Right off the bat, you need Keep on the Sunny Side: June Carter Cash, Her Life in Music and Press On. If you have any interest in country music, the career retrospective and her great mature album are vital documents. Her family (and Jimmie Rodgers) created country music as a commercial recorded medium, and she was a vital artist till her passing in 2003. Indeed, her 1999 recording Press On may well be her very best.

June Carter Cash was a hell of a gal. Between being the daughter of Mother Maybelle and then being married to Johnny Cash, she had a real interesting life experience and knew everybody. She dated James Dean. She studied acting under Lee Strasberg, and did some fine acting. She had the interesting experience and musical tutelage to make some great records.

All this meant that she perhaps didn't spend as much time in the recording studio as one might have wished. She seemed more oriented to being a wife and mother than being a careerist. Keeping Johnny Cash even halfway in line must have been pretty much a full time job right there. For one thing though, this seems to have resulted in pretty good quality control. She wasn't just cranking out mediocre crap cause it was time to make a record.

The awesome two disc career retrospective Keep on the Sunny Side: June Carter Cash, Her LIfe in Music includes recordings from 1939 to 2003. It really fascinates me to hear just a short bit of nine year old June singing "Oh, Susannah" on a Mexican border radio station as part of the family act. Listen to this plucky little girl, and think about the lioness she would become.

One aspect of all this that jumps out is her family role. The young daughter was the designated comedienne, representing some of that vaudeville aspect of early country, which just escaped her more serious minded uncle and mother. There's a strong emphasis on comic material throughout her recorded career.

The comedy schtick tends to inspire some of the best energetic grooves, which works nicely as being a Carter meant she always had the absolute top drawer musicians.

One particular standout in that vein was "Baby It's Cold Outside." She performs this with Homer and Jethro, two of the funniest fellows and hottest pickers in country history. Pay attention also to Chet Atkins jazz guitar decorating this arrangement. They get pretty good comic effect just from slightly countryfying it. "That ain't sasparilla there."

The whole premise of this recording, though, is that 19 year old June Carter is getting ready to have a three way with Homer and Jethro. I'm not sure what could possibly be funnier than that. Careful repeated listening to this jam will be likely to generate some HIGHLY comic mental pictures.