An American country musician, known for her deep and distinctive singing voice, she was the lead singer on most of the recordings of the historic Carter Family in the 1920s and 1930s.

She was born Sara Dougherty in Copper Creek, Virginia and married A.P. Carter in June 1915. In 1927, she and A.P. began performing as the Carter Family, perhaps the first commercial rural country music group. They were joined by her cousin, Maybelle, who was married to A.P.'s brother, Ezra Carter.

Sara and A.P. divorced in 1939, partly due to Sara's affair with Coy Bayes, A.P.'s first cousin, whom she married and moved to California with in 1943, and partly due to A.P.'s extended song-gathering trips. The Carter Family disbanded as a result in 1943. In the 1960s, Sara reunited with Maybelle and briefly toured during the folk music craze of the time.