Born into a family of sharecroppers, Cynthia May Carver was a Kentucky banjo player, fiddler and country singer who was one of the pioneering solo female stars in the country music industry. She performed under the name "Cousin Emmy". Although hit records eluded her, she proved to be a major name in personal appearances and on radio in the 1940s and 50s. She started out her career by playing with Frankie Moore's Log Cabin Boys and was a member of the KWKH Louisiana Hayride, the WSB Barn Dance and WWVA Original Jamboree.