Dollar Bin Delights: Anita Carter Sings Folk Songs Old and New

Anita Carter's solo debut from '62 is best remembered for kicking off with the first recorded version of "Ring Of Fire" 

A sharp-cornered near mint copy of the solo debut recorded circa 1962 by The Carter Family's Anita Carter – daughter of Maybelle Carter and younger sister of June and Helen Carter – probably shouldn't be in any sort of  discount bin but who am I to argue with a second-hand vinyl vendor's decision to unload it cheap. 

Like the title spells out, the then 29 year-old Anita Carter sings a selection of folk songs with spare instrumentation which marke-savvy recording supervisor Shelby Singleton likely saw as a way to cash-in on the coffee house folk trend sweeping the nation during the late 50s and early 60s. 

As you might expect, it's largely a Carter Family affair so along with a couple of Anita's own compositions ("All My Trials," "Johnny I Hardly Knew You,") you get one from Mother Maybelle ("Fair and Tender Ladies"), and a few from sisters Helen and June. 

The most noteworthy of the bunch is the album opener "Love's Ring Of Fire" which is credited to June Carter and Merle Kilgore although June later claimed that the song was actually written by Johnny Cash while on a fishing trip with Merle Kilgore and western swing fiddler Curly Lewis. Anita's version of the song is backed by autoharp and guitar and carries the familiar melody with an odd echo on the word "fire" presumably to add an eerie vibe to the performance. A laudable effort but it doesn't have anywhere near the oomph of Johnny's recut, the most notable add-on is the signature Mariachi horn riff that opens the recording and repeats throughout. It's an inspired hook which seemed to fall from out of the blue – using Mariachi horns in country songs wasn't a popular trend in the early 60s – but it works remarkably well. Although he liked to tell anyone who asked that the novel arrangement idea came to him in a dream although it's much more likely that he had the familiar sound of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass stuck in his head because "The Lonely Bull" was all over radio in 1962.  

The timing is interesting since Johnny was estranged from first wife Vivian Liberto – though very much still married – at the time of Anita's recording as Vivian didn't file for divorce until 1966. Johnny waited a few months before releasing his own rousing version, retitled simply :"Ring Of Fire," on April 19, 1963 with Mother Maybelle Carter and the Carter Sisters singing backing vocals. It proved to be just the career boost Johnny needed. at the time  The updated version – with a few adjustments to the lyrics and phrasing– rocketed to the top of the charts and stayed there for seven weeks, racking up huge sales effectively wiping away any public knowledge of Anita Carter's original version in the process. Today, many folks who consider themselves to be serious country music fans would be surprised to learn that someone else recorded the tune before Johnny hit big with it. That's probably why I found a clean original Mercury copy of Anita's album Sings Folk Songs Old And New in the dollar bin. Those interested can sometimes turn up Bear Family's German reissue from 1981 although you're more likely to see the original in these parts. 

My own personal favourite version of "Ring Of Fire" is the inspired Tex-Mex overhaul "Rueda de Fuego" by Tejano accordion ace Mingo Saldivar y Los Cuarto Espadas originally issued as a self-released single on the Espada Records label in 1978 and then re-cut for his Rounder album "I Love My Freedom, I Love My Texas." Always a show-stopper, Mingo wowed audiences across North America and beyond with his impassioned reworking of "Ring Of Fire" delivered with gusto and some fancy footwork which earned him a standing ovation at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre circa 1992. That was when Harbourfront would regularly feature exciting international artists on a weekly basis during the summer months.  

Check out Anita Carter's "Love's Ring Of Fire" along with Johnny Cash's spin on it followed by Mingo Saldivar's clever ranchera rework for his 1978 single along with a kick-ass performance of the tune.