| Live Recordings from the Louisiana Hayride - June Carter | |
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Reviewed by Jolene Downs
There is a great series of CD's coming out that classic country fans will want to jump all over. From 1948 to 1970, Shreveport, Louisiana was home to The Louisiana Hayride. Almost all of the major stars appeared on the Hayride, from Elvis to Carl Perkins. From Johnny Cash to Merle Kilgore. The Louisiana Hayride presents live recordings of June Carter from two of her appearances. The first 9 tracks are from her June 4, 1960 debut and the remaining tracks are from appearances in 1961 and two appearances with Johnny Cash in 1962 and 1965.
June Carter wore many hats. She was part of the Carter Family, traveling the country with Mother Maybelle and her sisters Anita and Helen. In 1962 June joined Johnny Cash's touring show. It was as a part of his show that June made two appearances on the Hayride. June Carter always admitted she wasn't the best singer. But what she lacked in perfect pitch, she made up for in bravado and humor. It was her humor that first drew me to June and made me a fan. She was always ready with a wisecrack of some sort. She was never rude or crude, and she was always funny. I also enjoyed her singing. I felt that she sounded great singing with Johnny. It seemed they were perfect for each other onstage and off.
For her Hayride appearances, June mixed a little singing with a lot of humor to become a favorite there. She opens up with a bit of comedy before going into the 1955 Chuck Berry hit, "Gotta Travel On." She showed the audience that her humor didn't stop at stand up comedy, it carried through in her songs as well. She sings her own version of Marty Robbins' "Big Iron," and the changed lyrics have the audience in stitches. She has a really funny story to tell about working with Elvis, and spins a poem about their time together. "Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow" and "Wildwood Flower" are both Carter Family favorites, and keeping in mind that her time is limited, June sings a slightly sped up version of both to the delight of the crowd. One of the cute jokes I enjoyed hearing in her routine was her comment that the men seemed to be wearing a new fragrance called "come and get it." She giggled and said she had a new perfume on too. It was called, "I wouldn't know what to do with it if I got it."
For her second appearance, she was on a show headlined by Grand Ole Opry stars, The Wilburn Brothers. She brought them up for musical backup on some of her material, telling them that she they would all start together and then it was everyone for themselves from there. Along with an abundance of slapstick, she sang a song that her sister Helen had written, "Poor Old Heartsick Me." "Worried Man Blues" was her song of choice from The Carter Family.
In 1962, June was on The Hayride as part of The Johnny Cash Show. She sang "John Henry," and old folksong that later appeared on Johnny's Blood Sweat and Tears album with a change in arrangement. She put her tongue firmly in her cheek for a recitation of "The Heel." When she returned in 1965, again with Johnny's show, she and Johnny sang "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Ballad of a Teenage Queen."
I truly enjoyed this step back in time. It is a live recording of the show, complete with all the chatter and audience participation that happens between the songs. This CD includes as much talking (or more) than it does actual singing. Comedy was as much a part of June Carter Cash as song was. People will find this a wonderful trip down memory lane with some good clean fun that is very hard to find in today's world.
Song List:
Album cover used with permission of Scena Records.
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