Cousin Emmy

Cynthia May Carver (March 14, 1903 – April 11, 1980), known professionally as Cousin Emmy, was a banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. Although hit records eluded her, she proved to be a major name in personal appearances and on radio in the 1940s and 50s. In the 1960s she gained a new audience on the folk music circuit. Her song "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?" became a bluegrass standard after it was covered by the Osborne Brothers. She started out her career by playing with Frankie Moore's Log Cabin Boys. She influenced the playing of Grandpa Jones. She appeared in two films, Swing in the Saddle and The Second Greatest Sex.

Birth and Death Data: Born March 14, 1903, Died April 11, 1980 (Sherman Oaks)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist

Notes: Original name: Cynthia May Carver.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Role
Decca	73514	4/12/1946	Free little bird	Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks	vocalist
Decca	73515	4/12/1946	Broken hearted, I left you behind	Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks	vocalist
Decca	73516	4/12/1946	Milk cow blues	Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks	vocalist
Decca	73517	4/12/1946	Ruby	Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks	vocalist
Decca	L 4388	3/25/1947	Lost John	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4389	3/25/1947	Lonesome road blues	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4390	3/25/1947	I wish I was in Bowling Green	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4391	3/26/1947	I wish I was a single girl	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4392	3/26/1947	Johnny Booker	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4393	3/26/1947	Come on all you Virginia gals	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4394	3/26/1947	Freight train blues	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4395	3/26/1947	Pretty little miss out in the garden	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4402	3/31/1947	Barney O-Barney	Cousin Emmy	vocalist
Decca	L 4403	3/31/1947	Chilly scenes of Winter	Cousin Emmy	vocalist

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cousin Emmy," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/310016.

Cousin Emmy. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/310016.

"Cousin Emmy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.