THE FABULOUS JOHNNY CASH

Johnny Cash's debut album for his new label Columbia was released in November 1958 and to celebrate this we look back at the recording, release and success of the album The Fabulous Johnny Cash.

A week after his last session for Sun Records, Johnny Cash was at the Owen Bradley Studios in Nashville cutting his first sides for his new label, Columbia. This first session produced six songs and a few weeks later on 8 August a further ten tracks were recorded during two sessions on that day. To enable them to have enough tracks for their first album and singles a further session was held five days later with nine more songs successfully recorded.

To expand the basic sound of the Tennessee Two Columbia brought in some additional musicians and on the first session Morris Palmer and Marvin Hughes, on drums and piano, were also present. An unknown chorus was around to add vocal support on some tracks and for the first time since A.W. ‘Red’ Kernoddle had made his one and only studio appearance back in 1955, a steel guitar was present. Don Helms played the instrument on just the one song, Suppertime. Drummer Murry M. ‘Buddy’ Harman joined them for the first August sessions and by the second had replaced Morris Palmer who, along with Marvin Hughes, did not appear on any of the songs recorded that day.

Two songs recorded during these sessions, What Do I Care and All Over Again were paired up and became Cash’s first single on his new label although they would not appear on the album. On the country charts What Do I Care spent fifteen weeks reaching #7 while the flipside spent nineteen weeks on the chart peaking three places higher at #4. Both sides made the pop chart reaching #52 and #38 respectively.

Cash's Sun Records had been issued in the UK on the London label and his new Columbia records would be released on the Philips label.

The UK pop weekly Disc reviewed his new single in their 15 November issue. "The deep brown voice of Johnny Cash turns up now on the Philips label after a long spell with London. And Philips should be pleased, because Johnny might have one of his biggest successes on this side of the water with this coupling. What Do I Care is a rich, steady country romancer that lopes along in company with a rhythm group backing. Both songs on this release were written by Johnny himself. And it may be that All Over Again will turn out to be the bigger attraction of the pair. Quicker than the other side with some chorus work behind Cash, it's catchy stuff."

Of the twenty-five tracks recorded over this short time twelve would make the final selection for Cash’s first Columbia album, The Fabulous Johnny Cash.

The album, which was an eclectic mix, opens with the first of five songs written, co- written or adapted by Cash, Run Softly Blue River, and there is no mistake that you are listening to a Johnny Cash album.

The other songs credited to Cash are Frankies Man Johnny, which he adapted from the old nineteenth century New Orleans ballad Frankie and Albert, I Still Miss Someone, written with his nephew Roy Cash, Jr., Don’t Take Your Guns To Town and Pickin’ Time.

Don’t Take Your Guns To Town with its story about a farm boy who, convinced that he was grown-up, failed to heed his mothers warnings and lost his life to a stranger who was quicker on the draw. It is the strongest song on the album and, as we will see, was a successful single.

I Still Miss Someone was a song that Cash would perform live throughout his career and re-record several times. It is a beautiful country ballad about lost love that Cash handles well.

With Pickin’ Time we return to a theme he covered on Country Boy a few years earlier, his rural upbringing. These were strong songs and it is clear to see why he refused to record any of his own material during his final few months with Sun Records, preferring to keep them for his new label.

One of the songs he tried at Sun but never completed a finished master is One More Ride and he returned to the song for his new album producing a similar sounding version.

Sam Phillips had not let him record gospel material during his time at Sun but with Columbia he was given more freedom and he covers two songs with religious overtones, That’s Enough and Suppertime which takes on a more religious meaning towards the end of the track. The remaining tracks, That's All Over, The Troubadour, I'd Rather Die Young and Shepherd Of My Heart all fitted in well. Cash and Columbia records were both satisfied with the debut album.

Released in November 1958 The Fabulous Johnny Cash became his first album chart success when, on 8 December 1958, it entered the US pop charts at #20. Having spent three weeks in the chart at the end of the year, reaching #19, it re-entered the charts in February 1959 and spent a further six weeks on the pop charts peaking at #21.

Billboard voted the album ‘Favourite C&W Album.’ Initial sales of the album approached 400,000. Released in time for the Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville it was there that Columbia Vice-President Bill Gallagher and producer Don Law presented Cash with his Gold award for All Over Again. 

It had been a succesful year for Cash with his debut album for Columbia far exceeding expectations, a gold award single and to cap it all at the end of the year he was voted ‘Favourite Country and Western Artist by Billboard magazine and for the second time Cash Box voted him ‘Most Programmed Male Country Vocalist.’

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It was common practice with record companies in the late fifties and early sixties to take an artist’s latest album and release the material on separate extended play releases. The twelve tracks on The Fabulous Johnny Cash were spread over three EPs, with each featuring a different cover shot from the same photo session.

In their 18 April 1959 review Disc, the UK pop weekly, did not agree with the title and in a review headed “Fabulous? Not On Your Life” they wrote, “The sleeve note hails Johnny Cash as ‘fabulous.’ I disagree. He is a good performer and I’ll admit that he is a lot better than most in his field of singing. But ‘fabulous’ — never. People are too free with flowing praise nowadays with the result that many adjectives have lost their meaning. ‘Fabulous’ is one of the most overworked of all. This is a good album and the Cash boy has a rich voice which should make him pretty popular. He sounds a little like a young Ernie Ford but lacks the richness of that artist’s voice.”

Speaking about the album in 2002 Cash said, “It was 1958 and I had a new album called The Fabulous Johnny Cash. Someone says ‘What’s the name of your new album?’ Try answering without a shred of ego. ‘It’s called The Fabulous Johnny Cash.’ Oh well. that was over forty years ago. Ancient history.”

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Don’t Take Your Guns To Town backed with I Still Miss Someone was the first single lifted off the album for release and in the UK Disc, who had been less than impressed with the album were more complimentary this time round. They wrote, "I Still Miss Someone is a typical Cash country song, and would be chosen as the prototype for anyone planning an impersonation of this dark, sorrowful-voiced westerner. Not as good as some of his recent recordings, but still worth a spin. Don't Take Your Guns To Town is a narrative song in true cowboy tradition. Johnny drawls about a young cowpoke who insisted on taking his guns to town despite his mother's pleas. Story continues in all the best cliches to it's doleful end."

In December Billboard reviewed the single, "Don't Take Your Guns To Town is a Westernish, folkish effort that Cash gives his usual fine reading. It's an offbeat side for the artist, but it's already doing well in some areas. Flip is also a fine approach on a melancholy weeper. Strong potential on both pop and c&w markets."

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The album wasn’t alone in achieving chart success. Don’t Take Your Guns To Town managed a twenty-week run during which time it held the top spot for six weeks during March and April 1959. It couldn’t repeat the success on the pop charts where it stalled at #32. I Still Miss Someone, despite being a strong record, failed to achieve any chart action.

Frankie’s Man Johnny was also lifted for release and was paired with a non-album track You Dreamer You. The a-side spent eleven weeks on the country charts reaching #6 while the flip peaked at #13. On the pop charts Frankie's Man Johnny spent seven weeks reaching only #57.

On their 1990 release The Man in Black 1954-1958 Bear Family Records devoted a complete CD to outtakes with multiple takes of eight of the tracks recorded at the 13 August session. Many are false starts or breakdowns and it is interesting to hear the songs coming together in the studio.

Songs included are Lead Me Father, That's Enough, I Still Miss Someone, One More Ride, Pickin' Time, Don't Take Your Guns To Town, I'd Rather Die Young, Shepherd Of My Heart and one song, Cold Shoulder, that did not find release until Bear Family included it on the 1978 album The Unissued Johnny Cash. 

In 2002, to celebrate Cash’s seventieth birthday, Sony reissued the album on CD adding an additional six tracks - Oh What A Dream, Mama’s Baby, Fools Hall Of Fame, I’ll Remember You, Cold Shoulder and Walkin’ The Blues two of which were previously unreleased and the remaining four previously unavailable in the USA. All six tracks were recorded during the aforementioned three sessions in July and August.

In the sleevenotes to this re-issue Cash had this to say about the album, “At the time it was, to me, the best collection of my work that I could put together. Songs I’d written while still in the Air Force were coming back.”