Rosa Lee Carson

Moonshine Kate (born Rosa Lee Carson, October 10, 1909, Atlanta, Georgia - 1992, Bainbridge, Georgia) was an American country and folk guitarist and banjo player who is best known for recording with her father Fiddlin' John Carson and his band, the Virginia Reelers. Kate was among the earliest recorded women in country music, and arguably her best remembered song was a rendition of her father's composition "Little Mary Phagan".

Carson was born the youngest of nine children in Atlanta, Georgia. As early as the age of five, she appeared as a vocalist and dancer at stage shows and political rallies as an accompaniment to her father's musical act. By age 14, Carson proficiently performed with the guitar and banjo as she played alongside her father on Atlanta's flagship radio station, WSB, and toured with him and the Virginia Reelers throughout Georgia. When Carson graduated from high school, she became a permanent member of the band.

In June 1925, Carson made her recording debut accompanying her father on guitar on four sides for OKeh Records. In the same session, she also recorded two solo efforts, "The Lonely Child", which was about a lonely wandering orphan, and "Little Mary Phagan". The somber ballad was composed by Fiddlin' Jon Carson in 1915, as a response to the notorious, and highly publicized murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, which was allegedly perpetrated by her manager, Leo Frank. She played and recorded with the Virginia Reelers until 1934, adopting the stage name Moonshine Kate in 1928 at the suggestion of Okeh Records man Polk Brockman. Many of Kate's recordings for Okeh play up her name, consisting of short musical passages interspersed with quick-witted dialogues revolving around the moonshine trade.

The Great Depression ended the Carsons' recording days, and she continued to perform intermittently, also working with Eugene Talmadge on his 1932 bid for Governor of Georgia and for the Atlanta Department of Recreation. She married in 1944 and retired in Georgia. In 1983, both she and her father were inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Birth and Death Data: Born October 10, 1909 (Atlanta), Died 1992 (Bainbridge)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1925 - 1934

Roles Represented in DAHR: guitar, vocalist, speaker, banjo, songwriter, composer, lyricist, yodeling

Notes: Daughter of John Carson ("Fiddlin' John Carson"). Also known as "Moonshine Kate."

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 51-75 of 131 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
OKeh W80556 10-in. 3/17/1927 It's a shame to whip your wife on Sunday Virginia Reelers String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W80557 10-in. 3/17/1927 Cotton eyed Joe Virginia Reelers String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W80558 10-in. 3/17/1927 Jesse James Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers String band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W80559 10-in. 3/17/1927 Don't let your deal go down Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W80560 10-in. 3/17/1927 Swanee River Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers String band, with male vocal solo instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81726 10-in. 10/10/1927 Old Joe Clark Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81727 10-in. 10/10/1927 Gonna swing on the Golden Gate Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81728 10-in. 10/10/1927 Did he ever return? Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81729 10-in. 10/10/1927 If you can't get the stopper out, break off the neck Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81730 10-in. 10/10/1927 Engineer on the Mogull Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar, banjo  
OKeh W81731 10-in. 10/10/1927 Hell bound for Alabama Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar, banjo  
OKeh W81749 10-in. 10/11/1927 Turkey in the hay Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81750 10-in. 10/11/1927 The smoke goes out the chimney just the same Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81751 10-in. 10/11/1927 Going down to Cripple Creek Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers String band, with male vocal trio instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81752 10-in. 10/11/1927 Quit that ticklin' me Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81753 10-in. 10/11/1927 It won't happen again for a hundred years or more Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81754 10-in. 10/11/1927 The little log cabin by the stream Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81755 10-in. 10/11/1927 Christmas time will soon be over Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal solo, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W81756 10-in. 10/11/1927 Run along home, Sandy Fiddlin' John Carson ; Virginia Reelers Male vocal trio, with string band instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W402337 10-in. 3/16/1929 Hawk and buzzard Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Female-male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W402338 10-in. 3/16/1929 Down South where the sugar cane grows Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Female-male vocal duet, with fiddle (violin) and guitar vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar  
OKeh W402339 10-in. 3/16/1929 Meet her when the sun goes down Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Fiddle (violin) and guitar duet, with female-male vocal duet instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
OKeh W402340 10-in. 3/16/1929 My Ford sedan Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Fiddle (violin) and guitar duet, with female-male vocal duet instrumentalist, guitar, vocalist  
OKeh W402341 10-in. 3/16/1929 You can't get milk from a cow named Ben Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Dialogue and fiddle (violin) and guitar duet instrumentalist, guitar, speaker  
OKeh W402342 10-in. 3/16/1929 Going to the county fair Fiddlin' John Carson ; Moonshine Kate Dialogue and fiddle (violin) and guitar duet instrumentalist, guitar, speaker  
(Results 51-75 of 131 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Carson, Rosa Lee," accessed April 30, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201619.

Carson, Rosa Lee. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201619.

"Carson, Rosa Lee." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 30 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/201619

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