Tuesday, December 21, 2004

 

Martha Carson dies; 'Rockin' Queen of Happy Spirituals'

From The Tennessean
Martha Carson, the ''Rockin' Queen of Happy Spirituals'' whose gospel sound influenced Elvis Presley, Connie Smith and numerous others, died yesterday at 1 p.m. in Nashville. She was 83 years old, and had been in fragile health for the past year.

''She was the first Grand Ole Opry star I ever saw in person,'' said Smith, now an Opry star in her own right, who saw Ms. Carson play at an Ohio theater in the early 1960s. ''I remember the way she played that guitar, the red hair, the curls coming down the front. She was so energetic and so powerful: If she'd walked out of the building and kept singing on down the street, I believe everybody in that theater would have followed her.''

''We played a lot of package shows together, back in the late '40s and early '50s,'' said Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Mac Wiseman. ''She had that electricity on stage, and she was a great guitar picker. She showed no mercy on that guitar.''

Ms. Carson also made contributions by recording and touring with the Carlisles and by writing hits for Faron Young, Clyde McPhatter and other artists.

Read the article
The Tennessean


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