The Essential Johnny Cash

Performer: Johnny Cash
Artist: Willie Nelson; Bob Dylan; Kris Kristofferson; U2; Waylon Jennings; Marty Robbins; June Carter Cash
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Marty Robbins, The Carter Family, June Carter Cash, U2. Producers include: Sam Phillips, Jack Clement, Don Law, Frank Jones, Bob Johnston. Compilation producers: Nick Shaffran, Nedra Olds-Neal. Recorded between May 1955 and May 1993. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Recording information: Dublin, Ireland (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Folsom Prison, Sacramento, CA (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Hendersonville, TN (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Hollywood, CA (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Los Angeles, CA (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Memphis, TN (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); Nashville, TN (05/??/1955-03/05/1993); San Quentin Prison, CA (05/??/1955-03/05/1993). Photographers: Don Hunstein; Urve Kuusik; Sandy Speiser; Marvin Koner. Arranger: Johnny Cash. In the past, if you wanted a Johnny Cash compilation, you were basically confined by licensing issues, as Cash's seminal Sun recordings weren't generally available in the same place as his more eclectic Columbia output. THE ESSENTIAL JOHNNY CASH solves that problem, tying together the various eras of Cash's career on a generous 35-track, two-disc set. Accordingly, this anthology is damn near definitive. From the raw, sparse rockabilly flavor of "Hey Porter" and "Get Rhythm" to the gospel roots of "Where You There (When They Crucified My Lord," the first disc moves neatly through Cash's early career. Disc two documents Cash's expansion into ever more varied stylistic avenues. Countrified covers of Bob Dylan ("It Ain't Me Babe") and Tim Hardin ("If I Were a Carpenter") exemplify his fascination with folk-rock. The socially conscious "Man in Black" and the patriotic "Ragged Old Flag" perfectly display the ostensibly conflicting sides of this complex artist's sensibilities. Album-closer "The Wanderer" finds Cash collaborating with U2, filling his role as icon to a whole new generation of artists.

Rolling Stone (2/28/02, p.58) - 4.5 stars out of 5- "...It's the intro to pick up today if you don't have one, and further proof that he's a man for all situations - emotional, political and cultural..." Down Beat (June 2002, p.62) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...The true blue American wrapped in Old Glory..."

Johnny Cash was part rockabilly rebel, part campfire storyteller, part outlaw in black. Cash made country and rockabilly history on the Sun label in the 1950s. During the '60s, the ruggedly charismatic Cash rose to superstardom, ending the decade with both his marriage to June Carter and his own television show. In the '90s, Cash began his highly successful and acclaimed AMERICAN RECORDINGS series, reaching a new audience with an amazingly diverse set of songs, ranging from traditional tunes to alternative rock covers. With his lean, angular sound and hearty, passionate baritone, Cash forged one of the most unique styles in all of popular music, one that delved into gospel, folk, and rock, but also remained the essence of country music. Four months after his wife died, Johnny Cash passed away on September 12, 2003. And in 2005, the Oscar-nominated biopic WALK THE LINE brought Cash's music and legend to his largest audience yet.

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