Over the past week, both June Carter Cash & Freyda Epstein passed away. Everyone knows who June Cash is…the writer of Wheel of Fire. I am a writer (though not a songwriter) & I sometimes think that if I could’ve written anything as powerful, vivid & profound as that song, I’d be a happy man & consider my life worthwhile. See this wonderful New York Times obituary cum music review describing the music performed at her funeral.
Kieran Kane, a founder of the O’Kanes and proponent of country music’s neo-traditional movement, pays high tribute to June Carter Cash in the toe tapping, “June Carter (Can Sure Sing),” at the same time taking a swipe at today’s contemporary, so-called “country divas”, with lyrics such as “in a world of country costume jewelry, she’s a real diamond ring.” This song is a gem. For more on the song and album it is on see Takecountryback.com. Or buy the CD Shadows on the Ground
Freyda Epstein was a founding member of the folk group, Trapezoid. Her warm, lilting alto voice graced many a wonderful folk ballad like Do You Love an Apple? on their recordings. A KBCS-FM (Bellevue, WA) dj announced yesterday that she died in a car accident. She left us far before her time.
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June Carter co-wrote Ring of Fire, not Wheel of Fire.
Oops, thanks for the correction. And my apologies to June Carter’s memory for screwing up.
We had the good fortune to hear Trapezoid twice back in the early-mid 80’s – very warm and intimate yet somehow otherworldly. Some performers shift your reality so that exiting back into the mundane world is a shock – Trapezoid was like that. Now & Then and Another Country are two of my favorite albums.
I never heard the entire CD (can’t buy everything!) but the couple tracks I heard from Freyda’s Acoustic Attatude (sp?) sounded really good too.
i saw an obit last month in either Sing Out or Dirty Linen (can’t recall which). Terribly sad.
Thanks for pausing to take note…