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Carlene Carter

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Carlene Carter has just come full circle with her recent Rounder Records release of Carter Girl. Produced by Don Was, Carter Girl is, in a very literal way, Carlene’s personal homage to the Carter Family legacy that both underpins so much of America’s music and is part of her own DNA. The album revisits both classic Carter Family repertoire as well as original songs that reflect Carlene’s direct connection to her roots. NPR’s Ken Tucker describes it best, “What Carlene Carter does on Carter Girl is significant. She doesn't approach these old songs as sacred relics to be enshrined with pious respect. Rather, she treats them like living, vital pieces of art that can withstand being taken apart, thought about and re-imagined.” Come see for yourself what everyone is talking about with a wonderful evening of stories and songs with Carlene Carter as she makes her Infinity Hall debut.

Carlene Carter

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www.carlenecarter.net

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Artist Bio

As the daughter of country music legends June Carter Cash and Carl Smith, and granddaughter of "Mother" Maybelle Carter of the original historic Carter Family, Carlene says it has been her lifelong goal to make this record. "The songs on the album cover three generations of Carter Family music," she explains. "The original Carter Family (A.P., Sara, and Maybelle); momma's 'Tall Lover Man' and Helen's 'Poor Old Heartsick Me'; then two of mine: 'Me and the Wildwood Rose' and a new song about momma and John's passing called 'Lonesome Valley 2003.'"

Carlene shares writing credit on "Lonesome" with her great uncle A.P. Carter (recently in the Billboard Top 10 as cowriter of the pop phenomenon "Cups"), and the track features vocals by Vince Gill. Other guest artists on the CD are Willie Nelson on "Troublesome Waters," Kris Kristofferson on "Blackjack David," and "Elizabeth Cook steps in as an honorary Carter Girl," Carlene adds, "singing harmonies on six of the twelve songs." Family is represented by cousin Lorrie Carter Bennett (daughter of Anita Carter), and Carlene's husband Joe Breen, each heard on two songs.

The CD was produced by Don Was and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, both on Carlene's wish list for the project, and she says Carter Girl has "lots of fabulous musicians: Don on bass, Jim Keltner on drums, Rami Jaffee (from The Wallflowers and Foo Fighters) on keyboards. Greg Leisz plays steel guitar, acoustic, and electric too. Sam Bush is playing mandolin on three songs. Blake Mills plays most of the stringed instruments, electric guitars, and tiple, which is a kind of mandolin. I play piano, and acoustic guitars in the style of my grandma, but it's different from the 1920s! I'm really glad I was able to pull together all of these perfect people." "Cowboy Jack Clement played acoustic guitar on 'Ain't Gonna Work Tomorrow,'" Carlene continues, "and we used an old track for that to have Helen, Anita, momma, and me, along with Big John, singing background on the chorus. We built a new track around our vocals from the Wildwood Flower album we did back in 1986. Kind of a cool thing to have the technology to bring it as a part of this project."

Looking back on her own musical history, Carlene remembers, "I started my career singing with The Carter Family at 17. My first album came out in 1978." Recorded in England with rock band Graham Parker & the Rumour, that self-titled debut was named "Tops in Pops" by TIME Magazine, while Newsweek called Carlene "a stunning newcomer." At the album's release party in L.A., Dolly Parton whispered in her ear, "Keep on smiling, no matter what!" Advice, Carlene says, that has served her well.

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