KelticDead Music

The mission of the KelticDead Music initiative is to find tunes and songs from around the world that have

Celtic, Folk, World, Americana, and Seafaring origins, and arrange them into simple sheet music formats for folk

musicians to use, as well as provide links for the music that follows the arrangements to help in hearing how it can be

played. In addition, other links are provided for the stories and possible lyrics about the selections within video-

based, KDM Broadsides for a music-education experience.

All the selections and sheet music content provided in the KelticDead Music initiative are from traditional, made-

public, made-public with credits, or cited credits where applicable. This material content is given with permissions.

Patrick O. Young, KelticDead Music.

Storms are on the Ocean

On some songs A.P. did not

perform at all, and in most

cases, he sang harmony,

background vocals, and only

on occasion did he sing lead

vocal.

The song is one of many

traditional Americana Folk tunes

that come from the “rural music”

genre in the 1920s and 30s. It

was made popular by the Carter

Family who followed the tight

harmonies of mountain gospel

music and shape note singing.

The original group consisted of

A.P. Carter (Alvin Pleasant

Delaney Carter) and his wife,

Sarah Carter. Maybelle Carter

was married to A.P.’s brother,

Ezra Carter (Eck), and was also

Sara’s first cousin. See the photo

to the right. Maybelle is the one

holding the guitar.

All three were born and raised in

Southwest Virginia. Sarah Carter

normally sang lead vocals and

played rhythm guitar or the

autoharp, and Maybelle sang

harmony and played the lead

guitar.

The original Carter Family. Made public

photo. From Left to right: A.P. Carter,

Maybelle Carter (playing the guitar), and

Sarah Carter (holding the auto harp).

Continued …

KelticDead Folk Music Broadsides