Carlene Carter has been performing music for almost four decades. The daughter of June Carter Cash and country star Carl Smith, and stepdaughter of Johnny Cash, she is the embodiment of the Carter Family in the 21st century. Once again based in her hometown of Nashville, she continues to bring the Carter Family legacy to successive generations with “Carlene Carter’s Wonderful World of Women Who Write,” her ongoing Bluebird Café performance series, which has included collaborations with Lilly Hiatt, Elizabeth Cook, Lauren Morrow, Pam Tillis, Gretchen Peters, and Matraca Berg.

Her most recent solo album was Carter Girl, a Don Was-produced collection of Carter Family songs and original tunes inspired by her family. Carlene spent the last few years on the road with John Mellencamp on his Plain Spoken tour, both as a support act and joining him on stage nightly to perform duets. She also played a role in the touring production of Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, the Southern Gothic musical written by Stephen King and John Mellencamp. That was followed by the release of Sad Clowns and Hillbillies, an album by John Mellencamp featuring Carlene Carter and newly penned Carlene Carter songs.