THE 'SUMMER CASH' CAMPAIGN

When Shelby Singleton purchased the Sun Records Label in 1969, he started one of the most intensive reissue campaigns ever. In this article, originally published in The Man in Black (Issue #75 - June 2013), we look at the buyout and the subsequent Johnny Cash releases on the Sun International label between 1969 and 1971, a time when Cash’s Columbia career was at an all-time high.

By the mid-sixties Sun Records had been consigned to the past with Phillips being approached by various record companies prepared to buy the label. One of the most persistent was CBS/Columbia who, with Cash on their label, were keen to get all the Sun masters out of circulation. As far back as 1962 Phillips had considered a deal with Mercury Records whereby Sun would act as a production company for the label.

Despite other offers it was in 1969 that Phillips finally found a buyer, Shelby Singleton, a Louisiana businessman who had worked for Mercury as a rep and then in their New York A&R department working in the rhythm & blues market. He then moved into country music and struck gold with Jeannie C. Riley’s Harper Valley PTA.
 
The exact details of the purchase are not known. However, it is believed that Phillips would retain a percentage of the newly formed company, to be called Sun International, and 100% of the publishing company. Phillips would also keep the studio and his sons Jerry and Knox would stay on as independent producers for the new company.

With the ink hardly dry on the contract Singleton loaded all the Sun masters and outtakes onto a truck after giving up the idea to catalogue them first!

It was Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis who interested Singleton the most. Cash’s career was on the rise with a weekly TV Show and the success following the Folsom Prison and San Quentin concerts and albums.

In September 1969 he released a flood of singles on his Sun International label. Called ‘Summer Cash’ the campaign saw all of Cash’s original Sun singles re-issued.

This wasn’t the end of what seemed to be ‘Cashing in’ on his career. Over the next three years Singleton would compile and release a series of albums including three albums of hits and one that pretended to be a live recording.

The last few months of 1969 resulted in a virtual stranglehold on the country charts with product from both Columbia and Sun International charting. It was a similar story on the pop charts with several of the Sun International albums registering in the top 200.

In this article we look at those albums released on Sun International between August 1969 and November 1971 and pick out some of the differences and errors.

Sun Records or Sun International - Spotting The Difference

The easiest way to distinguish between the original Sun releases and those issued on Sun International is the label design which is similar in style with both having yellow and brown printing. However, there are changes in the positioning of certain elements. 

The sun rays on the Sun International albums fan out from the centre hole and cover half the label unlike the original Sun albums where they stop about one-third of the way down. The musical notes which, on the original albums go right around the outer edge of the label with the words ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ at the bottom, only go around the top perimeter on the Sun International label. One other difference is along the bottom. In place of the musical notes and ‘Memphis, Tennessee’ is the wording -‘Sun International Corp. - A Division of the Shelby Singleton Corp. - Nashville, U.S.A.’

 
Original Golden Hits, Volume I (SUN-100 - Released August 1969)

Folsom Prison Blues/Hey Porter/So Doggone Lonesome/There You Go/Next In Line/Cry, Cry, Cry/I Walk The Line/Don’t Make Me Go/Train Of Love/Home of the Blues/Get Rhythm

This release included an alternate take of Cry, Cry, Cry which may have been intentional or a mistake. It would not be the first time an alternate take appeared on one of the Sun International albums. With the inclusion of Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk The Line and Get Rhythm this album was guaranteed to be a popular release with those just discovering Cash’s early recordings. Thirteen weeks on the country chart saw the album rise to #7 while on the pop chart it reached #95 and also spent thirteen weeks in the Top 200

 
Original Golden Hits, Volume II (SUN-101 - Released September 1969)

Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Come In Stranger/ The Ways Of A Woman In Love/You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/Give My Love To Rose/Guess Things Happen That Way/It’s Just About Time/ Luther’s Boogie/Thanks A Lot/Big River/Down The Street To 301/Life Goes On

This second volume of hits, with it’s similar sleeve design as Volume I, peaked at #4 on the country chart during a run of thirty-three weeks. It couldn’t repeat the success on the pop chart where it stayed for just eight weeks rising to #98. Much of the albums success can be put down to the inclusion of Big River, Guess Things Happen That Way and Ballad Of A Teenage Queen, the latter two having a wider appeal than Cash’s usual audience.

 
Story Songs of the Trains and Rivers (SUN-104 - Released October 1969)

Hey Porter/Train of Love/Blue Train/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Port Of Lonely Hearts/ The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/Rock Island Line/ Big River/Wide Open Road/Down The Street To 301/Life Goes On

A common theme in many of Cash’s early recordings gave this album its title which included such classics as Hey Porter and Big River. Like Original Golden Hits, Volume I this album also included alternate takes, both Wide Open Road and Wreck Of The Old ‘97. The latter features a slightly different arrangement and one lyrical change. On the released master Cash sings, “They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia saying, ‘Steve you’re way behind time.’” However, on this release he sings, “They gave him his orders at Monroe, Virginia they said, ‘Steve you’re way behind time.’” With both Original Golden Hits albums in the top ten of the country chart it was joined in mid-December 1969 by this album which spent twenty-four weeks on the charts and just missed the top spot stalling at #2 during February 1970. It could only manage two weeks on the pop chart where it stuck at #197. It is important to point out that between October 1969 and July 1970 more Sun International albums charted than his current Columbia releases. At times during this period as many as eight albums were in the chart at the same time.

 
Get Rhythm (SUN-105 - Released October 1969)

Get Rhythm/Mean Eyed Cat/You Win Again/ Country Boy/Two Timin’ Woman/Oh Lonesome Me/Luther’s Boogie/Doin’ My Time/New Mexico/Belshazah/Sugartime

Get Rhythm was the fourth Sun International release to be issued in 1969. When issued in 1964 on Original Sun Sound both Belshazah and New Mexico featured overdubbed piano by Bobby Wood. On this release the original undubbed versions are included. Nine weeks on the country chart saw this album reach #30 while a five week run on the pop chart found it stalling at #164. The album featured one of the better cover designs on Cash’s Sun International releases.

 
Showtime (SUN-106 - Released November 1969)

Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Guess Things Happen That Way/The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/ Folsom Prison Blues/Come In Stranger/Rock Island Line/I Walk The Line/There You Go/Cry Cry Cry/Hey Porter/Big River

Throughout his career Johnny Cash released many live albums including At Folsom Prison, Strawberry Cake and The Survivors. Not so well known is this 1969 release Showtime which appears to be a live recording on which Cash only performs songs from his time at Sun Records. However, buyers would have been disappointed to find that when they put the album on their turntable it turned out to be a compilation of eleven previously released Sun tracks with overdubbed applause. This ‘fake’ live album reached #14 and spent nineteen weeks on the country charts. Eight weeks on the pop chart saw it reach no higher than #181. The fact that both prison albums (Folsom and San Quentin) were also in the chart at the time may have been the reason Showtime did well on the country chart with buyers thinking they were getting another live recording.

 
The Singing Storyteller (SUN-115 - Released 1970)

Goodbye Little Darlin’/Hey Good Lookin’/I Can’t Help It/I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You/I Couldn’t Keep From Crying/I Love You Because/Come In Stranger/Give My Love To Rose/The Ways Of A Woman In Love/You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven

This was the first Sun International album to include a previously unreleased song, a cover of Marty Robbins I Couldn’t Keep From Crying. It also featured three of the Hank Williams songs , Hey Good Lookin’, I Can’t Help It and I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You, that had appeared previously on the Sun Records EP and LP Sings Hank Williams. This was another of the Sun International albums to feature a good photo and cover design. The Singing Storyteller was the last of the Sun International albums to make an impression on the chart with a high of #45 during a very short two week stay on the country chart. Reaching #186 with just three weeks on the pop chart saw the end of the Sun International dominance of the charts.

The Legend (SUN 2-118 - Released March 1970) (2-LP set)

Disc 1: Folsom Prison Blues/Hey Porter/So Doggone Lonesome/There You Go/Next In Line/Cry Cry Cry/I Walk The Line/Don’t Make Me Go/ Train Of Love/Home Of The Blues/Get Rhythm Disc 2: Ballad Of A Teenage Queen/Come In Stranger/The Ways Of A Woman In Love/ You’re The Nearest Thing To Heaven/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/ Give My Love To Rose/Guess Things Happen That Way/It’s Just About Time/Luther’s Boogie/ Thanks A Lot/Big River

Having issued two volumes of Golden Hits during the latter half of 1969 Sun International took repackaging to a whole new level with this 2-LP set. They took both albums and issued them in a gatefold sleeve with a new title. The lack of any chart action was probably a reflection on the fact that this was one compilation too many.

 
Sunday Down South (SUN-119 - Released September 1970)

Johnny Cash: If The Good Lord’s Willing/I Was There When It Happened/Remember Me/ Belshazah/Goodnight Iren

Jerry Lee Lewis: Will The Circle Be Unbroken/ Old Time Religion/Carry Me Back To Old Virginia/When The Saints Go Marching In/Silver Threads

This release, with its unusual cover design, featured only five songs by Cash with the second side featuring songs by Jerry Lee Lewis including Will The Circle Be Unbroken and Old Time Religion. Sam Phillips had made it clear to Cash that he was not interested in religious material. However, Cash did get his own way recording both I Was There When It Happened and Belshazar, both of which are included on this album. I am not sure that Remember Me and Goodnight Irene qualify for inclusion on an album that pertains to be a gospel collection.


The Rough Cut King of Country Music (SUN-122 - Released October 1970)

Cold Cold Heart/Straight A’s In Love/You’re My Baby/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/ Born To Lose/You Tell Me/Fools’ Hall Of Fame/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/The Story Of A Broken Heart

When Cash recorded a selection of Hank Williams songs for release on the Sings Hank Williams extended play release Cold Cold Heart was omitted and left in the vaults. When picking tracks for this album Singleton chose the track for inclusion but not before a guitar and drum track was overdubbed. Likewise, an overdubbed version of the previously unreleased You’re My Baby was included, this time with electric bass, probably played by Billy Lee Riley. Fools Hall Of Fame is another track that Sam Phillips chose not to release and a note appears on paperwork from Phillips that reads, “Not to be released at any time.” Of course this didn’t stop Singleton from including the track on this album. Billy Lee Riley also added additional guitar to the track before release. The cover featured a great shot of Cash, guitar in hand, standing in front of a big ‘ol steam locomotive.

Sings Hank Williams (SUN-125 - Released June 1971)

Johnny Cash: Hey Good Looking/I Could Never Be Ashamed Of You/I Can’t Help It/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Cold Cold Heart

Jerry Lee Lewis: Lovesick Blues/You Win Again/Your Cheating Heart/Jambalaya/Settin’ The Woods On Fire 

Like Sunday Down South this album featured both Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, this time on a selection of songs penned by Hank Williams. All five Cash songs had been issued over the past few months on previous Sun International releases.

The Man, The World, His Music (SUN 2-126 - Released June 1971) (2-LP set)

Disc 1: Born To Lose/Story Of A Broken Heart/Two Timin’ Woman/Goodbye Little Darling/Port Of Lonely Hearts/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/Goodnight Irene/My Treasure/I Heard That Lonesome Whistle/Mean Eyed Cat/New Mexico/

Disc 2: Sugartime/Life Goes On/Wreck Of The Old ‘97/Belshazah/You’re My Baby/Fools Hall Of Fame/Blue Train/Country Boy/Wide Open Road/I Just Thought You’d Like To Know/ Down The Street To 301

A two-album set that is basically a compilation of some less-well known Sun recordings, steering clear of many of the hits from the period. With what is probably the worst cover design of all Cash’s Sun International releases, it’s title would lead one to believe that it was issued to ride on the back of the success of the recently released documentary film Johnny Cash The Man, His World, His Music. Anyone expecting a soundtrack album to the film would have been very disappointed!

Original Golden Hits Volume III (SUN-127 - Released November 1971)

Rock Island Line/Oh Lonesome Me/Country Boy/You Win Again/Straight A’s In Love/Doin’ My Time/The Wreck Of The Old ‘97/I Forgot To Remember To Forget/Sugartime/Story Of A Broken Heart/Katy Too

The third volume of the Golden Hits series was the last Cash release on Sun International. By 1971 interest in Cash’s Sun output had lessened and this was probably one release too many.

Collecting these releases is not an expensive task as most can be picked up on ebay for between £1.99 and £12.99 although you do need to check the descriptions with regard to condition of covers and grading of the record. Back in 1999 the Collectables label issued several original Sun and Sun International albums on 2-on-1 CDs including Get Rhythm/Story Songs Of The Trains And Rivers, Original Hits 1/Original Hits 2, Showtime/ Original Hits 3 and The Singing Story Teller/ The Rough Cut King Of Country Music. Of course, none of these contain any tracks that you wouldn’t have already and at the end of the day if I was wanting to add them to my collection I would go for the original vinyl copies. When I first started buying Johnny Cash albums, back in the early seventies, I had all the Sun International releases and do regret parting with them.