Trinomials: June Carter Cash

June Carter Cash (and Johnny Cash): Jackson

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June Carter Cash’s success story actually began two years before she was even born. It was a hot day in August 1927 when two women and a man (A.P. Carter, his wife Sara, and her cousin Maybelle) appeared at the New York studio door of a big-time talent scout for Victor Records. To audition, they’d spent the entire day before driving an old Model A Ford down mountain roads from the small hamlet of Bristol on the Virginia/Tennessee state line. Three flat tires later, they’d “arrived” in the big city. Impressed by their emotion, rusticity, charm and soul, Victor Records launched their career. It wasn’t long before The Carter Family’s music was playing from radios across the U.S. As country music hadn’t even been named yet, Victor simply called its brand “Old-Time Melodies of the Sunny South.”            

Maybelle gave birth to June in 1929, and by 1939 she was appearing on the radio too, playing autoharp and guitar. In fact, all three of Maybelle’s children would sing together as an act. At the time, June didn’t really want to sing, and her mother wasn’t even sure if she could carry a tune. Maybelle told the ten-year-old, “If you’re gonna be on the world’s largest radio station with us, we’ll need some kind of miracle.” The dream materialized, and all the kids found parts on the show that always opened with the upbeat theme song, “Keep on the Sunny Side.”    

The 2-disc album (linked above) comes with a hard cover CD book full of liner notes, historical perspectives, song credits and photographs. After the opening theme, we hear ten-year-old June Carter singing “Oh! Susannah” in 1939. The 1949 cut of “Root Hog or Die” includes her trademark “growl,” and her comic routines until 1948 as Aunt Polly might’ve even included buck-dancing. Onstage, she simply became “Little Junie Carter” when they came to the Grand Ole Opry in 1950.

Just from her tone and inflection, it's readily apparent that June was a good-time fun-loving gal who always kept on the sunny side of life. Although a true entertainer, her success was slow in coming in an era when female vocalists were more of a novelty in country music. June's various antics and hillbilly humor became part of her act presumably as a result of her own lack of self-confidence as a vocalist. After she and Carl Smith divorced in 1956, she studied acting in New York. In 1961, Johnny Cash invited Maybelle and the Carter Sisters to tour with him. June co-authored “Ring of Fire” with Johnny Cash. June and Johnny married in 1968. “Jackson” and “If I Were a Carpenter” both became top 40 hits for them. They toured widely and had a highly-rated television show in the late 1960s and 70s.

June Carter Cash’s music developed with experience, maturity, comedic verve and dramatic aptitude. She also never forgot her mountain soul and roots. She put out a successful album in 1999 called “Press On.” Shortly after she finished recording the album “Wildwood Flower,” June Carter Cash died on May 15, 2003. Check out the 2-CD compilation as a documentation of “her life in music.” Earl Scruggs once stated, “She was always full of energy and a really great show-gal.” And as Johnny Cash once said, “June’s work will live on and on.”

Trains: From The Oxford American

I must be out of my mind. I had this mad idea at the beginning of the week: I would go through all of my music samplers from The Oxford American magazine, and post every train song I found in one megapost at week’s end. But thinking of it wasn’t enough; no, I had to actually go through with it.

I began collecting The Oxford American’s annual music issues in 1999, with their third one. I was amazed at the quality, both of the writing, and of the music presented. To read more about this annual tradition in my house, go here. For now , it suffices to say that this search yielded up a fine crop of train songs.

1999:

The 1999 sampler included three train songs:

Billy Joe Shaver: Georgia on a Fast Train

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Billy Joe Shaver occupies that second tier of Texas country artists, just below Willie, Waylon, and that crowd. The drop in quality from the first tier to the second is barely noticeable.

June Carter Cash: The L&M Don‘t Stop Here Anymore

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June Carter Cash was a member of the first family of country music, the Carters. She also married Johnnie Cash. Royalty all around. The L&M Don’t Stop Here Anymore was one of her signature tunes.

Terri Binion: Locomotive

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Terri Binion was one of the discoveries included in the 1999 sampler. At the time, I had no internet, and I could not find out anything about her. Now, I can tell you that she is a folk artist based in southern Florida. Since this song appeared, she has only released one other album, in 2007.

2000:

The next year’s sampler yielded up two more gems.

Doc and Merle Watson: The Train That Carried My Girl From Town

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Doc Watson is the finest artist in southern folk music. He created the annual Merlefest in honor of his son and musical partner, who died too young.

The Derailers: Can‘t Stop a Train

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How could we possibly get through a week of train songs without hearing from a group called the Derailers? They have been championing alt-country, or Americana, or whatever you call it, for ten years now, and the show no sign of letting up.

2007:

There are an almost infinite number of train songs out there, but there were no more in the Oxford American until 2007. And there were none this year. But 2007 yielded two more, both worthy of inclusion here.

Hackensaw Boys: Look Out Dog, Slow Down Train

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Hackensaw Boys are an acoustic alt-country sort of big band. Confused? They are equally adept at playing bluegrass, or backing alt-country artists who plug in. They have had line-up shifts, but generally include eight or nine musicians. But the best way to get a handle on their music is to listen.

Reverend Charlie Jackson: Morning Train

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In the South, prior to World War II, a young black musician had the choice of playing blues or gospel. Many of the old-time blues players talk about how their parents would beat them if they were caught playing the blues, “the Devil’s music”. Some of these young men turned to gospel music instead. Reverend Charlie Jackson was one of these. The structure of the tunes, the vocal style, even the meter of the lyric, all are similar to prewar blues. The big difference is the words.
Jackson’s music earned him praise with folk and blues audiences, and also with jazz fans.