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WALKIN’ A COUNTRY MILE
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COUNTRY MUSIC COLUMN
by Scott
Stem
Remembering… JUNE CARTER CASH
As Summer approaches,
the entire Country Music world is in mourning over the death of the
iconic June Carter Cash, who
passed away on May 15 at age 73 following complications from her recent
heart surgery. June Carter Cash was
one of the last remaining links with the beginnings of the Country Music
industry. As the second
daughter of Country matriarch Mother
Maybelle Carter, June was born into Country royalty.
As a teenager, she
performed with The Carter Family.
She felt she was not quite as good a singer as her two sisters,
so she also honed a cornpone comedic act that helped her stand out.
After the other two original Carter Family members retired, the
act renamed itself Mother Maybelle And The Carter Sisters. June went on to score
a Country and pop hit duet (with Homer & Jethro) of the classic
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Her first marriage to
Country singer Carl Smith
produced daughter, Carlene, who became a top Country singer in the
‘90s under the name Carlene
Carter. June’s second marriage to Rip
Nix produced daughter Rosie.
Along the way she
toured with Elvis Presley and
studied acting in New York alongside James
Dean and Robert Duvall.
In 1961, she turned down the opportunity to work on a national
television variety show in order to tour with Johnny
Cash. It wasn’t long before they knew they had each found their
soulmate. June co-wrote the
classic song “Ring of Fire”
with Merle Kilgore, which
illustrates the beginnings of her love affair with Cash.
Cash made the song a Country standard with his 1963 recording.
June and Johnny
married in 1968 and produced a son, John
Carter Cash, in 1970. They
won a CMA Award for “Vocal Group
of the Year” in 1968 for their hit duet “Jackson”
and continued to perform together through the rest of their marriage.
They also won two Grammy Awards together.
June continued to act,
taking roles on “Little
House on the Prairie,” “Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and
the movie “Apostle” starring her
old classmate, Duvall, among others.
She wrote her
autobiography, “Among My
Klediments,” in 1979 and another memoir, “From
The Heart,” in 1987. Her
second solo album, “Press
On,” was released in 1999 to critical acclaim, earning her
another Grammy Award along the way.
A third album, recently recorded, will be released in the Fall of
this year. Singer, songwriter,
actress, comedian, author, friend, wife, mother, stepmother,
humanitarian and Christian –– June Carter Cash left her mark on this
world and everyone she knew. She
will be missed. ARMED SERVICE FOLKS THANKED The Country Music
Association participated in Fort Campbell’s recent “Family Fun
Fair” on Armed Forces Day (May 17).
Sherrie Austin, Eddie
Bayers, Clint Daniels, Hometown News, Lila McCann, and Charlee Tennison joined the CMA in thanking the troops and their
families for their hard work and sacrifice.
CMA donated “Fan
Fair” tickets to the families while each artist performed a couple of
songs acoustically before signing autographs for everyone. Fort Campbell
is the home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Screaming
Eagles, the only air assault division in the world.
FANS TO RALLY Speaking of CMA’s “Fan
Fair,” it’s almost here.
The “32nd
Annual Fan Fair” will take place June 5-8 in Nashville.
Jessica Andrews, Brad Paisley and Leann Rimes have
just been added to the artist line-up for the nightly concerts at The
Coliseum. Other artists
participating in those concerts include: Brooks
& Dunn, Chris Cagle, Kenny Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alan Jackson,
Brad Martin, Martina McBride, JoDee Messina, Montgomery Gentry, Sawyer
Brown, Travis Tritt, Keith Urban, Darryl Worley, Wynonna and many
more. The daytime concerts
on the Riverfront Park Stages will feature:
Bellamy Brothers, Bering
Strait, John Berry, Suzy Bogguss, Kellie Coffey, Confederate Railroad,
Emerson Drive, Andy Griggs, Hayseed Dixie, Oak Ridge Boys, Tanya Tucker,
Rhonda Vincent, Kitty Wells, and loads of others. For more information
or for tickets, call 1-866-FAN-FAIR
or go to: www.FanFair.com ARTIST
ALERT! I’ve mentioned Brad
Martin’s name twice in this column. I’m going to mention it
again. I spent some time around him this past weekend at the Fort
Campbell event and it’s easy to see that Martin has the potential to
be one of Country Music’s next big stars.
He’s got a great voice, good songs, fabulous looks and a
wonderful personality. Martin’s
self-titled album came out from Sony Music last year and featured the
hit “Before I Knew Better.”
You owe it to yourself to check the album out.
Learn more about him
at, where else.. www.bradmartin.com NASHVILLE
NEWS NUGGETS... •
Willie Nelson will
celebrate his 30th
Fourth of July Picnic Weekend this year on July 4 and 5 at Two
River Canyon Amphitheater, which is 30 miles outside of Austin, Texas.
Among the artists performing during the
days alongside Nelson are: Shawn
Colvin, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Pat Green, Patty Griffin, Merle Haggard,
Jeff Haney Band, Toby Keith, Cory Morrow, Ray Price, Kimmie Rhodes, Leon
Russell, Billy Joe Shaver, Billy Bob Thornton, Neil Young & Crazy
Horse and The Dead (which
includes –– Rob
Barraco, Jeff Chimenti, Mickey Hart, Jimmy Herring, Bill Kreutzmann,
Phil Lesh, Joan Osborne and Bob
Weir). Call
1-888-597-STAR or go to: www.tworivercanyon.com
for tickets and more information. •
The Mavericks have
reformed and are recording a new album for Sanctuary Records as I write
this. Raul
Malo, Robert Reynolds and Paul
Deakin have reunited after some time off to pursue other musical
interests. The group has
selected their new fourth member, Eddie
Perez. The album
is scheduled for a September release.
•
Bluegrass Queen Rhonda
Vincent recently released her latest album, “One
Step Ahead,” featuring a duet with Alison
Krauss. Vincent
continues to remain at the top of her game with this project, which she
co-produced with her brother Darrin. •
Former Lone Justice
lead vocalist Maria McKee
returns with her fourth solo album, “High
Dive,” her first in seven years!
While technically not a Country artist, McKee has more in common
with Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn,
the Dixie Chicks and Emmylou Harris than she does with Britney or Christina.
She’s always had the voice of an angel mixed devilishly with
songs about earthly ups and downs. McKee is one of those artists who should be a much bigger
star than she is. If
you’ve never paid attention to her before, make up for your mistake
now by picking up her latest album. •
Charlie Robison
returns with “Live,”
which is (you guessed it) a live album.
The project was recorded in concert at the infamous Gruene Hall
in New Braunfels, Texas and features his signature songs –– “Right Man For The Job,” “The Wedding Song,” “Life of the
Party,” and more. It’s
a fun album that fully showcases Robison’s live show.
It also features his new single, “Walter,”
the only studio cut on the album. You’ve
been watching him on USA Network’s “Nashville Star” all
Spring -- now you can check out what he does best. •
I caught McHayes in a
live performance at a special event in Nashville the other day.
Soon after, I got an advance copy of their upcoming debut album.
I can’t wait until the single hits radio.
It will be so good to hear Wade
Hayes’ voice back on the radio – paired with Mark
McClurg (who spent 12 years in Alan
Jackson’s band), the album is a collection of modern honky-tonk. McHayes could very well give Brooks
& Dunn and Montgomery
Gentry a run for their money in the coming years.
•
In the mood for some rockabilly?
Then check out Big Sandy
and his Fly-Rite Boys’ new album, “It’s
Time.” You’re
body will want to groove through every track. This column is
dedicated to the sweet memory of
June Carter Cash and to her widower, Johnny
Cash. They fell into a
burning “Ring of Fire” and
became one the modern world’s greatest love stories.
Rest in peace June and thank you for sharing your talent, wit and love with the world for so many years. You leave the rest of us richer for having been here. |
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