While singer/songwriter/actress/comedienne June Carter Cash's musical legacy may pale in comparison to her beloved husband's work, it is in no way eclipsed by it. As the baby of the legendary Carter Family, June was immersed in the world of entertainment at birth, a vocation that she took to like wildfire. Irreverent and unafraid, she made her radio debut at the age of nine and embarked upon a career that would span six decades. Those years are dutifully and lovingly preserved within the elegant bindings of Columbia/Legacy's Keep on the Sunny Side: June Carter Cash -- Her Life in Music. Book-ended by two very different versions of the collection's namesake tune (one from 1939 and the other from 2003), the two-disc set boasts 40 tracks -- 15 of which were previously available only as vinyl singles -- as well as extensive liner notes from Holly George-Warren and Elvis Costello. Numerous photographs, many from June's own scrapbooks, are peppered throughout the booklet. One shot in particular, a stoic and immersed Carter Cash standing behind a guard while watching her husband perform one of his legendary prison shows (Folsom perhaps?) is particularly affecting. The majority of the material has been culled from her prolific '70s period with Johnny ("Jackson," "Tall Loverman," "If I Were a Carpenter"), as well as her years with the Carter Family. Sadly, her more recent forays into the recording booth (1999's Press On and 2003's posthumous Wildwood Flower) have been given very little attention -- just a few cuts -- but they're both solid albums in their own right and would make great companions to this anthology. That said, Keep on the Sunny Side is a fair and lovingly crafted tribute, one that feels more like an old family photo album than a collection of recordings. Like her husband, June's voice was the voice of the gentry. It was a study in character over polish. Whether fueled by the soft pulse of her beloved Autoharp, or by the deep growl of her Southwestern Virginia lineage, she delivered each song with such confidence, empathy, and humor that her soul poured each one out as perfection itself. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
Jerry Hensley (Guitar), Vic Anesini (Mastering), Dennis Crouch (Bass), Luther Perkins (Guitar (Electric)), June Carter Cash (Autoharp), Fred Lombardi (Photography), George Tidwell (Trumpet), Ken Regan (Photography), Ken Robertson (Transfers), Larry Butler (Keyboards), Jerry Hensley (Vocals), Bill Pursell (Piano), Helen Carter (Vocals), Roy Huskey Jr. (Bass), Bill Guild (Announcer), Jan Howard (Vocals (Background)), Holly George-Warren (Liner Notes), Homer & Jethro (Mandolin), W.S. Holland (Drums), Frank Jones (Producer), Steve Sholes (Producer), Stacey Boyle (A&R), Gregg Geller (Compilation Producer), Jethro Burns (Vocals), Norman Blake (Guitar), Floyd Chance (Bass), Rosey Nix (Vocals), Ray Edenton (Guitar (Rhythm)), Jim Marshall (Photography), Rosanne Cash (Vocals), Johnny Sibert (Guitar (Steel)), Jack Routh (Guitar), Larry McCoy (Piano), Byron House (Bass), John Carter Cash (Executive Producer), Grady Martin (Guitar (Electric)), Gregg Geller (Producer), Rick Lonow (Drums), Don Hunstein (Photography), Chet Atkins (Guitar (Electric)), Carter Sisters (Vocals), Bob Johnson (Banjo), Carlene Carter (Vocals (Background)), Floyd Cramer (Piano), Jimmy Ibbotson (Mandolin), Sara Carter (Vocals), Carl "The Truth" Smith (Vocals), Joe Allison (Producer), Jeff Hanna (Vocal Harmony), Bob Carpenter (Accordion), Velma Williams (Guitar (Rhythm)), Gregg Geller (Compilation), Helen Carter (Accordion), Johnny Cash (Vocals (Background)), Jerry Whitehurst (Piano), Sara Carter (Guitar), Elvis Costello (Liner Notes), Nancy Blake (Mandolin), Anita Carter (Vocals), Homer Haynes (Vocals), Jimmy Ibbotson (Vocal Harmony), June Carter Cash (Guitar), Red Lane (Guitar), Farris Coursey (Drums), Mother Maybelle Carter (Vocals), Les Leverett (Photography), Lorrie Carter Bennett (Vocals (Background)), Steven Berkowitz (A&R), Homer & Jethro (Vocals), Lou Robin (Executive Producer), Billy Grammer (Guitar), Gordon Terry (Fiddle), Johnny Cash (Vocals), Marty Stuart (Guitar), A.P. Carter (Vocals), Laura Cash (Guitar), Homer & Jethro (Guitar), Maria Paula Marulanda (Design), David Johnston (Keyboards), Bill Guild (Interviewer), John Carter Cash (Producer), Bob Wootton (Guitar (Electric)), Joe Zinkan (Bass), Johnny Cash (Producer), Tiffany A. Lowe (Vocals (Background)), Buddy Emmons (Guitar (Steel)), Don Davis (Producer), D.J. Fontana (Drums), David O Jones (Guitar), Johnny Gimble (Fiddle), Bob Johnson (Lute), Carl Smith (Vocals), Larry Butler (Producer), Maria Paula Marulanda (Art Direction), Laura Cash (Vocals (Background)), John McEuen (Banjo), Anita Carter (Bass), Charlie Bragg (Producer), Urve Kuusik (Photography), Henry Strzelecki (Bass), Anita Carter (Vocals (Background)), Charles Randolph Grean (Producer), Homer Haynes (Guitar), Earl Scruggs (Guitar), Rufus Long (Flute), Helen Carter (Vocals (Background)), Marshall Grant (Bass), Carlene Carter (Vocals), John R. "Ricky" Jackson (Project Director), Kelso Herston (Guitar), Alan Messer (Photography), Mark Unterberger (Package Manager), John Gordy (Piano), Hal Smith (Bass), Jerry Shook (Guitar), Jethro Burns (Mandolin), Don Law (Producer), Mother Maybelle Carter (Autoharp), Tommy Jackson (Fiddle), Johnny Cash (Guitar), June Carter Cash (Vocals), Mother Maybelle Carter (Guitar)
