June Carter Cash (née Valerie June Carter) (June 23, 1929 - May 15, 2003), middle daughter of Ezra (Eck) Carter and Maybelle Carter (Mother Maybelle), was a singer, songwriter, a member of the nation's first country music recording stars, the Carter Family, and married to legendary singer Johnny Cash. She was born in Maces Springs, Virginia and played guitar, banjo, and autoharp.
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In Fall, 1942, the Carters moved their program to WBT radio in Charlotte, North Carolina for a one year contract. They occupied the sunrise slot with the program airing between 5:15 and 6:15 a.m. June attended Paw Creek High School following the show on weekdays.
After a short stay in southwest Virginia, Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters headed off to Knoxville, Tennessee where they had yet another radio contract on WNOX. Here they met and teamed with a young Chet Atkins. In 1949, the family travelled to Springfield, Missouri where they entertained on KWTO.
Ezra Carter declined Grand Ole Opry offers to move the family to Nashville, Tennessee a number of times because the Opry would not permit Chet Atkins to accompany the group. Finally, in 1950 Opry management relented and the group, along with Atkins, became part of the Opry company. Here the family befriended Hank Williams and Elvis Presley and June would meet Johnny Cash.
With her thin and lanky frame June often played a comedic foil during the group's performances alongside other Opry stars Faron Young[?] and Webb Pierce[?].
June's first husband was singer Carl Smith[?] and they were married from 1952 to 1957. Their daughter Rebecca Carlene Smith (known professionally as Carlene Carter[?]) was born in 1955 and is a country singer. Her second husband was Edwin "Rip" Nix, and they had a daughter, Rozanna. June married her third husband, Johnny Cash, in 1968, and they had a son, John.
She played the part of Mrs. "Momma" Dewey in Robert Duvall's 1997 movie The Apostle.
In 1999 she won a Grammy Award for her album, Press On[?].
She died in Nashville, Tennessee from complications following heart valve surgery two years after she had a pacemaker implanted.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump