Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! Today is part three of my "Story Behind the Song" series. Today's spotlighted song is one of the earliest country music recordings, "Can the Circle Be Unbroken" by The Carter Family.

The song was originally written as a hymn in 1907 by Ada Habershon and its music by Charles H. Gabriel. The original title was "Will the Circle Be Unbroken," which is still what a lot of people know it as today. The song was inspired by the thought of loved ones in Heaven and knowing that there is hope that we can meet them there one day.

Almost three decades after the song was written, The Carter Family was becoming popular as a pioneering country music act. The group consisted of A.P. Carter, his wife Sara, and his sister-in-law Maybelle. A.P. would often travel around the country looking for old-time songs for The Carter Family to rewrite in their own style. He came across "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and rewrote the song with a new title, "Can the Circle Be Unbroken.

The Carter Family recorded the song in 1935, and it soon became their most successful recording. What was originally written as a hopeful song about meeting loved ones in Heaven soon turned into a story about a mother's funeral and how her kids found peace knowing she was in Heaven. A.P.'s version has a similar storyline to the original, but I feel it brings out a little more emotion.

The song became even more personal decades after it was recorded when June Carter Cash (Maybelle's daughter) passed away and the family performed the song at her funeral. Some songs never lose their meaning even after decades of being recorded.

A.P.'s lyrics continue to be performed countless times on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and they have also been recorded by other country stars including The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Randy Travis, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and many others.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for part four which will take you behind the scenes of a career defining song that also became the title of a movie.