Valerie June Carter was born June 23rd, 1929, in Maces Spring, Virginia, into the most important group in country music history, the Carter Family. Her mother, Maybelle Carter, sang and played guitar with cousins Sara and A.P. and other family members, putting her indelible stamp on folk tunes like "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "The Wabash Cannonball." June began playing with the group by 1939.

While June is best known for singing, songwriting and her love for Johnny, she was also an author, actress, comedian, philanthropist and humanitarian. Written by June while they were both married to other people, Johnny’s hit song "Ring of Fire" chronicled her feelings as she began to fall in love with him.

"I never talked much about how I fell in love with John," June said in an interview. "It was not a convenient time for me to fall in love with him, and it wasn't a convenient time for him to fall in love with me. One morning, about four o'clock, I was driving my car just about as fast as I could. I thought, 'Why am I out on the highway this time of night? I was miserable, and it all came to me: 'I'm falling in love with somebody I have no right to fall in love with.' I was frightened of his way of life. I thought, 'I can't fall in love with this man, but it's just like a ring of fire.'"

At that point, Johnny says, "We hadn't said, 'I love you.' We were afraid to say it, because we knew what was going to happen: that eventually we were both going to be divorced, and we were going to go through hell. Which we did."

Johnny and June married in 1968.

As well as scoring a number of hit records with Johnny on duets like "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Jackson," June also had a successful solo career. Her acoustic, autobiographical 1999 album "Press On" earned her a Grammy. She had recently finished work on another new album, "Wildwood Flower," which is scheduled for release on September 1st.

June and Johnny have seven children; Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, Tara, John Carter, Rosie and Carlene.