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Johnny Cash Greatest!

 

Greatest!

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Greatest!
Compilation album by  Johnny Cash
Released	October 19, 1959
Recorded	July 30, 1955 - July 17, 1958
Genre	Country rockabilly
Length	25:46
Label	Sun
Producer	Sam Phillips Jack Clement
Johnny Cash chronology
Songs of Our Soil (1959) Greatest! (1959) Now, There Was a Song! (1960)
Singles from Greatest!
"It's Just About Time" Released: November 12, 1958 "Luther Played the Boogie" Released: February 15, 1959 "Katy Too" Released: June 2, 1959 "Goodbye Little Darlin'" Released: September 15, 1959

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Greatest! is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. It was released on October 19, 1959, by Sun Records after Cash had left the label and signed with Columbia Records. The album is made up of songs Cash recorded for Sun prior to leaving the label. The album was re-issued in 2003 by Varèse Sarabande with four additional tracks, two of them being alternate versions of songs already on the album.

The tracks on Greatest! were recorded between July 1955 and July 1958. Six out of the twelve songs became singles, with "Get Rhythm" topping the Country charts and becoming the most successful one.

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye"	Gene Autry, Johnny Marvin	2:14
2.	"I Just Thought You'd Like to Know"	Charlie Rich, Bill Justis	2:23
3.	"You Tell Me"	Roy Orbison	1:48
4.	"Just About Time"	Johnny Cash	2:07
5.	"I Forgot to Remember to Forget"	Stan Kesler, Charlie Feathers	2:09
6.	"Katy Too"	Johnny Cash, Jack Clement	1:57
7.	"Thanks a Lot"	Charlie Rich	2:38
8.	"Luther Played the Boogie"	Johnny Cash	2:03
9.	"You Win Again"	Hank Williams	2:18
10.	"Hey Good Lookin'"	Hank Williams	1:41
11.	"I Could Never Be Ashamed of You"	Hank Williams	2:14
12.	"Get Rhythm"	Johnny Cash	2:14
Total length:			25:46

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"Fool's Hall of Fame"	Jerry Freeman, Danny Wolfe	2:26
14.	"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" (Undubbed Master)	Stan Kesler, Charlie Feathers	2:11
15.	"Hey Good Lookin'" (Undubbed Master)	Hank Williams	1:43
16.	"Rock and Roll Ruby"	Johnny Cash	1:42
Total length:			33:48

Charts[edit]

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1958	"Just About Time"	Country Singles	30
1959	"Thanks a Lot"	Country Singles	12
1959	"Luther Played the Boogie"	Country Singles	8
1959	"Katy Too"	Country Singles	11
1959	"Cry Cry Cry"	Pop Singles	66
1959	"Goodbye Little Darlin' Goodbye"	Country Singles	22
1959	"Get Rhythm"	Country Singles	1

 

Songs of Our Soil

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Songs of Our Soil
Studio album by  Johnny Cash
Released	July 6, 1959
Recorded	July 24, 1958 - March 16, 1959
Genre	Folk
Length	Original: 25:40 Re-issue: 29:34
Label	Columbia
Producer	Don Law Al Quaglieri
Johnny Cash chronology
Hymns by Johnny Cash (1959) Songs of Our Soil (1959) Greatest! (1959)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Songs of Our Soil is the sixth album by the singer Johnny Cash. It was originally released on July 6, 1959 (see 1959 in music), and later re-issued on August 27, 2002 (see 2002 in music) with two bonus tracks.

A majority of the songs involve dying. Death concludes "The Man on the Hill", "Hank and Joe and Me", "Clementine" and "My Grandfather's Clock." "Don't Step on Mother's Roses" is about a family losing their parents to death; first Mother, then Daddy. "The Great Speckled Bird" is a spiritual about the Second Coming of Jesus. "The Caretaker" is the story of a cemetery caretaker wondering who will mourn for him when his time comes. Even "Five Feet High and Rising" ("the hives are gone; I lost my bees") and "Old Apache Squaw" ("...the next white man that sees my face is gonna be a dead white man") mention death in some way. "I Want to Go Home" is a retitled version of the nautical standard "The John B. Sails".

By his own admission, Cash was becoming fascinated by death during this time, in part due to his growing amphetamine and barbiturate dependence, and also due to the premature death of his brother.^[2]

Contents

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Drink to Me"	Johnny Cash	1:54
2.	"Five Feet High and Rising"	Cash	1:46
3.	"The Man on the Hill"	Cash	2:09
4.	"Hank and Joe and Me"	Cash	2:13
5.	"Clementine"	Billy Mize, Buddy Mize	2:30
6.	"Great Speckled Bird"	Traditional	2:09
7.	"I Want to Go Home"	Traditional	1:58
8.	"The Caretaker"	Cash	2:06
9.	"Old Apache Squaw"	Cash	1:46
10.	"Don't Step On Mother's Roses"	Cash	2:34
11.	"My Grandfather's Clock"	Henry Clay Work	2:45
12.	"It Could Be You (Instead of Him)"	Vic McAlpin	1:50
Total length:			25:40

Bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
13.	"I Got Stripes"	Cash, Charlie Williams	2:05
14.	"You Dreamer You"	Cash	1:49
Total length:			29:34

Personnel[edit]

• Johnny Cash - Arranger, Guitar, Vocals, Main Performer
• Luther Perkins - Electric Guitar
• Marshall Grant - Bass
• Marvin Hughes - Piano
• Morris Palmer - Drums
• Buddy Harman - Drums on "Drink to Me"
• The Jordanaires - Background vocals

Additional personnel

• Don Law - Original Recording Producer
• Al Quaglieri - Reissue Producer
• Seth Foster - Engineer
• Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
• Billy Altman - Liner Notes
• Don Hunstein - Photography
• Steven Berkowitz - A&R
• Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
• Randall Martin - Design
• John Christiana - Packaging Manager

Charts[edit]

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1959	"Five Feet High and Rising"	Country Singles	14
1959	"Five Feet High and Rising"	Pop Singles	76

 

Hymns by Johnny Cash

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Hymns by Johnny Cash
Studio album by  Johnny Cash
Released	March 2, 1959
Recorded	July 24, 1958 - January 23, 1959
Studio	Bradley Film and Recording Studio (Nashville)
Genre	Gospel country
Length	26:40
Label	Columbia[1]
Producer	Don Law
Johnny Cash chronology
Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous (1959) Hymns by Johnny Cash (1959) Songs of Our Soil (1959)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[4]

Hymns by Johnny Cash is the fifth album and first gospel album by Johnny Cash. The album was produced in 1958 and was then officially released in 1959. An alternate version of the song "It was Jesus" was an added bonus track after the album was re-issued in 2002. Cash said he left Sun Records because Sam Phillips wouldn't let him record a gospel album.^[5] Columbia promised him to release an occasional gospel album; this was a success for him to record. The album was Cash’s first and most popular gospel album, and is an example of traditional hymns set to country gospel music. The album was recorded simultaneously with The Fabulous Johnny Cash.^[6]

Contents

Critical reception[edit]

The Rolling Stone Album Guide deemed the album "fairly uninspiring."^[4] Billboard called "It Was Jesus" and "I Saw a Man" "outstanding."^[7]

Track listing[edit]

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
1.	"It Was Jesus"	John R. Cash	July 24, 1958	2:08
2.	"I Saw a Man"	Arthur Smith	January 23, 1959	2:36
3.	"Are All the Children In"	Craig Starrett	January 23, 1959	1:58
4.	"The Old Account"	Traditional; arr. by J. R. Cash	January 13, 1959	2:29
5.	"Lead Me Gently Home"	Will L. Thompson	January 23, 1959	2:04
6.	"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"	Traditional; arr. and adapted by J. R. Cash	January 13, 1959	1:56

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
1.	"Snow in His Hair"	Marshall Pack	January 13, 1959	2:24
2.	"Lead Me Father"	J. R. Cash	August 13, 1958	2:31
3.	"I Call Him"	J. R. Cash Roy Cash	January 23, 1959	1:50
4.	"These Things Shall Pass"	Stuart Hamblen	January 23, 1959	2:20
5.	"He'll Be a Friend"	J. R. Cash	January 23, 1959	2:00
6.	"God Will"	John D. Loudermilk Marijohn Wilkin	January 13, 1959	2:24

2002 reissue bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
13.	"It Was Jesus" (Mono EP Version)	J. R. Cash	July 24, 1958	2:04

Personnel[edit]

Musicians

• Johnny Cash - Arranger, Leader, Vocals, Main Performer, Guitar
• Luther Perkins - Guitar
• Don Helms - Steel Guitar
• Marshall Grant - Bass
• Marvin Hughes - Piano
• Buddy Harman - Drums on "It Was Jesus"
• Morris Palmer - Drums
• The Jordanaires - Background vocals

Additional personnel

• Al Quaglieri - Producer
• Don Law - Producer
• Seth Foster - Mastering
• Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
• Hal Adams - Photography
• Don Hunstein - Photography
• Stacey Boyle - Tape Research
• Matt Kelly - Tape Research
• Kay Smith - Tape Research
• Steven Berkowitz - A&R
• Darren Salmieri - A&R
• Patti Matheny - A&R
• Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
• Randall Martin - Design
• Nick Shaffran - Consultant
• Johnny Whiteside - Liner Notes