Customer Reviews

Keep On the Sunny Side: Her Life in Music

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June Carter-Cash is a star. Sadly not much of her early material is available. This album spans 1939-2003. The first cd starts with The original Family + Janette + The Carter Sisters (Helen, June & Anita) singing their show stopper "Keep on the sunnyside". This version is short only an intro. "Oh Susannah" sung by a 10 year old June is impressive.She is already showing promise as a first class vocalist & entertainer at such a tender age. She shows the confidence of a future star."Root,toot, or Die" is one of her earliest recordings recorded in 1949. She has already established that trademark growl, (a growl that one can hear in singer Patsy Cline & other contemporary country singers.) the growl that set June apart from her entire family.
Though her voice was in a lower key than her mother and sisters June had very similar tone and stylings to her mother and sisters, but once that gutsy growl is heard there is no mistaking who is singing.This recording is also a fine hybrid of early Country and blue grass.
"Baby it's cold outside" is a really interesting cover, most other versions are done in Jazz or Broadway vein, June, Homer and Jethro sing this song with a gusto; Harmonizing almost simliarly to The Kingston trio, and features an unforgetable country shuffle."Country Girl", is a song that reminds me of a Hank Williams song,it has that shuffle that many have associated with his upbeat tunes. June does a spoken intro & some other spoken segments throughout the song.It demonstrates the theatrics that June incorporated & carried with her until last album, the magnificent "Wild Wood Flower"
The old Carter standard "Foggy mountain top" is given an updating my Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.Wonderful harmonizing by the girls with each singer alternating lead,Harmonies are tight and sweet. Maybelle's guitar work is amazing.The tune ends with harmonized Yodeling, very impressive to the ear.This is the first time I have ever heard this type of singing."Fair and tender ladies" another Carter standard given an impressive updating from the girls. Tight Harmonies which could have only come from a life time of practice & performing, highlight this wonderful version, along with Junes seasoned Auto-harping.Anita's hauntingly beautiful soprano is very prominent throughout the Carter sisters recordings. Her clear perfect pitch and tone give the quartet it's signature sound.
"Solid Gone" is given a more modern country reading from the girls. "Juke Box Blues" is the most modern sounding country records up until this point on cd #1.The Song is a playful shuffle, sounds like something Patsy Cline or Hank Williams would sing.This song is highlighted by Junes ever maturing voice, and trademark growl. A fun walzing tune."No swallering place" is country/blue grass tune, but decidedly more blue grass, June takes deep theatical breaths, to excentuate her breakneck speed singing."Love oh Crazy Love" a duet with Carl Smith,is a country duet with a comical twist, June shows off her hillbilly histarical humour, by telling a joke right in the middle of the song! Carl plays around a little too.
The blue grassy "He went slippin around" and "Well I guess I told you off" kind of reminds me of the Maguire sisters,but tighter and not such a novelty act. The latter gives a clapping hillbilly ho-down segment.Giving this song a comical quality.
June does a mid tempo ballad, Called "Strange woman" With great country style.Backed by her sisters and mother June Sings with a country soul & enthusiasm that only a Carter can project.Her voice has also matured much over the past few years, gaining more control.Clearer,more full toned singing.
"The heel" is a really cool record.June really outdid herself with this one.It's so unique, very Johnny Cash, almost has C.W. McCalls "Convoy" type of feel feel. This song is done in a kind of Country rap,done by men typically.June tackles it, with confidence, & attitude. Making her fans think "what could have been?" had she really did more albums during her marriage to Johnny Cash.I believe Patsy, Loretta, and Tammy would have had some heavy competition.
"How did you get away from me" features a young Johnny Cash, fortelling in my opinion of their future relationship.
"Tall lover man" a heavy country ballad,has great vocals & guitar work by June, with the trade mark sound of the Carter Sisters singing pleasently behind June."Without a love to call my own" is absolutly beautiful.June's energy is always nice to hear, but her Kittenish side is rarely heard.So when she sings a tender song like this it is a real treat for the listener. She sings this song with a lot of heart and county soul.A calming, haunting performance. Definatly my favorite on CD#1.
"Ring of Fire" (a song June wrote) is sang by the sisters.
This version is a hybrid of Johnny's and Anita's version (Anita was the original singer)
The Carter Family recorded an updated version of their old classic again in 1964. This new version of "Keep on the sunnyside" has vocals from Maybelle,Johnny Cash and future wife and June, this a truly amazing,rare and historicle recording.3 of country musics most important figures on one record. A Wonderful conclusion of Cd#1.

CD#2 Starts with June and Johnny's unique, Grammy award winning, hit version of "Jackson".This version is a staple in Country musics history. June is in great vocal form & tackles her end of the duet with pizzaz.She has matured a lot since the 50's as a vocalistand performer(though singing & performing were never a problem).She gives her usual passionate growling attitude driven deliverly.
"If I were a carpenter" has been covered by many. June & Johnny covered it in their typical soulful mannor. This song won June and Johnny another grammy in 1970.
"The loving gift" is a ballad duet. June & Johnnny sing this tender love song with the intensity that only people who are truly in love can bring forth. This song was basically was a testiment of their near fairy tale marriage, & devotion to one another.
"A good man" is a solo venture by June. A funky upbeat country with religous references throughout.This is song by June Produced my Johnny.It has wonderful guitar work, & a pounding tamberine.In my opinion it had a lot of hit potential. It still vex's me why June did not record more albums. An amazing artist.
June Gets down and country with the heavy kickin blue grass recording "Ole Slewfoot" she is backed up by daughters Carlene Carter (Junes hit making daughter who inherited her mothers vocal tone & stlye. She had a big hit in the early 1990's with "Every little thing" one listen to this song & there is no doubt who is her mother.), Rosie Carter Nix(though she is less known than her sisters she is star in her own right), and Roseanne Cash(Johnny Cash's daughter with Vivian)
and of course Johnny Cash himself.
"Losin you" from her amazing "Appalachian Pride" album is yet again heavy blue grass.(though this is a 10 I prefer her version on the 1999 album "Press on"
"The Shadow of a lady" is more country than "losin you" fine instrumental work from June.
"Gatsbys Restaurant" is a hillbilly ho-down, bluegrass recording, with amazing pickers, and great banjo work. (Personally I think I like the version found on her "Press on album" from 1999 better)
"Once before I die"(a duet with Jerry Hensley) is a really really beautiful record.Jerry has one of the most beautiful agile voices in country music.Silky smooth and oh so soulful.June and Jerry blend perfectly together."The L&N don't stop here anymore" not one of my favorites, reminds me of cheezy country theme."East virginia blues" a kickin country song, that tradional country fans are bound to love.
"Gone" is a beautiful recording by June, who would record a more exciting version for her "Wild Wood Flower" album(though it was renamed "Alcatraz"in 2003 for the grammy awards winning swan album "Wildwood flower" in the 2003 version she changes the tempo several times making it a little more dynamic)True she may be in prime vocal form here,and her 2003 version may sound a little more ragged, she none the less gave the 2003 version her all, soul, guts and attitude, in tact though her health may not have been.
"Appalachian Pride" blue grass country features some great accordion work."I love you sweetheart" is ballad/upbeat love song.Touching lyrics, and great storytelling which country is famous for, are the highlights of this album.

The next standout on the album is "Song to John" a beautiful ode to June's husband.Spoken intro, and many spoken segments throughout this ballad.You could sense the intense love and spiritual connection that June & Johnny had.
"Far side banks of Jordan" is perhaps my favorite duet June and Johnny ever did. This is one of the most hauntingly beautful songs I've ever heard. I do however prefer her version from her 1999 album Press on.Their bodies were aging, and their health was ailing, the 1999 version seems to almost make their version a little more urgent and soulful. Almost as if they were telling the world they will be together always in spirit.
"Diamond in the rough" an old Carter Family tune on which June is accompanied by the Nitty Gritty dirt Band,long time friends & admirers of the Carters (in particular June & Mother Maybelle)

As cd#2 comes to an end, one song from the amazing "Press on" album,is the gospel tune by the original family "Will the circle be unboken" given a down home reading by June.Sadly most of the Original family had boarded that old gospel ship in passing years.AP in '60, Maybelle in '78, Sara in'79,Helen in '98, and Anita in '99. So June did the song solo.
Only cousin Janette and Joe (d. March 2/05)were alive.)
The Album would win June her first solo grammy for "best traditional folk album" in 1999.
The Cd concludes with her amazing version of "Keep on the Sunny side" June voice has a unique smokey mountain soul in it here. She would win a grammy in 2003 for Best country vocal female for"Keep on the sunnyside" beating reigning divas Shania twain, Martina Mcbride and Patti Loveless among others. She proved to the world that a singer does not have to be singing all over the scale, belting constantly or have over the top productions.She has proven that much of the time less is more.Her cool, soulful vocals, & the understated production are what make her record stand out among all the over the top singers, albums and songs of today.She proved that there is was and there will always be only one original.
That same evening she would win Best tradtional folk album for "Wild Wood flower"
The grammy foundation never forgot June Carter-Cash, and the entertainer she was. Lets remember her too.

This collection of recordings by June Carter (and many with family members like Maybelle,Anita and Johnny)are a Great addition to any Carter Family-Cash collector. I am not going to describe each song as to what I think as that would be a waste and the end result would only be my opiniun. But if you are sworn by traditional family music like the Original Carter Family and by that I mean A.P.his wife Sara and her cousin Maybelle along with the likes of Helen,Anita & June then this collection is for you.The vintage recordings are priceless as is an early recording of "Old Susanna" by June at 10 years of age. If you think that the Davis Sisters did a Great recording of "Foggy Mountain Top" wait until you hear the Carters hit it.
Buy this set as there are some real classics that you will never be able to find elsewhere.

"Enjoy" JFKopeck

Carter's family legacies are well-known, both as a daughter of the legendary Carter clan, and as the mother of Carlene Carter, step-mother of Rosanne Cash, and of course, as the wife of Johnny Cash. Her duets with Cash still turn up now and again on radio and compilation CDs, but her lengthy career as part of the Carter Family's second edition (which was comprised of June, her sisters, and her mother Maybelle), as well as her solo work, have long been overshadowed. This 2-CD career retrospective certainly helps set the record straight, covering everything from her earlier recordings with the original Carter Family in 1939, through her last solo LP, 2003's Grammy(tm) winning "Wildwood Flower." The picture that emerges is of a very talented singer whose comedic flair became a distinguishing trademark among the distinguished company of her family.

Carter Cash's career started early, as exemplified by a pair of 1939 radio transcriptions of a 10-year old singing the Carter family classic "Keep on the Sunny Side" and Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susannah." As she grows, she clowns with Homer & Jethro on a parody of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," sings from the A.P. Carter songbook with her mother and sisters, and duets with both her first husband Carl Smith, and her second, Johnny Cash. Highlights include the Carter Family's sisterly harmonies on "Ring of Fire," Johnny Cash's resonant baritone underlining Maybelle and her daughters on "Keep on the Sunny Side," and a trio of duets with Cash that crackle with the electricity of their relationship.

Anthologist Gregg Geller has tracked down key singles from the early-50s through the mid-70s, including the socially acute 1971 original "A Good Man." Also included are Carter Cash's first solo album, 1975's "Appalachian Pride," and a pair of tracks from her later solo albums, 1999's "Press On" and 2003's swan-song, "Wildwood Flower." Though there's only one previously unreleased track (1975's "Song to John"), the scarcity of all of this material in reissue effectively makes a great deal of this set equivalent to unreleased. This is a long overdue look at one of the Carter Family's second generation of musical legends: a daughter, a mother, a wife, a singer, and a star. [©2006 hyperbolium dot com]

When I first Listened to "Jukebox Blues" I loved it, and honestly bought the alubms just for that song, but I listened to the entire albums the whole way through. Now I love every song! It starts out back in 1939 and continues until 2002! It includes everything from her vvery last recorded songs, to her original solo "Oh! Susana" at age 10, and EVERYTHING in Between. I love this album and I'm seriously a DIE HARD June fan, so anyone who loved her music would treasure this album forever. I listen to it every morning. That's how good it is. So if you are planning to buy this fantastic collection, YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! June, Age 12

June Carter Cash: so many thoguhts come up at the name. They should. June Carter Cash was much more than just a singer, but an experienced comedienne, and such the instrumentalist. Walk the Line just showed you a bit of June's music, and there is truly much more! Keep on the Sunny Side introduces you to June's music and is abosolutely sensational. June has done an extroadinary job, just like she always does.

We start off way back in 1939 when she was just a little youngster singing the original Carter Family theme song 'Keep on the Sunny Side.' You can tell even in these old recordings, June was on the right foot for sucess.
"Oh! Susanna" is next. This familiar tune was June's first solo. She sings it loud and proud and even you can tell by how confident she is singing it, that she is a born to be star, just like her mama.
Next is "Root, Hog or Die," one of my very favorites! It has a good beat and Is fun to sing along to, and Jun even throughs in some comedy.
In 'Baby It's Cold Outside" June pairs up with Homer and Jethro to sing a classic favorite. This however, is sung mountain style!! With hats lookin' swell, and maybe just a half a jug more, you'll be laughing and singing along, just having a great time!
"Country Girl," is my favorite song on Disc One, it shows how a country girl can just be satified with life as a country girl! This comedy is a great sing and you'll love it and play it every day at least twice!
Now we head in to Mother Maybelle and The Carter Sisters. "Foggy Mountain Top" is a great song and has a good beat, and it really shows you the Carter Sisters. It's a great sing and I love it!
"He's Solid Gone," is a reamke by the Carter Sisters of the Carter family song "The Cannonball." There is just somethign about the song that makes you feel good. Is it how the girls harmonize so great, or maybe just the carfree tune? Whatever it is, "He's Solid Gone," will cheer you up any day!
"Juke Box Blues," is a June Caretr classic. This good tune will cheer you up any day of the week with it's bouncy beat and how June's voice flows with the song.
'No Swallerin' Place" is one of june's comedies. It was written with Frank Loesser and June does a great, comedic job of singing it! It will become your favorite faster than you can believe!
June sings 'Love Oh Crazy Love" with her first husband, Carl Smith. Carl adn Juen were both country singers, so they did a great job on this comedy. However, June and Carl didn't lvie happily ever after together.
The Carter sisters are back to sing 2 favorites "He went Slippin' Around," and "Well, I guess I told you off," starring one of June's characters "Little Junie Carter." These are both great songs and are very memorable.
June plays another unforgettable character in "The Heel," about a love obseessed women who is dating a cheatin' man and is a woould be killer. "I'd be the chewin' gum that clings to that dirty lowdown heel," June says in the song.
We all know "Ring of Fire," right? This time, instead of Johnny Cash singing it, the writer (June) and her family sing it. It's a good twist on a Johnny Cash classic and probably his most signature song!

Now on to disc two:

Everyone knows Johnny and June's siganture song "Jackson," and what great way to start off the second disc. Following Jackson is, "If I were a carpenter," a song turned into a duet by Johnny and June. Finally the two are married and perform "The Loving Gift," a sentimental song written by Kris Kristofferson.
"A good Man," was written during the Vietnam war and tells about how with the good Lord, we can do anything if we pray.
"Ole Slewfoot," is sung by June and her entire family! With a fiddle in the backaround and an easy to dance to beat, it's a great song that even has a solo spot for June's son, John Carter Cash!
"Losin' You", and "The Shadow of a Lady," are songs from the heart that June wrote. They are very similar but also very different with. With their unique style of music, they show June's many sides.
"Gatsby's Restaraunt" is about a restaurant that June often visited in New York City. This comedy is great and features ehr daughter Rosey singing backup.
"The L & N don't stop here anymore" sounds like something Loretta Lynn would sing, especially because in the song, June is a coal miner's daughter. it's a really good song ans is very different from most of June's work.
"Appalachian Pride," is my favorite song on disc two. It is a calming song, and is peaceful and has a good message in it about how you can be a poor appalachian family and still be rich in your heart if you loved God. It also makes a wonderful lullabye or realxing song.
"I love you Sweetheart" is a good song. It has a good beat, but also is soft and good for a lullabye or just pouring some coffee in a mug and sitting down on a warm couch.
"Far Side Banks of Jordan" is a duet with Johnny and June, and was also one of June's favorites. In the song, June says "But if it proves to be his will that I am first to cross, and somehow I've a feelin' it will be, when it comes your time to travel likewise don't feel lost, for I will be the first one that you'll see."
"Will the Circle be Unbroken," is a timeless Carter Family song that shows emotion the whole way through. In someof these songs, you can tell that June was a very sentimental person and said what she meant.
We end it with "Keep on the Sunny Side," June's first song and last song. June sings as she can in this last song, to prove she can press on till teh day she dies.

We hold June in our hearts forever. I know she loved me and I loved her very much. Sometimes, if I listen to these CD's, I can feel her spirit fill up the room, and everyone's hearts.

God Bless You June,
June

This is one of two June Carter cds that I bought on a recent trip to Nashville. This one is fabulous. I love how it's an audio timeline of her radio and recording career. It begins with Little June and goes through the years until her final recordings. There are some great duets with Mother Maybelle, the Carter sisters, and of course, Johnny Cash. Amazon also has a cheaper price than what I paid for it. If you want in my opinion the ultimate testament to how wonderful June Carter was, look no further than this cd.

You wouldn't think that a 7th grader like me would like old country music by June Carter Cash right? Think again! Who doesn't love the blue-eyed, high pitched, country legend sweetheart?! Oh, you're not a fan? You will be when you start listening to this!

"Keep on the Sunny Side" is the perfect way to get to know June's music! It has everything from the 1939 "Root, Hog, or Die" to the classic remake of the carter family's "Keep on the Sunny Side." You've got from Johnny to Carl Smith, to even all 3 Carter sisters! Some highlights are "He went Slippin' Around", "Jackson", "Love, Oh Crazy Love", and "No Swallerin' Place". And beleive me, there is much, much more! The entire package even includes a 7 page book that tells about June's life. I learned a lot of my knowledge of June from this book. For instance, did you know that she was married to a Nashville Police officer named "Rip Nix"? But the best part is the music! There are high spirited songs to cheer you up, or get you dancing! Listening to these CD's are part of my daily schedule actually!

So, now are you interested? Honestly, if you buy this one of a kind pack, you will surely not regret it! So what are you waiting for? Buy this CD right now and get listening!

June

Playing Time - Disc 1 (48:19), Disc 2 (57:12) -- This monumental 2-disc archive comes with a hard cover CD book full of liner notes, historical perspectives, song credits and photographs. The Carter Family (A.P., Sara, Maybelle) first recorded in Bristol, Tn. in 1927, two years before June was born. This project opens with the original Carter Family singing "Keep on the Sunny Side," followed by 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 included buck-dancing. Onstage, she simply became "Little Junie Carter" (a friendly, innocent tease) when they came to the Grand Ole Opry in 1950.

Besides including songs recorded alone with Nashville sidemen, disc 1 takes us up to 1964 with cuts from the Carter Sisters & Mother Maybelle, June with Carl Smith (a refreshing but largely ignored rendition of "Love Oh Crazy Love"), June with Homer & Jethro ("Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "Country Girl"), and The Carter Family with Johnny Cash. Unfortunately, some of musicians (pedal steel, drums, piano, guitar, bass) accompanying June on songs like "Juke Box Blues," "No Swallerin' Place," and "The Heel" are unknown. 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. She was a true entertainer who loved to sing. However, her success was slow in coming in an era where 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. "The Heel" (about a paranoid, love-obsessed, would-be killer) was recorded after five years away from the studio. In 1961, Johnny Cash invited Maybelle and the Carter Sisters to tour with him. June co-authored "Ring of Fire," and her 1964 version is presented here.

Disc 2 has material recorded primarily between 1967-1976, along with three cuts from 1999-2003 (Will the Circle be Unbroken, Diamonds in the Rough, Keep on the Sunny Side). The four songs sung with Johnny Cash come from 1967, 1969, 1972 and 1976. "Jackson" and "If I Were a Carpenter" were both top 40 hits for them. They toured widely and also had a highly-rated television show in the late 1960s and 70s. June also sings "Once Before I Die" with Jerry Hensley. Some of the most enjoyable songs on disc 2 are the non-duo tracks, and especially those originals such as "A Good Man," "Losin' You," "Gatsby's Restaurant," "Appalachian Pride," and a number of others. While largely unnoticed at the time, her songs from this period are indicative of her experience, maturity, comedic verve and dramatic aptitude. Her mountain soul and roots may be best revealed with a cover of Jean Ritchie's "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore." 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. This 2-CD compilation is welcome documentation of "her life in music." Earl Scruggs 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." (Joe Ross, staff writer, Bluegrass Now)

When I first heard that Sony/Columbia was planning this release, I was skeptical. Most of June Carter's solo efforts (as well as most of the material recorded by the Carter Sisters & Maybelle) originally appeared on the label. Unfortunately, the execs never did a good job of promoting these wonderful recordings and, in fact, were very guilty of under recording the incredible talent at their disposal. June, Helen, Anita and Maybelle were some of the most gifted musicians, songwriters, singers and performers of our time. Their incredible work is mostly overshadowed by that of the Original Carter Family. Also, most people simply remember them as the backing group for Johnny Cash. This fine collection may change that impression.

This 2-CD release goes well beyond my expectations. Put simply, it is a wonderful retrospective. The people who put this collection together did a fine job of mixing the mega-hits with some more obscure releases and a couple of very interesting unreleased tracks. The selections are largely reflective of June's career, including her long association with the Carter Sisters & Maybelle (called the "Carter Family" by the 1960's) as well as her duets with Johnny Cash. People have (apparently) almost forgotten that June had a successful career in show business for nearly 25 years before she met Johnny Cash. Cash himself once wrote that her marriage to him had almost caused June's brilliant talent to be overshadowed.

The only segment of June's career that is underrepresented includes the handful of singles she charted with the Carter Family in the 1960s and 1970s. The family's recording of the classic "Ring of Fire" is included. It was not a major hit but stands as one of the very best versions of the song around. The recording sounds even more powerful with modern technology behind it. Other favorite cuts include the previously unreleased "How Did You Get Away From Me?", the powerful gospel song "Good Man" and "He's Solid Gone." Really, there is not a bad track on the collection. Major hits include "Jackson," "Baby Its Cold Outside" and "If I Were A Carpenter", among others.

The person who wrote the liner notes and discography notes could have done a bit more thorough research. Merely listening to some tracks makes errors glare. June is on record as stating that her original recording of "Tall Loverman" included two guitars, her own and one other. There is no piano on the track.
Also, the 1960's Carter Family Recording of "Keep on the Sunny Side" is from their own album, on which Johnny Cash was a guest vocalist, not from his own Carter Family tribute, as wrongly stated.

What this collection should do is to reintroduce June's wonderful musical legacy to a wide audience. She and her family had a long, groundbreaking, successful and historically important career in music. Let's hope that this good sampler leads to reissues of June's entire catalog as well as that of her family. Both June and the Carters deserve their own box sets.

All in all, this 2CD set is impressive. The label and others involved did a fine job. June's career has finally been treated with a measure of respect!

I bought this Cd and a couple of others for my Dad's Christmas gift. He loves this CD, said it's the best in his collection. Now he wants a set for the house and his truck ! I also got him the Best of Johnny and June and the Carter Sister's and Mother Mabel. He grew up listening to them sing on the radio, and he said this reminded him of when he was young. So for that I give it 5 big Stars !!!