Artist: Anita Carter
Author: June Carter/Merle Kilgore
Label: Mercury
Year: 1962
Youngest sister of author June Carter (Mrs. Johnny Cash), daughter of Maybelle Carter and named after Anita Peer, the first wife of Ralph Peer who discovered The Carter Family. First as a single. Cut in Bradley's Barn in Nashville. On her lp Anita Carter Sings Folk Songs Old And New (Columbia) the song is entitled Love's Ring Of Fire. June was lyrically inspired by some lines in a poem of her uncle A.P. Carter, the father figure of the Carter Family, the founding family of country music. The lines were underlined. Coauthor Merle Kilgore also cowrote More And More (Webb Pierce) and Wolverton Mountain (Claude King), both n°1 C&W, and became Hank Williams Jr.'s manager.
Covers:
Johnny Cash [as Ring Of Fire; n°1 C&W]
Tommy McCook [as A Happy Dub]
Carlene Carter [daughter of June Carter and Carl Smith; Nick Lowe had a crush on her]
Blondie [in film Roadie]
Bob Dylan [in film Feeling Minnesota]
June Carter-Cash [on Grammy winner Press On]
Joaquin Phoenix [in Cash biopic Walk The Line]
Oôs Joôs [as Hew Je Eerebaaie Bai Je]
Jan Rot [as Ring Van Vuur]
Johnny Cash gave his sister in law a six months advantage before competing with his own version, mariachi trumpets and all. John and Anita, along with June Carter, Mother Maybelle Carter and even Merle Kilgore share the same lot on the burial ground of Hendersonville, TN.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)