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Johnny Cash
American country singer (1932–2003)
John R. Cash was an American singer-songwriter.
Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. He was known for his deep, calm, bass-baritone voice, the distinctive sound of his backing band, the Tennessee Three, that was characterized by its train-like chugging guitar rhythms, a rebelliousness coupled with an increasingly somber and humble demeanor, and his free prison concerts.
Cash wore a trademark all-black stage wardrobe, which earned him the nickname "Man in Black".
labels: Sun Records, Charly Records, Columbia Records, American Recordings, House of Cash
genres: country music, outlaw country, gospel music, rock and roll, rockabilly, blues, traditional folk music
awards: National Medal of Arts, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Legend Award, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Library of Congress Living Legend, Horatio Alger Award, Kennedy Center Honors, Americana Award for Artist of the Year
plays: guitar, voice
member of: The Highwaymen, Million Dollar Quartet, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Johnny Cash & June Carter
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
countryrockabillyfolkcountry gospelamericanablues
The Night Owl EditionExtra
Early life
J. R. Cash was born on February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Carrie Cloveree (née Rivers) and Ray Cash. He had three older siblings, Roy, Margaret Louise, and Jack, and three younger siblings: Reba, Joanne, and Tommy (who also became a successful country artist). Because his mother wanted to name him John and his father preferred Ray, they compromised by giving him the initials "J. R." When Cash enlisted in the Air Force after high school, he was not permitted to use initials as a first name, so he adopted the name "John R. Cash". In 1955, when signing with Sun Records, he began using the name "Johnny Cash".
In 1954, Cash moved to Memphis, Tennessee. He sold appliances while studying to be a radio announcer. At night, he played with guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant. Perkins and Grant were known as the Tennessee Two. Cash worked up the courage to visit the Sun Records studio, hoping to get a recording contract. He auditioned for Sam Phillips by singing mostly gospel songs, only to learn from the producer that he no longer recorded gospel music. Phillips was rumored to have told Cash to "go home and sin, then come back with a song I can sell". In a 2002 interview, Cash denied that Phillips made any such comment. Cash eventually won over the producer with new songs delivered in his early rockabilly style. In 1955, Cash made his...
Cash nurtured and defended artists such as Bob Dylan on the fringes of what was acceptable in country music even while serving as the country music establishment's most visible symbol. At an all-star concert which aired in 1999 on TNT, a diverse group of artists paid him tribute, including Dylan, Chris Isaak, Wyclef Jean, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dom DeLuise, and U2. Cash himself appeared at the end and performed for the first time in more than a year. Two tribute albums were released shortly before his death; Kindred Spirits contains works from established artists, while Dressed in Black contains works from many lesser-known musicians. Cash served as a major influence on Dylan's desire to transition to an electric...
Johnny Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, musician and author, born February 26, 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, USA as J.R. Cash; he died September 12, 2003 in Baptist Hospital, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Cash was a hugely influential country singer. His all-black stage wardrobe earned him the nickname "The Man in Black".
He was married to country singer June Carter. Tommy Cash is his younger brother. Joanne Cash is his younger sister. Roy Cash Sr. is his older brother. Roy Cash Jr. is his nephew. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash is his daughter, from his first marriage with Vivian Liberto. Stepfather of singer-songwriter Carlene Carter (daughter of June Carter and her first husband Carl Smith (3)).
Johnny Cash was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1977, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980, the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 (performer), and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
Also known as: Big John Cash, C. Cash, Carter, Cash, Cash J.
From Discogs (free to use). Their entry
Liner notes
Johnny Cash, the records, oldest first
Johnny Cash With His Hot and Blue Guitar
1957 album
on the air
The Fabulous Johnny Cash
1958 album
Hymns by Johnny Cash
1959 album
Songs of Our Soil
1959 album
Ride This Train
1960 album
Now, There Was a Song!
1960 album
The Lure of the Grand Canyon
1961 album
The Sound of Johnny Cash
1962 album
Hymns From the Heart
1962 album
Blood, Sweat and Tears
1963 album
All Aboard The Blue Train
1963 album
The Christmas Spirit
1963 album
I Walk the Line
1964 album
Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian
1964 album
Keep on the Sunny Side
1964 album
Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West
1965 album
Orange Blossom Special
1965 album
Everybody Loves a Nut
1966 album
Happiness Is You
1966 album
Carryin’ On With Johnny Cash & June Carter
1967 album
From Sea to Shining Sea
1968 album
The Holy Land
1969 album
Hello, I’m Johnny Cash
1970 album
Man in Black
1971 album
Records from MusicBrainz; covers from the Cover Art Archive.
"All Over Again" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash. He recorded it for his first single on Columbia Records.
Background
For his first Columbia single, Cash wrote and recorded the song "All Over Again," a song of love and devotion with the singer proclaiming, "Every time I look at you I fall in love all over again." It was the perfect transition single, sounding as if it might have been a Sun release, and yet there was something very fresh and new about it. [...]
"Ballad of a Teenage Queen" is a country and rockabilly song written by Jack Clement and recorded by Johnny Cash, with background music by The Tennessee Two. Recorded for his 1958 album Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous, it hit number 1 on the US Country charts and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Re-recording
During his brief stint with Mercury Records, Cash re-recorded the song in 1987 featuring guest vocals by his daughter, Rosanne Cash, and the Everly Brothers. This version was first released on the 1988 duets album Water from the Wells of Home, and is one of only a handful of recordings of Cash performing with his daughter to be released. It received a nomination for Vocal Event of the Year at the 1989 Country Music Association Awards.
"Big River" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash. Released as a single by Sun Records in 1958, it went as high as #4 on the Billboard country music charts and stayed on the charts for 14 weeks.
The song tells a story of the chase of a lost love along the course of Mississippi River from Saint Paul, Minnesota to New Orleans, Louisiana. In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.
Background
A verse omitted from the original recording was later performed during Johnny Cash's live performances. A demo recording from the Sun sessions featuring the omitted verse also exists and has been released on numerous Sun compilations.
Cover versions
Ian Tyson (of Ian and Sylvia) included a spirited version of Big River on the duo's Lovin' Sound album released in 1967, with David Rae on lead guitar.
"Blistered" is a song recorded by American country music artist Johnny Cash. It was released in October 1969, and would later be included on his album Hello, I'm Johnny Cash, released in January the following year.
The song peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached #1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.
Cry!" is the debut single by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The song was originally released in 1955 and reached number 14 on the Best Sellers charts.
Background
In 1954, before the release of the song "Cry! Cry! Cry!", Cash signed with Sun Records after he came home from serving with the United States Air Force. During that time, he wrote the song "Hey, Porter" which was met with little excitement from the executives at his record label. He was then told to come back with a song that Sun Records owner, Sam Phillips, would be able to sell. Cash went home and wrote the song "Cry! Cry! Cry!" overnight and came back and performed it to Phillips the following day. The song was then coupled with "Hey Porter" and released as the A-side of the record. For the recording of the song, Johnny Cash was backed by "The Tennessee Two", Luther Perkins on guitar and Marshall Grant on bass. The early success of the...
Covers
"Texas" Bill Strength's cover was released as a single by Capitol in August 1955 in the US, only weeks after the issue of Cash's original, and September 1955 in the UK.
"Daddy Sang Bass" is a song written by Carl Perkins, with lines from the chorus of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. It was released in November 1968 as the first single from the album The Holy Land.
The song was Cash's sixty-first release on the country chart, going on to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart for 6 weeks and spending a total of 19 weeks there. The single reached No. 56 on the Cashbox pop singles chart in 1969.
"Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" is a song written by Jack Clement and originally recorded by Johnny Cash on Columbia Records for his novelty album Everybody Loves a Nut, released in 1966. Cash notably performed the song at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968, and it appears on his live album At Folsom Prison released later that year.
Composition
“Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog” first appeared on Cash's Everybody Loves a Nut album. It's a funny story about a shaggy dog that keeps on killing the narrator's chickens. It's an amusing cartoon of a song, wherein the narrator is threatening to send the dog to that big chicken house in the sky.
Covers
Agnostic Front recorded a cover of the song, with altered lyrics, on their 1998 album Something's Gotta Give.
"Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog" is a song written by Jack Clement and originally recorded by Johnny Cash on Columbia Records for his novelty album Everybody Loves a Nut, released in 1966. Cash notably performed the song at Folsom Prison on January 13, 1968, and it appears on his live album At Folsom Prison released later that year.
Composition
“Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog” first appeared on Cash's Everybody Loves a Nut album. It's a funny story about a shaggy dog that keeps on killing the narrator's chickens. It's an amusing cartoon of a song, wherein the narrator is threatening to send the dog to that big chicken house in the sky.
Covers
Agnostic Front recorded a cover of the song, with altered lyrics, on their 1998 album Something's Gotta Give.
"Don't Take Your Guns to Town" is a song written and recorded by American singer Johnny Cash. It was released in December 1958 as the first single from the album The Fabulous Johnny Cash.
Rerecordings
As was the case with many of his hits, Cash re-recorded the song on several occasions. In 1974, he recorded it in a more modern arrangement for the album The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me which also updated some of the lyrics. A more straight remake was recorded for the 1988 album Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series. He also recorded a live version with Willie Nelson for the 1998 release VH1 Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson.
Covers
U2 would release the track on the 2020 album All That You Can't Leave Behind (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition).
Legacy
Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
"Flesh and Blood" is a 1970 single written and recorded by Johnny Cash and was featured in the film, I Walk the Line starring Gregory Peck. The song went to #1 on the U.S. country singles chart for one week, spending a total of 13 weeks on the chart.
Flowers on the Wall is the debut studio album by the Statler Brothers. It produced their debut single "Flowers on the Wall", a Top 5 country and pop hit that year.
Members of Johnny Cash's band, the Tennessee Three played on the album, as it was recorded in between takes during the recording of a Johnny Cash album.
"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, based on material composed by Gordon Jenkins. Written in 1953, it was first recorded and released as a single in 1955, and later included on his debut studio album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957), as the album's 11th track.
The song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. It was one of Cash's signature songs.
Original 1955 recording
Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force at Landsberg, Bavaria (itself the location of a famous prison). Cash recounted how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die": "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind."
Live 1968 recording
Cash opened almost all of his concerts with "Folsom Prison Blues" after greeting the audience with his trademark introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," for decades. Cash performed the song at Folsom State Prison on January 13, 1968, which was recorded and later released as a live album titled At Folsom Prison. That opening version of the song is more up-tempo than the original Sun recording. According to Michael Streissguth, the cheering from the audience following the line "But I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die" was added in postproduction. According to a special feature on the DVD release of the 2005 biopic Walk the Line, the prisoners avoided cheering at any of Cash's comments about the prison, fearing reprisal from guards....
"Get Rhythm" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter and musician Johnny Cash. It was originally released as the B-side to the single release "I Walk the Line" in 1956 on Sun 241.
It was re-released with overdubbed "live" effects in September 1969 as an A-side single and reached number 60 on the Billboard Pop chart.
Critical reception
Alice Randall in the book My Country Roots: The Ultimate MP3 Guide to America's Original Outsider Music asks the question, "racist, racialist, or race appreciating? You decide. Maybe the grinning 'boy' hides something worth knowing in his mask as well as behind his mask. Well maybe he was white trash."
"Give My Love to Rose" is a country song by Johnny Cash, recorded at Sun Records in 1957. Cash sang and played it with the Tennessee Two, with Sam Phillips producing.
It was released in August 1957 as the B-side of the single "Home of the Blues", which reached No. 5 in the Country & Western Chart. "Give My Love To Rose" reached No. 13 in the same chart.
Background
Cash recorded the genesis of the song as a conversation he had with an inmate from San Quentin State Prison. The prisoner asked Cash to convey a message to his wife. The song details the experience of a released convict, travelling to Louisiana from San Francisco to see his family. Terminally ill, he collapses along the rails of the railway and, while dying, asks the song's narrator to carry a message to his wife and son.
Releases
Cash recorded the song several times over the course of his career. It appears on the 1960 album Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams, even though the song is not one of Williams'. It also appears on the album All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash, released in 1962.
"Guess Things Happen That Way" is a 1958 cross over single by Johnny Cash, which was written by Jack Clement. The single was Johnny Cash's fourth #1 on the country chart spending eight weeks at #1, and a total of 24 weeks on the chart.
Critical reception
As Allmusic describes it, the song "featured an arrangement dominated by piano and a vocal chorus adding distinctive 'ba-doo's throughout [that is] ...slicker than, say, "Cry! Cry! Cry!" or "I Walk the Line" [but with] an eccentric tone all its own — largely because the vocal chorus (who sound as if they're occupying a middle ground between doo wop and barbershop quartet) is in such stark contrast to Cash's lead vocal."
In popular culture
On February 25, 2010, the song, purchased by grandfather and Woodstock, Georgia native Louie Sulcer, became the 10 billionth download through the Apple iTunes Store.
"I Got Stripes" is a song recorded by Johnny Cash. The song is credited to Charlie Williams and Cash, but they borrowed from a song by Lead Belly titled "On a Monday".
"I Still Miss Someone" is a song co-written by Johnny Cash and his nephew Roy Cash, Jr. and originally recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. He first recorded it in 1958 as the B-side to "Don't Take Your Guns to Town".
Cover versions
Four different artists have charted versions of "I Still Miss Someone" on the Billboard charts. Flatt & Scruggs released a version on the album The Versatile Flatt & Scruggs, peaking at #45 in 1965. In 1981, Don King took a version to #38, on his Epic Records album Whirlwind. Emmylou Harris sent her version to #51, releasing it as the third and final single from her 1989 album Bluebird. In 2004, Martina McBride recorded the song for her 2005 album Timeless as a duet with Dolly Parton. This rendition went to #50 in 2006. Stevie Nicks also covered the song on her 1989 album The Other Side of the Mirror as did Nanci Griffith on her 1998 album of songs by other songwriters, Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful).
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After moderate chart success, it soon became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard country chart, and eventually crossed over to the pop charts, reaching #19 on the Billboard "Top 100".
Background of the song
The unique chord progression for "I Walk the Line" was inspired by the backwards playback of guitar runs on Cash's tape recorder while he was stationed in Germany as a member of the United States Air Force. Later in a telephone interview, Cash stated, "I wrote the song backstage one night in 1956 in Gladewater, Texas. I was newly married at the time, and I suppose I was laying out my pledge of devotion." After writing the song, Cash had a discussion with fellow performer Carl Perkins, who encouraged him to adopt "I Walk the Line" as the song title. Cash originally intended the song to be a slow ballad, but producer Sam Phillips preferred a faster arrangement; in the end, Cash agreed to the change, and the uptempo recording met with success.
Writing and composition
The song is very simple and like most Cash songs, the lyrics tell more of a story than the music conveys. (You've got a way to keep me on your side/You give me cause for love that I can't hide/For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide).
Legacy
The song is included in "The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", a permanent exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at No. 30 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. and also ranked it #1 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time in June 2014. In many countries like Ireland, the song was recycled to reopen closed railway lines.
"I Will Rock and Roll with You" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash for his 1978 album Gone Girl. Cash wrote two songs for the album, one of them being "I Will Rock and Roll with You," a rockedup retelling of his Memphis origins, featuring one of the best lead-guitar breaks to appear on a Johnny Cash tune since Carl Perkins left the group in 1973.
Song by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber, popularized in 1967
"Jackson" is a song written in 1963 by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber. It was recorded in 1963 by the Kingston Trio, Wheeler, and Flatt and Scruggs.
It achieved its most notable popularity with two 1967 releases: a country hit single by Johnny Cash and June Carter, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, and a pop hit single by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 39 on Easy Listening.
Background
Actress Gaby Rodgers is cited as co-author of "Jackson", because Leiber, in writing it with Wheeler, used his then-wife's name as a pseudonym. First recorded in 1963 by Wheeler, he explains the evolution of the song, and Leiber's contribution:
Critical reception
In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #112 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.
Notable recordings
Johnny Cash and June Carter released a version in February 1967, reaching No. 2 on the US Country charts and winning a Grammy Award in 1968 for Best Country & Western Performance Duet, Trio or Group. This version was reprised by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, performing as Johnny Cash and June Carter, in the 2005 film Walk the Line, and also appears on the soundtrack of the 2011 film The Help.
Legacy
According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, the name of UK pop band Prefab Sprout was a mondegreen from the lyrics "We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout", misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon. McAloon has maintained, however, that the name was entirely made up.
"Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man" is a song written by Carl Perkins and credited to Cash's bass player Marshall Grant. It was originally recorded as a duet by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash in 1967 and appeared on their all duet album titled Carryin' On with Johnny Cash & June Carter
"Man in Black" is a protest song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, originally released on his 1971 album of the same name. Cash himself was known as "The Man in Black" for his distinctive style of on-stage costuming.
The lyrics are an after-the-fact explanation of this with the entire song a protest statement against the treatment of poor people by wealthy politicians, mass incarceration, and the Vietnam War.
"One Piece at a Time" is a country novelty song written by Wayne Kemp and recorded by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three in 1976. It was the last song performed by Cash to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and the last of Cash's songs to reach the Billboard Hot 100, on which it peaked at No. 29.
Legacy
The name of the rockabilly subgenre psychobilly came from a lyric in "One Piece at a Time".
"Oney" is a song recorded by American country music singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. It was released in July 1972 as the second single from his album Any Old Wind That Blows.
The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.
"Orange Blossom Special" is a fiddle tune about the luxury passenger train of the same name. The song was written by Ervin T.
Rouse (1917–1981) in 1938 and was first recorded by Rouse and his brother Gordon in 1939. Often called simply "The Special" or "OBS", the song is commonly referred to as "the fiddle player's national anthem".
Lyrics
The lyrics of the song are in the 12-bar blues form but the full piece is more elaborate.
Cover versions
In 1961, Swedish group The Spotnicks released an instrumental guitar version of the bluegrass classic that was a hit in Australia, the UK, and other European countries.
"Pocahontas" is a song written by Neil Young that was first released on his 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. The song has also been covered by Johnny Cash, Everclear, Emily Loizeau, Crash Vegas, Gillian Welch, Trampled By Turtles, and Ian McNabb.
Lyrics and music
Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield finds "Pocahontas" to be "an agonizingly lonely ballad". The themes of "Pocahontas" include passage of time, travel through space and companionship. Rolling Stone critic Paul Nelson claims that "Young sails through time and space like he owns them." The lyrics of "Pocahontas" primarily describe the massacre of an indigenous tribe by European colonizers. However, by the end of the song the lyrics have jumped to modern times, with a fictional meeting in the Astrodome between the narrator, Pocahontas (actual name, Matoaka) and indigenous rights activist actor Marlon Brando. Rolling Stone author Andy Greene describes the song as a "surreal journey through time from the 17th century" to modern...
Critical reception
Rolling Stone critic Nelson describes "Pocahontas" as being "simply amazing, and nobody but Neil Young could have written it." Music critic Johnny Rogan called the song "one of Young's most accomplished acoustic tracks from the period and a perfect example of his ability to mix pathos and comedy." Author Ken Bielen calls it "a classic piece of music in Young's body of work. Bob Bonn of the Beaver County Times compared it unfavorably to Young's earlier song about European conquest of the Indians, "Cortez the Killer", in that the lyrics do not match the "brilliant, melancholy and haunting" quality of the earlier song, nor is Young's guitar playing as evocative. But music critic Robert Christgau counters that due to the "offhand complexity...
"Ring of Fire" is a song written by the American singer-songwriters June Carter and Merle Kilgore. It was originally recorded as "(Love's) Ring of Fire" by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her 1962 album Folk Songs Old and New.
It was popularized by Carter's future husband, the country singer Johnny Cash, after it appeared on his 1963 compilation album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash.
Background
Some sources claim that June Carter had seen the words "Love is like a burning ring of fire" underlined in an Elizabethan poetry book owned by her uncle A. P. Carter. She worked with Merle Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this imagery, as she had seen her uncle do in the past. In her words: "There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns".
Legacy
Numerous cover versions of "Ring of Fire" have been produced, the most commercially successful version being by Eric Burdon & the Animals on their 1968 album Love Is. Their version was recorded at the end of 1968, and made the top 40 in four countries. In 1970, Ray Charles released a version on his album Love Country Style. In late 1974, the Eric Burdon Band released a hard rock version for their album Sun Secrets. Wall of Voodoo debuted with a cover of the song on their self-titled 1980 EP and featured a pulsing synthesizer. A rock version by Blondie appears in the 1980 film Roadie. Dwight Yoakam covered it on his 1986 debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. Punk rock band Social Distortion covered it on their 1990 self-titled LP. In...
"See Ruby Fall" is a song co-written by Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison. The title is a play on the phrase "See Ruby Falls", which is painted on some Southern barn roofs to direct potential tourists to a well-known waterfall in Chattanooga.
"Solitary Man" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, who recorded the song for Bang Records in late January 1966. It has since been covered many times, notably by T.
G. Sheppard, Gianni Morandi, Chris Isaak, Johnny Cash and HIM.
1985 studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Southern Accents is the sixth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on March 26, 1985, through MCA Records. The album's lead single, "Don't Come Around Here No More", co-written by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song "Southern Accents" was later covered by Johnny Cash for his Unchained album in 1996.
Background
Originally conceived as a concept album, the theme of Southern Accents became somewhat murky with the inclusion of three songs co-written by Stewart, and several others originally planned for the album left off. Songs cut from the track list include "Trailer", "Crackin' Up" (a Nick Lowe cover), "Big Boss Man" (a Jimmy Reed cover), "The Image of Me" (a Conway Twitty cover), "Walkin' from the Fire", and "The Apartment Song". The first two were released as B-sides, while the two remaining covers (and a demo version of "The Apartment Song") were later released on the Playback box set. A studio version of "The Apartment Song" appeared on Petty's first solo album, Full Moon Fever, released in 1989. "Trailer" was later re-recorded and released in...
Critical reception
Robert Palmer of The New York Times praised Southern Accents as "the most adventurous and musically accomplished album of the band's career." He later included it in his list of the year's ten best albums, ranking it at No. 5 and calling it "an exquisitely crafted reassessment of personal and geographical roots by an established group that probably includes the finest American musicians playing the stadium circuit."
"Tennessee Flat Top Box" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. It was released as a single in late 1961, reaching 11 on the Billboard country singles charts and 84 on the pop charts.
In 1987, Cash's daughter Rosanne also release a rendition of the song, which peaked at number one on the Billboard country music charts.
"Thanks a Lot" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Charlie Rich.
Composition
“Thanks a Lot” was another strong Charlie Rich composition about a guy who sarcastically thanks his lover for all the pain she's putting him through. We feel the singer's hurt as he watches his lover leave him for somebody new.
"The Ballad of Boot Hill" is a 1959 song written by Carl Perkins which was recorded by Johnny Cash on Columbia Records.
Background
The song was originally released in 1959 in the U.S. on a Columbia EP by Johnny Cash entitled Johnny Cash Sings 'The Rebel --- Johnny Yuma'. The song was also released on his 1965 LP album Sings the Ballads of the True West. The song is about the 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral when three gunmen were killed by Doc Holliday, and the title refers to Boothill Graveyard. "The Ballad of Boot Hill" appeared on the 1992 Columbia collection The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983, a career retrospective of Johnny Cash's most important releases. The song was also released on an EP in Canada in 1959, Australia in 1960 and 1963, and in Germany in 1967.
Cover versions
"The Ballad of Boot Hill" was recorded in 1984 by country and western singer Johnny Western which appeared on his 1989 album Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on Bear Family Records. In 2008, Mark van den Berg recorded the song for his collection Mark van den Berg Sings the Hits of Johnny Cash on the Continental Record Services label. Billy McFarland recorded the song on his 2013 album Golden Guitar. Giuseppe Grasso, Jaromir Hauptman, Gabi Schaetz, Peter Medwed, Rainer Jantz, Thommy Kletsch, and Jeff Johnson have also performed the song.
"The Big Battle" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash.
Composition
Cash also voiced his personal views regarding the Civil War. He reached number 24 on the country chart in 1962 with "The Big Battle," an intriguing story-song set against the backdrop of the Civil War. It tells of the aftermath of the battle when all that's left are the dead and the dying with the "blue lying alongside the gray." It's a harsh recounting of the tragic toll that war takes on everyone on either side. There's an ominous feel to the song, as Cash successfully paints a devastating portrait of the high cost of war. This is one of Cash's most thought-out and fully developed compositions. The song drives home the message that the repercussions of war never cease and the battle goes on long after the fighting is over.
"The Man Comes Around" is the title track from Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around, released in 2002. It was written several years prior to the release of the album; however, Cash updated it for the album.
It is one of the last songs Cash wrote before his death. Both sung and spoken, the song makes numerous Biblical references, especially to the Book of Revelation.
Symbols and references in the lyrics
There are numerous biblical references in the lyrics. A spoken portion from Revelation 6:1–2 in the King James Version introduces the song. The passage describes the coming of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, each heralded by one of the "four beasts" first mentioned in Revelation 4:6–9. The musical portion then begins with Cash reciting that "the man" (Jesus Christ) will one day come to pass judgment. The chorus indicates that these events will be accompanied by trumpets (as in Revelation 8, 9, 11), pipers (Rev. 18:22), and "one hundred million angels singing". The voice of the Lord in Revelation is often likened to the sound of a loud trumpet (Revelation 1:10; 4:1; and 8:13). Revelation 5:11 states that John saw that there are...
Legacy
Upon Cash's passing in 2003, Emmylou Harris remembered the song as "astounding". The song was listed as the 296th best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork. In 2025, the British band Pulp released a cover of the song as a single.
In popular culture
The song was used during the opening credits of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.
"The Rebel – Johnny Yuma" is the theme song for the ABC-TV series The Rebel. It was written by Richard Markowitz (music) and Andrew J.
Fenady (lyrics) and recorded by Johnny Cash.
Background
In 1959 Cash [...] recorded "The Rebel – Johnny Yuma," written by Richard Markowitz and Andrew J. Fenady. Cash was asked to perform the theme song to the TV western The Rebel, which starred Nick Adams and ran from 1959 to 1961. The theme of the series must have appealed to Cash. It was the tale of a young Confederate soldier who is left to wander aimlessly throughout the West two years after the Civil War had ended. The song perfectly captures the loneliness the soldier experiences as he wanders alone through a lawless land. And although Cash did not write it, you would never know it. The song made it to number 24 on the country chart in 1961, shortly before the series was canceled. It was originally released as the title song of [the...
Reception
The song is listed as one of "Classic Non-Hot 100 Songs" in Joel Whitburn's book Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006.
"The Ways of a Woman in Love" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Bill Justis and Charlie Rich.
Composition
Cash scored his last big Sun hit with "The Ways of a Woman in Love," a Charlie Rich and Bill Justis cowrite about a man who senses his woman is falling in love with another man. She's changing her ways, and it's killing the singer. He can't stop thinking about her and wishing he was the other guy. This fine ballad made it to number 2 on the country chart and number 24 pop.
"Understand Your Man" is a song written and recorded by American singer Johnny Cash. It was released in January 1964 as the first single from the album I Walk the Line.
The single went to #1 on the country charts for six weeks. The song also crossed over to the Top 40, peaking at #35.
Wanted Man is a compilation album from country singer Johnny Cash and was released in 1994. This album contains some popular songs of Cash like "Wanted Man" and "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town"; it also has the remake of the song "Ballad of A Teenage Queen".
"What Do I Care" is a song written and originally recorded by Johnny Cash.
Background
"What Do I Care" represents a strong piece of philosophical wisdom from Cash. "What do I care if I never have much money, and sometimes my table looks a little bare / Anything that I may miss is made up for each time we kiss, you love me and I love you so what do I care." It's an inspired ballad and Johnny's future protégés the Statler Brothers would record a fine version of the song for their 1974 Mercury Records album Carry Me Back.
"What Is Truth" is a song written and recorded by American country singer-songwriter Johnny Cash released in February 1970.
Background
Johnny Cash's recording is generally viewed as a protest song, a rarity in country music at the time; its criticism of the Vietnam War and the generation gap made the song a major crossover hit. Cash played this song in front of Richard Nixon in the White House on April 17, 1970.
