June Carter Cash’s daughter Carlene Carter has nothing but praise for Beyoncé’s country record “Cowboy Carter.” In a statement, Carter said of the singer’s new album, “I am delighted to know that Carter spunk is in her just like it’s been through nearly 100 years of us Carters choosing to follow ours hearts, hearts that are filled with love not just for country music but for all kinds of music.”
Carter is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband Carl Smith, the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, and the granddaughter of Maybelle Carter of the Carter Family. Her first professional release was the song “Friendly Gates,” which was featured on her stepfather’s album “The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me.”
Beyoncé said her new album, released Friday, was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,” referring to her performance with the Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) at the Country Music Awards, where she faced backlash from the Country music community.
“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she continued. “It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
Carter, a singer and songwriter, has enjoyed a prolific career in country music. She released her first solo album in the late 1970s and enjoyed her first top 40 hit in 1983.
In 2016, Carter told the Irish Times that her stepfather was a wonderful addition to her life. “He was such a good dad to me. We had a special relationship, I will say. He called me Sparkle and I called him Big John. He was unique,” she explained.
“I got the greatest chance in my life to witness two of the greatest entertainers on the planet perform all the time and I also got to grow up seeing them being very human. The thrill that John would have when he had a new song was inspiring.”
In the late 1980s, Carter joined with her mother and aunts to revive the famous Carter Family band, this time as The Carter Sisters.
The Carter Family was a folk group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Credited with forming the bedrock of bluegrass at the time, the group moved from vocal performances to country music. The group was originally formed by Sara Carter, her husband A.P., and her sister-in-law Maybelle (who was also her first cousin).
The second generation of the Carter Family took off in Texas, where the children of A.P. and Sara as well as of Maybelle joined for performances in San Antonio. After some members of the group left, Maybelle performed with her daughters June, Anita, and Helen.
Carter’s full statement is below.
“I’ve caught wind of some negativity over the release of Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter,’ her new country album. As a Carter Girl myself and coming from a long line of Carter Girls, I’m moved to ask why anyone would treat a Carter this way?”
“She is an incredibly talented and creative woman who obviously wanted to do this because she likes country music. In my book, she’s one of us Carter women and we have always pushed the boundaries by trying whatever music we felt in our hearts and taking spirit-driven risks. Sometimes the country music ‘establishment’ hasn’t been all that welcoming and sometimes this was accepted with open arms. Like Chuck Berry said, ‘it goes to show you never can tell.’”
“I am here to let Beyoncé and to all those nay sayers know that I admire and love her and all she does. I am delighted to know that Carter spunk is in her just like it’s been through nearly 100 years of us Carters choosing to follow ours hearts, hearts that are filled with love not just for country music but for all kinds of music.”
“Here’s a warm welcome to the Carter Girl Club! It’s only a matter of time before those nay sayers become Bey sayers,” Carlene concluded.
