I would assume that he wanted to to do it, and since he was close friends with June, then John thought it would be a fitting tribute as well.

Don’t get me wrong, I really do like June Carter. But the “second or so incarnation” of the Carter Family really didn’t have a significant impact on the history of country music. The first incarnation…definitely. But the second?

“So Mr. Sandy, before you ask why they put Billy Bob Thorton on this album, take a look at his previous work and his love for traditional music.” I’m aware of his previous work (I have a copy of his first CD), and I assume he had a fondness for traditional music or he wouldn’t have appeared on the CD. Still don’t understand why though.

Here’s an quote from John Carter Cash that provides a little insight on the chosen artists:

“Almost all of the people who participated in the album were family or friends who knew her personally. Everyone who appears on the record, whether they knew her or not, respected her and loved her dearly. Emmylou Harris was a close friend for years and years. Mom was a close friend with Billy Bob Thornton, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Ronnie Dunn and Willie Nelson. It’s just a gathering of loved ones, really, to pay homage to her music. She wrote some of the songs, like ‘Ring of Fire,’ and the very personal ‘Song to John,’ which Emmylou sings; most of the rest are songs that she perpetuated or made famous like ‘Wildwood Flower’ (sung by Loretta Lynn) and ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken.’”

This also isn’t the first time he has appeared on a tribute album of a great country legend.

Also, back when he was married to Angeline, they donated quite a bit of money to one of the Appalachian colleges for their music programs.

So Mr. Sandy, before you ask why they put Billy Bob Thorton on this album, take a look at his previous work and his love for traditional music.

Pardon me while I screw my eyes back into their sockets…

You do realize that June was most important as a member of the second (or so) incarnation of the Carter Family, right?

First, while June Carter Cash was clearly a presence in country music for a half century or more, she wasn’t exactly a particularly prolific or influential performer. Her first #1 in 1949 was as a tag-along on a Homer & Jethro record. She didn’t have another big hit for nearly 15 years when she started teaming with Johnny Cash. On those duets, Cash was clearly the driving force — his personality, his band, his musical key.

As last year’s “Keep on the Sunny Side” demonstrated, she did write and sing some musically interesting material during her decades as a fringe performer. But somehow, little of that shows up here. (Seriously, how could someone not cover “Time’s A-Wastin’”, her pivotal song in the “Walk the Line” movie?) So, you have Carter Family songs (”Wildwood Flower” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” are not a June Carter, they’re Maybelle Carter songs), Johnny Cash songs and just a handful of songs associated solely with June Carter. .

Second problem: For a tribute album to work, the artists should have some artistic parity with the singer they’re honoring. We care about what Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow or Brad Paisley can bring to a June Carter song. But, Grey DeLisle (a grade B alt.country singer better known for her voiceover work in Clifford the Big Red Dog)? Billy Bob Thorton? Do these performers provide testimony to June Carter’s oeuvre? Or, did they just happen to be friends of the producer (John Carter Cash) or signed to the same record label?

Two songs here demonstrate what this album could have been: Rosanne Cash’s “Wings of Angels” and Carlene Carter’s “Jackson” (with Ronnie Dunn). These takes seem so personal, it makes me think an album entirely by June’s family — Carlene, Rosanne and John Carter — might have been a more effective tribute to a woman who was a true musical matriarch.