Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of

June Carter Cash June Carter Cash (born Valerie June Carter; June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter and dancer. A five-time Grammy award-winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior ...

and her first husband, Carl Smith. As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 albums, primarily on major labels. In the same timespan, she has released more than 20 singles, including three number three-peaking hits on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot Country Songs charts.

Career

Carlene Carter's earliest released solo recording was "Friendly Gates", a track included on her stepfather

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American Country music, country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later s ...

's 1974 album ''

The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me ''The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me'' is the 48th album by country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1974 on Columbia Records. Although credited to Cash alone, the album includes solo performances by his daughter Rosanne Cash, and stepdaughter ...

'', and credited under the name Carlene Routh. Her solo recording career began in the late 1970s with her eponymous debut album. In 1979, during a concert at New York City's The Bottom Line, she introduced a song about mate-swapping called "Swap-Meat Rag", from her album ''Two Sides to Every Woman'', by stating, "Well, if that don't put the 'cunt' back in country, I don't know what does." Johnny Cash and June Carter were in the audience, unbeknownst to Carlene. Carter co-wrote a song with

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...

's wife, Susanna Clark, for

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

on her 1978 '' Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town'' album, "Easy From Now On". In 1983, she had a top-40 hit "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with

Robert Ellis Orrall Robert Ellis Orrall (born May 4, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to RCA Records in 1980, Orrall debuted that year with the album "Fixation". His first Top 40 single was "I Couldn't Say No", a duet with Carlene ...

. In 1987, Carter joined with the singing trio The Carter Sisters, consisting of her mother June Carter Cash and June's sisters Helen and

Anita Carter Ina Anita Carter (March 31, 1933 – July 29, 1999) was an American singer who played upright bass, guitar, and autoharp. She performed with her sisters, Helen and June, and her mother, Maybelle, initially under the name The Carter Sisters and ...

. Together, they formed a revived version of The

Carter Family Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...

, and were featured on a 1987 television episode of ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

'' along with Johnny Cash. Carter's revived her solo career with the album '' I Fell in Love'', in 1990. The album and title song topped the US country albums and singles charts, respectively. Following a lengthy stint living in the UK and in the run-up to her divorce from English singer-songwriter

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Howie Epstein, bassist in Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Epstein helped Carter get her career back on track, producing '' I Fell in Love'' and co-authoring its title track with longtime collaborator, Milwaukee writer

Perry M. Lamek Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

. In 1991, the song " I Fell in Love" earned a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for ''Best Female Country Vocal Performance''. The album, which featured straight-ahead, retro-sounding country (unlike her prior work, which had combined country, rock and roll and pop sounds) was among the first successes of the 1990s "neotraditionalist" movement in country. Three years later, Epstein produced Carter's follow-up CD ''

Little Love Letters ''Little Love Letters'' is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Carlene Carter, released on June 22, 1993. It had one major Billboard Hot Country Songs hit in the No. 3 "Every Little Thing", and two minor ones in the No. 51 ...

'', featuring the hit " Every Little Thing", which was one of the top-rated music videos of the year. Carter provided the voice of Red in the 1994 Williams

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

machine, Red & Ted's Road Show, designed by Pat Lawlor. A clip of Carter's hit, "Every Little Thing", is played after the player scores a jackpot. A picture of Carter appears in the game's back glass artwork. Carter had a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the 1994 film '' Maverick''. She played a waitress on the gambling casino ship run by Commodore Duvall (

James Coburn James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...

). In 1995, Carter's '' Little Acts of Treason'' was well received critically, but failed to achieve the commercial success of Carter's two previous releases. In 1996, Carter released ''Hindsight 20/20'', a greatest-hits album, but it failed to achieve success. She received a small amount of acclaim with the song "It Takes One to Know Me", which was released on the albums ''Johnny Cash: The Legend'' and ''Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash: Duets''. Originally recorded in 1977 with a full string backing group, it was lost in a tape collection in

Hendersonville, Tennessee Hendersonville is the largest city in Sumner County, Tennessee, on Old Hickory Lake. The population was 61,753 at the 2020 census. Hendersonville is the fourth-largest city in the Nashville metropolitan area after Nashville, Murfreesboro, ...

, and then recovered in 2003. It then was remastered by her half-brother John Carter Cash. In the remastered version, John added his wife Laura (Carlene's sister-in-law) and his backing vocals and a guest appearance from Carlene herself—more than 25 years after she wrote and first recorded the song. In 2005, she was played by Victoria Hester in the movie ''

Walk the Line ''Walk the Line'' is a 2005 American biographical musical romantic drama film directed by James Mangold. The screenplay, written by Mangold and Gill Dennis, is based on two autobiographies authored by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, 1975's '' Ma ...

''. On November 20, 2008, Carlene Carter performed at

Iron Horse Music Hall The Iron Horse Music Hall was a music venue located in Northampton, Massachusetts, west of Boston and north of Springfield, Massachusetts. Its motto was ''Music Alone Shall Live''. The night club showcased a wide variety of musical genres and ...

in Northampton, Massachusetts accompanied by Mike Emerson (

Elvin Bishop Elvin Richard Bishop (born October 21, 1942) is an American blues and rock music singer, guitarist, bandleader, and songwriter. An original member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a mem ...

, Tommy Castro) on piano and Sean Allen on electric guitar and later joined by her husband Joe Breen. Alluding to some of her past problems, she said, "I'm really fortunate to have been making records for 30 years...I've had some gaps where I was doing research." On August 8, 2009, Carlene Carter played a live acoustic set at Heckscher Park in

Huntington, New York The Town of Huntington is one of ten Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Suffolk County, New York. Founded in 1653, it is located on the North Shore (Long Island), north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Lo ...

. During the performance, she stated that it was the first time in more than 30 years that she performed by herself. During her hour-long set, she played the title track from her latest release "Stronger", and said it was written in memory of her younger sister, who had died six years earlier. The track was performed on the piano and brought Carter to tears. Her younger sister is also mentioned in her track "Wildwood Rose". She ended the set by playing "

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" is a popular Christian hymn written in 1907 by Ada R. Habershon with music by Charles H. Gabriel. The song is often recorded unattributed and, because of its age, has lapsed into the public domain. Most of the ch ...

" with the opening act: The Homegrown String Band, a family band from the area. She said it brought back memories of playing with her own family. In 2014, she released her 10th studio album '' Carter Girl'' for

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

. The album features 12 tracks written or co-written by members of the Carter Family: 10 pre-existing songs and two new originals. ''Carter Girl'' received universal acclaim and includes collaborations with

Elizabeth Cook Elizabeth Cook (born July 18, 1972) is an American country music singer and radio host. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly s ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are "Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the Ni ...

, and Carter Family members Lorrie Carter Bennett, Helen Carter, Anita Carter, June Carter Cash, and Johnny Cash. Carter was the opening act on

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumen ...

's 80-date Plain Spoken tour in 2015. Additionally, Carter collaborated extensively with Mellencamp on his 2017 album ''

Sad Clowns & Hillbillies ''Sad Clowns & Hillbillies'' is the 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on April 28, 2017 by Republic Records. The album features significant contributions from Carlene Carter, who worked ...

'', providing vocals on five tracks, as well as writing one ("Damascus Road") and co-writing another ("Indigo Sunset"). Retrieved April 30, 2017

Personal life

Carter is the daughter of

and her first husband, Carl Smith. She is the granddaughter of Maybelle Carter of the

and the sister of Rosie Nix Adams. In the late 1980s, Carter moved back to Nashville to begin a drug- and alcohol-free life and work on her solo career. Carlene Carter has been married four times: * Joseph Simpkins Jr. (1971–1972) (one child, Tiffany Anastasia Lowe, born February 23, 1972) * Jack Wesley Routh (1974–1977) (one child, John Jackson Routh, born January 15, 1976) *

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,Cruel to Be Kind" with real footage of their wedding.) * Joseph Breen (2006–2020) Carter was for many years linked romantically with the late bass player Howie Epstein, best known for his work with

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American Rock music, rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell (musician), Mike Campbell, ...

. She lived with him in

Tesuque, New Mexico Tesuque ( Tewa: Tetsʼúgéh Ówîngeh / Tetsugé Oweengé ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States. It is part of the Santa Fe, New Mexico, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 909 at th ...

, from 1996 until 2002. On June 26, 2001, a New Mexico police officer pulled over Carter and Epstein. A search of the vehicle found drugs and established the vehicle was stolen. Epstein died in 2003 of a suspected drug overdose.Howie Epstein: Rock musician
,
Variety
', March 3, 2003. Retrieved 2011-09-19.

Discography (studio albums)

*'' Carlene Carter'' (1978) *''Two Sides to Every Woman'' (1979) *''

Musical Shapes ''Musical Shapes'' is the third album by American singer Carlene Carter. The only song to make the Billboard Music Charts, Billboard country singles chart was "Baby Ride Easy," (written by Richard Dobson) a duet with Dave Edmunds of the British ...

'' (1980) *'' Blue Nun'' (1981) *''

C'est C Bon ''C'est C Bon'' is the fifth album by Carlene Carter. It was released in 1983 via Epic Records. The album was also her last pop album before she switched to mainstream country music for '' I Fell in Love'' (1990). It was reissued on the Razor & T ...

'' (1983) *'' I Fell in Love'' (1990) *''

'' (1993) *'' Little Acts of Treason'' (1995) *'' Stronger'' (2008) *'' Carter Girl'' (2014) *''

'' (with

) (2017)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Carlene 1955 births People from Nashville, Tennessee Country musicians from Tennessee American women country singers American country singer-songwriters American expatriates in England Living people Giant Records (Warner) artists Johnny Cash Cash–Carter family People from Tesuque, New Mexico Singer-songwriters from Tennessee

Career

Personal life

Discography (studio albums)

References

Further reading

External links