The Legend [Columbia] [Box]

Performer: Johnny Cash
Producer: Sam Phillips; Jack Clement; Don Law; Frank Jones; Bob Johnson; Johnny Cash
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Johnny Cash (vocals, guitar); Waylon Jennings, Elvis Costello, Billy Joe Shaver, Bob Dylan (vocals, guitar); Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Ray Charles (vocals); Bob Johnson (guitar, mandocello); Dave Edmunds, Doc Watson, Jack Clement, Jerry Hensley, Jerry Reed, Marty Stewart, Merle Watson, Randy Scruggs, Ray Edenton, Billy Lee Riley, Billy Sanford, Luther Perkins, Bob Wootton, Carl Perkins (guitar); Don Helms, Pete Drake (steel guitar); Norman Blake (dobro); Mother Maybelle Carter (autoharp); Rufus Long (flute); Charlie McCoy (harmonica); Jo-El Sonnier (accordion); Floyd Cramer, Ben Tench, Bill Pursell (piano); Larry Butler , Hargus "Pig" Robbins (keyboards); Brian Eno (synthesizer); Nick Lowe (bass guitar); Kenny Malone, Buddy Harman (drums); Flood (loops). Few artists in any genre can rival the recorded legacy of Johnny Cash, so it's impressive that Columbia took on the daunting task of compiling a box set that spans his career from 1955 to 2002. While this collection doesn't feature tracks from any of Cash's acclaimed albums for the American label, it does present a few songs recorded during that '90s/early-'00s era, offering listeners selections that touch upon each decade of the country superstar's studio output. With its thematically arranged CDs, THE LEGEND revisits a number of Cash's finest Sun singles, showcasing his unmistakable deep voice and signature "boom-chicka-boom" sound on classics such as "I Walk the Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues." The bulk of the songs here, however, come from Cash's extensive Columbia '58-'86 run, most notably the passionate "Ring of Fire" (co-penned by his future wife, June Carter) and "A Boy Named Sue," his tongue-in-cheek narrative hit. The fourth disc focuses on Cash's many collaborations, presenting the Man in Black paired with everyone from the Carter Family to Bob Dylan to U2. While longtime Cash fans may own many of these recordings, this set is ideal for aficionados of his latter-day American albums who want an excellent overview of his truly legendary history.

Rolling Stone (No. 985, p.82) - 4.5 out of 5 stars - "...even without his astonishing final chapter, this is a feast of Cash." Spin (p.107) - "[T]his four-disc box has all the great old stuff, plus a sprinkling from his Rick Rubin-produced renaissance." Uncut (p.132) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Prolific, restless, ambitious and contradictory, Cash became a genre unto himself, swerving from rockabilly to gospel, drug-addled outlawry to staunch moralism, homespun folk to grand Nashville productions."

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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