in northwest Ohio, but my parents were both from the southwest Virginia area. I moved to northeast Tennessee when I was a teenager. My sister was the musical genius of the family, playing piano, flute, and accordion. I tried taking piano lessons as a young girl, but I quit after getting my fingers rapped for so many mistakes. The bass is the only instrument I learned to play, but I’ve always had a love for music.
R.V.B. - Did you have any other musical projects before you met Dale?
T.J. - No- but after meeting Dale, I became the sound technician at the Carter Fold and did that for many years. I was so immersed in music in many ways before learning how to play bass that it seemed easy for me when I finally started.
R.V.B. - How do you enjoy performing as a member of Hello Stranger?
T.J. - When I first started playing bass, it was at the Carter Fold…a very forgiving atmosphere for a first time musician! Dale’s mother, Janette was always encouraging to me as well. I love playing with Dale and Oscar as a part of Hello Stranger. I am always learning and I like keeping the rhythm and timing for the group. They are an easy pair to travel with too- we all help one another.
R.V.B. - What are you happy about with your place in music?
T.J. - I’m happy that I’ve had the opportunity to become an essential part of our group, and that I have gotten to share the experiences with my husband, Dale, as a musician. I’m also glad that I have been a part in carrying on the Carter Family’s music. I have met so many people through music and feel grateful for all the friendships that we have through music.
Interview conducted by Robert von Bernewitz
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For more information on Dale Jett and Hello Stranger visit his website. www.dalejett.com
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