June Carter Cash

June Carter Cash
a.k.a. Valerie June Carter

MOTHER'S SON
John Carter Cash Celebrates the Life and Music of June Carter Cash
John Carter Cash, the only son of Johnny and June Carter Cash, is a dutiful keeper of the flame, especially that of his mother. He produced her beautiful, late-life solo albums, 1999's Press On and 2003's posthumous gem, Wildwood Flower, establishing himself as one of the top roots music producers around. He pays further tribute to June with an ambitious book-and-CD project. The record, Anchored in Love, finds family (Rosanne Cash, Carlene Carter) and friends (including Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Ralph Stanley) presenting their own takes on the enduring music made by June Carter Cash and the Carter Family. His book, Anchored in Love: The Life and Legacy of June Carter Cash, is a moving and strikingly frank account of a family that was, indeed, anchored in love, whence came its strength to survive seemingly endless trials and tribulations stemming from drug and alcohol addiction. It's as honest as the music his parents made -- no higher compliment could be paid. While in New York, John Carter spoke with David McGee, reflecting on the twin projects and the larger purpose spurring him on.

Barnes & Noble.com: Given that you have a book and a record out at the same time, I think it's logical to ask: What came first, the words or the music?

John Carter Cash: The book and the record pretty much happened simultaneously. I had wanted to do a tribute record honoring my mother's music, one that spoke to everything she was. She was a writer, a singer, a comedienne, an actor, she really did it all. But I was approached by Thomas Nelson Publishers about doing a memoir, and after I thought about it I decided I would do it. I never thought of myself as a writer, had never written anything of this length before, but I wanted to tell her story as I knew it and not pull any punches when it came to the hard parts. It took a while to get everyone's schedules coordinated on the record, so when there would be breaks I would work on the book.

B&N.com: Were you actually in the studio with all the artists when they were recording, or did you take advantage of modern technology and have them send in their recorded parts from elsewhere?

JCC: I definitely took advantage of modern technology. All the music, with the exception of three tracks, was recorded at our cabin in Hendersonville, Tennessee, at my studio. Over half of the vocals were recorded there, too. Elvis and Sheryl Crow did their vocals in New York City; for Willie, we went to Nashville to a studio, for time considerations. The heart of the album was done at the cabin. Braid Paisley's track was recorded at the Castle in Franklin, Tennessee.

B&N.com: Were there any bumps in the road along the way of assembling the album?

JCC: Not really. It's amazing how smooth the whole process went, given the number of artists involved.

B&N.com: How about in the writing of the book?

JCC: No, because when I set aside time to work on the book I was really focused. That's all I was concerned with at that time.

B&N.com: Did you adhere to a regular writing schedule?

JCC: Not at all. I wrote in spurts. I'd do a chunk of the story, then set it aside for a few weeks, come back to it and write another chunk of it. I found I had to work up to it, then once I got going I would do a lot in one sitting -- 1,500 words or more. But I really enjoyed the process.

B&N.com: To the point where you think you might do another book sometime?

JCC: Yes. I'm going to be writing more.

B&N.com: In the book you admit that you came to the Carter Family music only fairly recently. Once you got into the music, what did you find there that spoke to you?

JCC: Well, I'd been around the Carter Family music all my life to a certain extent. But I'd never really dug into the catalog. With my wife, Laura's, support and her spirit and love for the music, about eight or nine years ago she introduced me to the fact that there are about 350 Carter Family songs, a lot of which I didn't know. So I became fascinated with the history of the material and the diversity of the music, with all the different song subject matter. I saw some common lines in the music. I saw that the Carter Family songs and modern country subject matter were about the same, and I realized that the Carter Family set the standard of what country songs would write about -- between them and Jimmie Rodgers and a few other of their contemporaries. I was fascinated by the history of it, and I found a great love for the music, a great passion for the songs that developed into a study and then developed into a tribute album to the Carter Family, The Unbroken Circle, that I produced. I developed it more in working with my mother, and on down the line, you know.

B&N.com: Do you feel that because your father cast such a long shadow as an artist that your mother's music may have been overlooked through the years?

JCC: I believe my mother's dedication to singing the songs of her family and to writing her own music was steadfast and continued throughout her lifetime. But I believe when she married my father she took on the role of being Mrs. Johnny Cash. She had worked with him for quite a few years already at that point, and I think she had certain beliefs as to what that meant and how she was to support him. Their dedication to each other wasn't only offstage; it was there onstage, too. She helped him through the show, and the music took on a whole other element with her addition. So in some ways I believe his shadow covered her a bit, but in truth I think with as much support as she offered him behind the scenes and on stage that he wouldn't have cast nearly as long a shadow as he did.

B&N.com: Did she ever express any regrets that she hadn't pursued a solo career more aggressively?

JCC: No. She was very comfortable in working with my dad all those years. But you know when my dad would write a book, she'd write a book; when he'd go on the road, she would go on the road. They were a support system for each other. They were contemporaries, they were each other's best friend, they were each other's work partner and life partner. I feel like that they were the unit, they were whole together. I believe it was a matter of due course that she released those two solo albums towards the end of her life, that it was bound to happen.

B&N.com: You produced those two albums, Press On and Wildwood Flower, and offer vivid accounts in your book about the recording sessions. It all sounds like an incredible, beautiful experience with some gifted musicians.

JCC: Unforgettable. Really, I look back over it now and realize what a blessed memory it is to have still.

B&N.com: For the tribute record, did the artists choose the songs or did you approach the artists and ask each one to do a specific song?

JCC: Typically I'll come in with a bunch of songs and say to an artist, "Pick one of these. The top one's my favorite." But for this particular project I actually brought each specific song to the artist. I brought a number of songs to the artists and said, "Will you please sing this one?" They all chose my first choice.

B&N.com: What do you want people to know about your mother based on these songs and your reflections in the book?

JCC: I really want people to know that my mother had a great, resounding life faith in a higher purpose in a positive direction. She had a great faith in God. I also want people to know that she was a good mother and that she was forgiving, and loving, and gentle, and kind. I also want people to get a picture of her humor, her spirit, her enduring nature through it all. Part of it was that humor, the gentleness she had, the laughter in her soul that just wouldn't go away, no matter what happened around her or what anybody did to her or what anybody did to themselves. She could forgive and forget, and laugh through it all. "Press on," as she said.

B&N.com: The artists on the record all do terrific jobs with their songs, but I wonder if there's a performance that resonates with you in a deeper way?

JCC: It was unforgettable working with Loretta Lynn. Working with Loretta was in some ways like being back in the studio with my mother. Loretta is of course a unique and different artist than my mother, but such a gentle and kind spirit; she's so easy to be around, great sense of humor. Around the same age as my mother, geographically from the same area -- they're just so much alike. Working with Ralph Stanley up at the homestead in Virginia, with him and the Clinch Mountain Boys all in the living room, doing "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" was pretty magical. So many wonderful experiences working on this record -- having Emmy in the studio, working with Elvis Costello, Ronnie Dunn. It really was a joyous celebration of music; we had a lot of fun.

B&N.com: You lost both your parents in a very short time. What is it like for you to have two such dominant figures not present and accounted for?

JCC: My mother and father are no longer present in my life; Johnny and June Carter Cash will never go away. I have that reminder of them in their music and everybody else's love for them and their music around me all the time. So I'm blessed by that in many ways. I miss my mother and father, but I'm blessed by the fact that I'm still around them regularly in some ways. So it's a good thing.

June, 2007