♪ Rosey Carter A.K.A. “The Wildwood Rose” A.K.A.
Rosey Carter Adams, my wife and eternal soul mate. Rosey has one of the
most impressive pedigrees in music history. She is the daughter of June
Carter Cash, Grand Daughter of Mother Maybell Carter, and stepdaughter of
Johnny Cash, although, June and Johnny never referred to their step
children as “step.” She is a half sister to Carlen Carter, step sister to
Rosana Cash, and spirit sister to all in the music world.
♪ She was born Rozana Lea Nix, daughter of June
Carter and Rip Nix, July 13, 1958. She was buried Rozana Lea Adams and
left me alone in this world October 24, 2003. She was and always will be
my buddy, best friend, soul mate, and the most compassionate woman any man
would ever hope to have. I love you Rosey and will miss you daily ‘til I
see you again on the far banks of Jordan. Until then my heart remains
broken and I am lost without you.
♪ Popabilly Muzic was a brain child of mine that
Rosey loved. One day we were talking about music categories and I said a
lot of mine and Rosey’s music was kind of Rockabilly with a little more
pop than rock, thus Popabilly was invented. Since Rosey’s passing it has
been very hard for me to work on this project, but the time has come for
me to share with the rest of the world the gift God gave us in Rosey
Carter.
♪ Johnny Cash once told me “Rosey sang with more
heart than anyone he had ever heard and if Rosey wanted to be a star she
would be the brightest one of them all.” He said, “She is surrounded by
golden rings and all she had to do was reach out and grab them.” But after
a lifetime on the road with the Johnny Cash show as a background singer,
fame meant nothing to her; in fact she avoided it at all cost.
♪ Rosey was everything to me besides being the
love of my life she was also my music partner. Five of eight songs she
last recorded I wrote or co-wrote. She loved my songs and I loved her
voice, together we made beautiful music. I met Rosey in the fall of 1996
at a mutual friends house known in the music business as Poo Bah, A.K.A.
Don Mealer, a great singer and songwriter. We instantly became friends and
started writing songs together. After a couple of weeks Rosey asked me why
I hadn’t asked her out on a date. The next night I took her out on our
first official date and we were inseparable after that. I later told Rosey
the reason I had not asked her out was because I was scared to death or
intimidated…or both! I had nothing but a ’49 Chevy pickup I had restored
when I packed up and left Dallas for Tennessee. She on the other hand came
from everything money could by; you might say I came from the other side
of the tracks. Never the less Rosey and I were perfect for each other. We
never fought, well I didn’t, Rosey would get mad and try to pick a fight;
but I would just say Rosey you’re right and I am wrong so lets not fight.
How could she be mad then? She was always right and I was always wrong,
but I didn't care.
♪ The first time I met John, and June, they
treated me like family, little did I know that I would soon become family.
Later Rosey told me that June was all for our relationship and that John
was jealous of me because all June would talk about was Philip this and
Philip that, and he was Johnny Cash!!! He was used to being the center of
attention! Now God knows I could never steal his thunder nor would I try! Eventually
Johnny would learn to love me. I think he understood how I felt about
Rosey. There was a time in Virginia, when we were to play the Carter Fold;
we had planned to stay for 3 or 4 weeks, then one day while doing laundry
Rosey fell in Uncle Joe’s basement and broke her ankle. . Frantic I called
911, but down in poor valley Virginia there isn’t a 911! I then called
June and Johnny to see if they could get an ambulance down here. June
later told me that Johnny said I don’t know how badly Rosey is hurt, but
Philip is in terrible shape. After that we were good friends. I then asked
him for his blessing to marry Rosey; he said he would be honored. I didn’t
know that June was already planning our union. One February 8, 2000, we
were married in Jamaica at the Great House Cinnamon Hill. Johnny Cash was
my best man and June was Rosey’s maid of honor, but I was the one that was
truly honored. As soon as we said I Do Johnny said welcome to the family
son we’re all crazy as hell! That was no news to me, having spent the last
four years with Rose. The next 3 ½ years I concentrated on recording
Rosey, she was such a gifted singer I thought it was such a shame that she
had not made her mark in the music business.
♪ I will admit I had a selfish motive for doing
this record; I wanted it for my own personal listening. I soon realized
that the world should hear her voice. We were at a family reunion in
Virginia sitting on Mother Maybell’s front porch having a guitar pull when
Johnny asked Rosey to sing him a song. She picked up her guitar and
started to sing her favorite song, which so happened to be one that I
wrote, Hard Times in the Heart Land. Before she finished Johnny started to
tear up, which then made me tear up. I have to admit that was and will be
my most gratifying moment as a songwriter. I don’t think any award or
monitory achievement could have matched that feeling. Afterwards, Rosey
said do you know how many thousands of songs he’s listened to and never
showed that emotion? From then on every time we’d go see June and Johnny
he would ask Rosey to sing him that song. He told Rosey that we were two
of the best-kept secrets in Nashville. I said the public may not know us,
but it feels good to be recognized by the greatest icon in the music
business and that’s pretty good!
♪ I could go on and on about Rosey, June, John,
and Popabilly Muzic©, but Popabilly Muzic is about the music. Every song
has its story so I will start with the last song recorded by Rosey, “Cry
Baby Holler”. I first heard the idea from Poo Ba, he said Merle Kilgore
gave him a song to see if he liked it or wanted to work on it. He said
Merle first worked on it some 25 years ago, I did not fall in love with
the song, but the idea blew me away. It stuck in my head like glue so I
told Rosey I wanted to try and re-write the song, she said “Well, Good
Luck.” Now I knew it had to be much better than what Merle had or it would
be a waste of time. Merle being a good friend of mine and Rosey’s, I knew
he would listen if I could do a good enough job. Well, I did and the song
blew Rosey away. Now understand that Merle is in the song writing Hall of
Fame and I was an unknown writer. Merle co-wrote “Ring of Fire” with June
Carter, back when June, and Johnny were falling in love. He was also Hank
Williams Jr.’s manager. So I was a little scared when I went to his office
to tell him I stole his hook and re-wrote “Cry Baby Holler” I told him if
he did not like it I would throw it in the trash, it was not my style to
steal hooks. So he said, “Well lets listen to it,” he put the record in
and played it over and over again, then looked at me and said great job
Philip. I guess I have two versions of the song and I said no sir, you
have and 1 ½. That’s how I co-wrote “Cry Baby Holler” with Merle Kilgore!
♪ “Cry Baby Holler” was the last song recorded by
Rosey and Jimmy Camble. Jimmy was the Fiddle player for the legendary Bill
Monroe. Jimmy died with Rosey of carbon monoxide poison. He was a great
talent and good friend. He will be greatly missed. Now, when I had heard
that Merle had passed away in January I was deeply sadden. I found it
strange that 4 of the 6 people who had helped me write and record this CD
are gone and how ironic that the song, "Cry Baby Holler" is a ghost story.
Only myself and Sky Younger, who played guitar on the song, remain.
