June Carter Becomes Country Music Hall of Fame Veteran Inductee

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June Carter is one of the most revered and recognizable characters in the history of country music. She was a daughter of country music’s first family, the mother to multiple country stars, and the wife of a country legend. And now her legacy will forever be enshrined in the halls of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Announced Tuesday morning, March 25th, June Carter is the 2025 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame via the Veteran’s Era category.

June Carter was inducted with Tony Brown in the Non-Performer category, and Kenny Chesney in the Modern Era category.

Carlene Carter and John Carter Cash were there to speak for their mother, who passed away in 2003.

“My mom was a force of nature. Everything she did with grace and style and finesse and humor. Anything that’s good about me is because of that woman. My momma was the shit, y’all,” Carlene remarked, in her usual irreverent style.

John Carter Cash pointed out that around the Hall of Fame rotunda, it says “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” and that nobody sang that song more than his mother, June Carter. “She was a songwriter, she was a musical historian, she was a comedian. But she carried the torch for country music history with her through her lifetime. Millions of people knew the Carter Family songs because of my mother not willing to sing songs. She appreciated the music, but she brought it all together with a laugh … She did not know a stranger. She would be so grateful for this.”

Vince Gill, who hosted the induction announcement remarked that Johnny Cash’s only regret about marrying June was how he was afraid his legacy would overshadow her own. “Today that changes as she takes her rightful place among family, friends, and legends in the Country Music Hall of Fame.”

June Carter does not have the voluminous sales or chart numbers you would normally associate with a Hall of Famer. But her career included intangibles and influence in spades. Her mother was “Mother” Maybelle Carter, who is considered the Mother of Country Music. Maybelle performed in The Carter Family, which was the First Family of Country Music. In 1943 when the original Carter Family ceased recording, June Carter was part of The Carter Sisters and Mother Maybelle, which carried on the original Carter Family traditions.

June Carter played guitar, banjo, harmonica, and also helped make the Autoharp famous in folk and country. Carter also sang leads and harmony, and wrote some notable songs. But one very important part about the June Carter legacy that often gets overlooked or glossed over is that she was also the comedian of the family. Comedy was very much part of early country due to its Vaudevillian roots, and only second to Minnie Pearl, June Carter was the female comedic relief of the Grand Ole Opry and stage shows for a generation.

Along with other roles, June Carter regularly performed her “Aunt Polly” routine, and would also come out on stage and act smitten with many of the era’s male performers in funny moments.

In 1952, June Carter married fellow country artist Carl Smith. Though the marriage only lasted four years, the couple gave birth to Carlene Carter, who would become a country performer. When she married Edwin “Rip” Nix in 1957, she would have another daughter, Rosie Nix Adams, who would also get involved in music. But it was June Carter’s marriage to Johnny Cash that would result in many high-profile songs and performances, and introduce June Carter to an entirely new generation and cohort of fans.

June Carter’s personal discography only consisted of four albums and a handful of singles. Except for her 1971 single “A Good Man” which ended up in the Top 30, and her 2003 album Wildwood Flower, which crested at #33, Carter’s commercial success was inconsequential. But with husband Johnny Cash, they recorded and released numerous iconic songs, including “Jackson,” “Long-Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man,” and notable covers of Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” and folk classic “If I Were a Carpenter,” all of which were major hits.

June Carter also spent decades with various members of her extended Carter family opening shows and singing backup for Cash, while performing as The Carter Family and keeping the flame of country music’s First Family alive. As a songwriter, June wrote Johnny Cash’s signature song “Ring of Fire” with Merle Kilgore. Though many associate June’s success with Johnny, a strong case can be made in the opposite direction, with Cash always citing June Carter as his rock, and greatest confidant and champion.

With the incredible backlog of performers waiting to get into the Country Music Hall of Fame, some will question if June Carter’s legacy has the wherewithal to stand up to others. The Carter Family was inducted in 1970, with Maybelle, A.P. Carter, and Sara Carter officially as members. But it feels like The Carter Family should also include daughters June, Helen, and Anita as well, since they spent decades keeping the Carter name alive in country music.

But now June Carter herself will forever be a member of country music’s most exclusive club, alongside her mother and husband, and so many of the other legends who made country music what it is today. June passed away in 2003, and will be posthumously inducted in the Medallion Ceremony later this year.


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