Fifty years ago, Johnny Cash and June Carter won a Grammy Award for a song that begins with the lyrics, “We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.” The very next day after winning that award the famous couple drove to Franklin, Ky., and quietly got married in a church on the town square. Now, a half-century later, three more Grammy winners are headed to Franklin to perform at the first Love in Bloom Festival, organized as a tribute to Johnny and June.
On Sunday, June 3, the Charlie Daniels Band will play on an outdoor stage set up between the county jail and the courthouse, just two blocks from the church where Johnny and June tied the knot. The Charlie Daniels Band received a Grammy Award in 1979 for “Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
Preceding Charlie Daniels to the stage on Sunday will be the Kentucky Headhunters, winners of a Grammy Award in 1990 for their debut album “Picking on Nashville.”
Lee Ann Womack, winner of a Grammy Award for her collaboration with Willie Nelson in 2003, will take the stage on Saturday, June 2. Womack’s biggest hit was “I Hope You Dance” in 2000.
Also slated to perform on Saturday, June 2, is Carlene Carter, daughter of June Carter and her first husband, Carl Smith. Long before she launched her own successful career as a singer, 12-year-old Carlene Carter was at her mother’s side when June married Johnny Cash in Franklin in 1968, one week after accepting his proposal onstage in Ontario, Canada.
Rounding out the festival line-up are James Carothers, Jeffrey East, and the Dead Broke Barons. Carothers and East are young singer-songwriters based in Nashville. East grew up in Franklin. Current Franklin residents Shane Johnson, Seth Pedigo, and Hunter Colson create the “FunkGrass” sound of the Dead Broke Barons.
Music at the Love in Bloom Festival is scheduled from noon to 7 p.m. each day. Tickets are on sale now on the website www.loveinbloom.net.
Franklin’s Simpson County Tourism Commission is the principal organizer of the festival. Tourism director Dan Ware said he and his community partners were looking for authenticity when booking talent for the festival.
“Johnny and June stayed true to themselves throughout their long careers,” Ware said. “We wanted performers who have that same universal appeal. And we got the real deal.”
A Kentucky state historical marker commemorating the Johnny Cash-June Carter wedding will be dedicated on Friday, June 1. Ronnie McDowell will perform at a free concert on the town square that evening. For more information about the festival, visit the website www.loveinbloom.net or go to loveinbloomfestival on Facebook.
About Franklin
Franklin (population 8,800) is the gateway to the Bluegrass State for northbound travelers on Interstate 65. The city’s ten hotels together have over 500 rooms. Bookings can be made easily at www.franklinky.com. The historic district surrounding Franklin’s iconic 1882 courthouse includes boutique shops, unique eateries, an art gallery, a museum, and an antique mall, all within easy walking distance. Johnny Cash and June Carter were married in the Methodist Church on the Square.
Kentucky Downs, four miles south of downtown and near Exit 2 off I-65, offers Vegas-style gaming and simulcast wagering nightly. Live races with some of the nation’s biggest purses are run in September. Paddocks on the track’s backside provide a permanent home for retired thoroughbreds. Tours are available daily. A golf course, a drive-in, a craft distillery, and a wall of life-sized outdoor murals are each located nearby. Franklin’s Simpson County Tourism Commission invites visitors to stop by their log cabin welcome center at Exit 2, visit www.franklinky.com, or call 1-866-531-2040.
