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. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
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.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/310016

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