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.
She worked up an especially fine comic groove in 1954 with Mom and the sisters on "He Went Slippin' Around." It starts with the premise that a wife has responded to a husband slipping around by dumping banana peels on their front steps. This image of slipping around on the steps might, however, distract from the darker strain of humor that arises as she just flat kills the guy with a butcher knife. Hardy, har har! I don't know who this I. Smith is who's credited with writing this psycho comedy. but I'm definitely scared of them Carter women. They might run a little bit "wild and mean." But we'll get back to that.
Of course, June's work intersects and provides counterpoint to her famously somber husband. She (and Merle Kilgore) wrote Johnny's best song, "Ring of Fire." His hit version with those cool horns would probably be considered definitive, but it's certainly good to have her autoharp dominated rendition for contrast.
Probably the biggest record with her name as performer though was "Jackson." This comes from the 1967 album Carryin' On With Johnny Cash & June Carter, which makes this actually the document of their courtship before they were married in 1968. It's also the classic example of how she would tend to lighten the mood for Johnny.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Kisses thrown your way Al. Appreciate the June knowledge connection since I had very little.
2 - Al Barger
Thank you so much Temple. I only hope that I'm doing her justice. I'm still tinkering with this slightly. I want to add in just a couple of little bio details.
3 - todd
Ol' Johnny had himself a good hoss there, yessiree bob.
4 - Bill Madon
Wish I could get a copy of the CARRYIN' ON album, just to get the original recording of JACKSON. This song is represented in several of Johnny's later compilations, but it's never the original, maybe he lost the rights to the original. I have fond childhood memories of the 45 rpm single playing on my dad's hi-fi.
5 - Al Barger
Bill, there's an Amazon link for the 1967 Carryin' On album right here, listed as "original recording remastered." I've only ever heard one studio recording of the song, unless they re-recorded it somewhere so faithfully that I can't tell the difference.
6 - mick
was june carter all there??