Carlene Carter to take Marion stage for Song of the Mountains
Carlene Carter will appear on Song of the Mountains at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion on Saturday, Feb. 7. The bluegrass band Southern Legacy will be Carter’s special guest to open the show, which will be taped for broadcast across America on public television at a later date.
Carlene Carter
Carter has been releasing music for more than four decades. The daughter of June Carter Cash and country star Carl Smith, and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, she is the physical embodiment of the Carter Family in the 21st century. Her Don Was-produced album Carter Girl is a critically lauded collection of Carter Family songs and originals, inspired by successive generations of her family. That album led to her spending time on the road on John Mellencamp’s Plain Spoken tour, both as a support act and joining him on stage nightly to perform duets.
She also played a role in the touring production of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the southern Gothic musical play written by Stephen King and Mellencamp. Thereafter, she recorded Sad Clowns and Hillbillies with Mellencamp, an album that includes newly penned songs by Carter.
Carlene Carter started her career singing with The Carter Family while still a teen. With the 1978 release of her self-titled debut album, she established herself on the edgier end of the country music spectrum, having recorded it in England with Graham Parker’s band The Rumour.
When Maybelle Carter died later that fall, Chet Flippo wrote in Rolling Stone that she “lived to see her granddaughter Carlene merge Nashville with contemporary rock and roll.”
Her third album, Musical Shapes, still often cited as being ahead of its time for its blend of country and rock, was recorded with her then-husband and producer Nick Lowe and his group Rockpile in 1980.
Making their home in London, Carlene Carter spent a year on the West End stage in the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes, then filled in for her aunt Anita one night when The Carter Family played Wembley with the Johnny Cash show. She ended up touring with them for the next two years, until she felt ready to go out on her own again, encouraged by Dwight Yoakam, who told her, “Carlene, there is a place for you in country music.”
Southern Legacy
From Bill Monroe to Billy Strings, Bluegrass music’s rich heritage has been shaped by visionary artists. Southern Legacy, comprised of seasoned musicians with over 200 years of collective experience, appears poised to carry this legacy forward.
With roots in legendary bands like Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Osborne Brothers, Tony Rice, J.D. Crowe, Lonesome River Band, and Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, these accomplished musicians have lived and breathed bluegrass history. Their journey began on the festival circuit, sharing stages and studying the trade firsthand with the genre’s pioneers.
When Southern Legacy takes the stage, it is said that their unique sound seamlessly blends the drive of JD Crowe’s banjo, Jimmy Martin’s rhythmic pulse, and Bill Monroe’s haunting tenor.
Audience members can experience the sound of Mike Anglin, Ron Block, Don Rigsby, Steve Thomas and Josh Williams as Southern Legacy.
More Information
Song of the Mountains presents concert tapings every month at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion. Showtime is 7 p.m.
The Feb. 7 tickets are available online and at the box office.
For information, visit the website at www.songofthemountains.org or call 276-783-6092.
The concert series is underwritten by the Virginia Tobacco Commission, the Town of Marion, the Ellis Family Foundation, including the General Francis Marion Hotel, Bank of Marion, TEDS, Smyth County, Blue Ridge Country 98.1 WBRF Radio and Bryant Label Co.
Song of the Mountains’ umbrella organization, Appalachian Music Heritage Foundation, is a non-profit 501c3 organization.
Song of the Mountains is recognized as Virginia’s official television show.
