Cousin Emmy
Cynthia May Carver (March 14, 1903 – April 11, 1980), known professionally as Cousin Emmy, was a banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. Although hit records eluded her, she proved to be a major name in personal appearances and on radio in the 1940s and 50s. In the 1960s she gained a new audience on the folk music circuit. Her song "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?" became a bluegrass standard after it was covered by the Osborne Brothers. She started out her career by playing with Frankie Moore's Log Cabin Boys. She influenced the playing of Grandpa Jones. She appeared in two films, Swing in the Saddle and The Second Greatest Sex. |
Birth and Death Data: Died April 11, 1980 (Sherman Oaks (neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1946 - 1951
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer, lyricist
Notes: Original name: Cynthia May Carver.
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | CO46491 | 10-in. | 7/13/1951 | Stoney (are you mad at your gal) | Stoney Cooper ; Wilma Lee Cooper | Female vocal solo, with string band | composer, lyricist | |
| Decca | 73514 | 4/12/1946 | Free little bird | Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 73515 | 4/12/1946 | Broken hearted, I left you behind | Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 73516 | 4/12/1946 | Milk cow blues | Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks | vocalist | |||
| Decca | 73517 | 4/12/1946 | Ruby | Cousin Emmy and her Kinfolks | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4388 | 3/25/1947 | Lost John | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4389 | 3/25/1947 | Lonesome road blues | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4390 | 3/25/1947 | I wish I was in Bowling Green | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4391 | 3/26/1947 | I wish I was a single girl | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4392 | 3/26/1947 | Johnny Booker | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4393 | 3/26/1947 | Come on all you Virginia gals | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4394 | 3/26/1947 | Freight train blues | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4395 | 3/26/1947 | Pretty little miss out in the garden | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4402 | 3/31/1947 | Barney O-Barney | Cousin Emmy | vocalist | |||
| Decca | L 4403 | 3/31/1947 | Chilly scenes of Winter | Cousin Emmy | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cousin Emmy," accessed December 25, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310016.
Cousin Emmy. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 25, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/310016.
"Cousin Emmy." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 25 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Emmy, Cousin, 1903-1980 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96034413
Wikidata: Cousin Emmy - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q5178819
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/11899788
MusicBrainz: Cousin Emmy - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/939fab52-82b4-4755-bbe2-193c93901ec6
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/377070 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/377070
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