When This Evening Sun Goes Down: A Song History
"When This Evening Sun Goes Down" is a song recorded by the Carter Family, the trio made up of A.P. Carter, Sara Carter (his wife) and Maybelle Carter (his sister-in-law).[1] They cut it in New York on June 17, 1937, and Decca released it on a 78 (Decca 5467) with "Jim Blake's Message" on the other side.[2][3] The Discography of American Historical Recordings, whose Decca data comes from Michel Ruppli's discography of the label, includes among its credits Sara's lead vocal, Maybelle's guitar and soprano vocal, and A.P.'s bass vocal.[3] The discography's entry for the record names no composer, and the sources consulted here do not identify an author or an earlier source for the song.[2]
Camille Pissarro, Setting Sun, drypoint and aquatint, 1879. Shown for the song's title; it has no connection to the song.
A.P. and Sara had divorced in October 1936, eight months before the session, but they kept working together as professional partners.[4][3] Decca was one of three labels, with Victor and the American Record Corporation, for which the group recorded about 300 songs (sources differ slightly on the count) before the original trio split in 1943.[4][1] Elwood Donnelly includes it, in DAD tuning, in Such Singing You Will Hear: 35 Songs Of The Carter Family, a collection of 35 Carter Family songs with guidance on playing the dulcimer, accompanying and singing.[5]
Sources
- Britannica: "Carter Family".
- Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Decca 5467 (10-in. double-faced)".
- Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Decca matrix 62294. When this evening sun goes down / Carter Family".
- Encyclopedia Virginia: "Sara Carter (1898–1979)".
- Elwood Donnelly: "Such Singing You Will Hear: 35 Songs Of The Carter Family".
- Image: Camille Pissarro, Setting Sun, drypoint and aquatint, 1879. The Cleveland Museum of Art.