Tag: Johnny Cash

Burl Ives & Johnny Cash

Folksinger, actor, and famous snowman Burl Ives was born in Illinois on June 14, 1909.  Ives had one of the most recognizable voices of American singers, although I suspect that most people today know him for one TV role more than anything else.  But many of us, like Johnny Cash, learned some of our first songs from Ives.

In the 1930s, Ives became an important figure in the folk-revival movement.  After moving to New York City, he worked for progressive causes and performed with musicians that included Pete Seeger, Josh White, Alan Lomax and Lead Belly.

A rift later developed between Ives and Seeger after Ives, accused of being a communist, cooperated with the witch hunt by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952.  Ives saved his career as others who stood up for the First Amendment suffered.  Seeger compared him to a “common stool pigeon.”  But Ives and Seeger eventually reconciled decades later.

Ives recorded a number of successful albums and helped popularize songs like “Blue Tail Fly” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain.”  Growing up, my family welcomed Christmas every year with Ives’ interpretation of Christmas folk songs on the record album Christmas Eve (1957).

Many associate Ives with Christmas for another reason.  He provided the voice for the narrator Sam the Snowman in the 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holiday TV special.  Ives also developed a career as an actor, including roles in films like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958).  He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Big Country (1958).

Throughout it all was his wonderful voice.  The warmth of his tone made every song welcoming and familiar.

Below, Ives appears on Johnny Cash’s television show.  After performing by himself, Ives is joined by Cash to sit down, tell some stories, and sing some folk songs.  Cash introduces the songs by noting how he learned some of his first songs and chords by listening to Ives.

Ives, who was a pipe and cigar smoker, died from complications related to oral cancer on April 14, 1995.

What is your favorite Burl Ives recording? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Johnny Cash’s Journey and “The Gift”
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    Johnny Cash’s Concerts at San Quentin

    Johnny Cash first performed at San Quentin Prison in 1958, and one of the prisoners attending was a young Merle Haggard.

    Johnny Cash Merle Haggard

    On January 1 in 1958, Johnny Cash gave his first performance at San Quentin Prison.  It would not be his only prison concert, as prisoners often wrote the singer following the 1955 release of his hit song “Folson Prison Blues.”  At the time of his first San Quentin appearance, Cash had already played at Huntsville State Prison in 1957.

    Around a decade later in January 1968, with his career not doing well, Cash went to Folsom Prison for a concert to be recorded for an album.  He also then returned to San Quentin on February 24, 1969 to record another live album At San Quentin.  That album and At Folsom Prison became two of the best-selling live albums of all time.

    The 1969 San Quentin Concert and “San Quentin”

    One of the highlights of At San Quentin was Cash’s performance of the song he wrote about the prison, “San Quentin.”  Cash performed two new songs for the prisoners, with one being “San Quentin” and the other being “A Boy Named Sue.”  He performed “San Quentin” twice.

    Cash’s most famous prison song, “Folsom Prison Blues” conveys sadness and hopelessness, despite the boast about shooting a man in Reno.  But “San Quentin”is a harder song, reeking of anger: “San Quentin I hate every inch of you.” Below is Cash’s performance at San Quentin in 1969.

    The 1958 Performance and Prisoner A-45200

    Although the 1958 concert at San Quentin did not yield an album, it did significantly affect music history. A year earlier, an 18-year-old man had been arrested for burglary and, after an attempt to escape from jail, he was sent to San Quentin Prison. Although a judge sentenced the man to fifteen years, the prisoner only ended up serving two. But during those two years, the young man attended the 1958 Johnny Cash concert. And it helped inspire the young prisoner, whose number was A-45200 and whose name was Merle Haggard. The prisoner worked to change his ways, joined a prison band, and devoted his own life to country music.

    Haggard later recalled Johnny Cash’s performance at the prison. “He had the right attitude. He chewed gum, looked arrogant and flipped the bird to the guards—he did everything the prisoners wanted to do. He was a mean mother from the South who was there because he loved us.”

    For more on Merle Haggard, the following clip features Haggard talking about his stint at San Quentin (starting at around the 17-minute mark).



    What is your favorite prison song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”
  • Merle Haggard, The Impressionist
  • Willie and Merle Are “Missing Ol’ Johnny Cash”
  • The First Farm Aid
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  • Etta James and Dr. John on the Classic Heartbreak Song Written in Prison: “I’d Rather Go Blind”

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    Best Gospel Songs by Pop Stars (Part 5): Cash & Byrds

     

    Pop Gospel Songs

    Chimesfreedom continues its periodic discussion of the best gospel songs by popular singers.  In this Post, we consider recordings by Johnny Cash and The Byrds.

    “Spiritual,” Johnny Cash

    I am not sure why it has taken me until this far into our “Gospel Songs by Pop Stars” series to write about “Spiritual” because I love this song. Johnny Cash, of course, recorded a number of religious songs though his career, but this one recorded near the end of his life stands out for me.

    “Spiritual” was written by Josh Haden, son of great jazz bassist Charlie Haden. There are other excellent versions of the song, including one of Josh singing on his father’s 2008 album, Rambling Boy. But Johnny Cash’s version from his 1996 Unchained album gets me every time.

    The song starts slow and hypnotic, gradually building to an emotional cry of pain. Beautiful.

    “I Like the Christian Life,” The Byrds

    The Byrds, under the influence of Gram Parsons, recorded “I Like the Christian Life” for their Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (1968) album. The excellent album is largely credited as a major catalyst for the country-rock movement, and “The Christian Life” was a cover of a classic Louvin Brothers song for the hippie crowd.

    On a rock record, one might expect the song to translate into tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, but the song feels genuine in its praise of living a simple Christian life. It is hard to imagine an album by a major pop group including a song like this one today.

    Originally, the Byrds recorded the song with Gram Parsons singing lead vocal, but a dispute about Parson’s contract with another record company, the Byrds replaced Parsons’s lead vocals on some of the songs. Some believe that the change was also motivated by the band’s concern that the album was becoming too much of a Gram Parsons project.

    So, the official album version featured Roger McGuinn’s vocals dubbed into the lead. Both versions are excellent and appear on re-issues. Below is McGuinn’s version that was originally released on the CD.

    For comparison, below is a rehearsal take featuring Gram Parsons singing lead.

     

     

    Check out other posts in our series on Gospel Songs by Pop Singers.

    What is your favorite gospel song by a popular singer? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Charlie Haden’s “Spiritual”
  • Sturgill Simpson: “You Don’t Miss Your Water”
  • The Byrds Release “Mr. Tambourine Man”
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 4: Morning, Flying & Mystery
  • Great Song, Bad Name: Hot Burrito #1
  • Best Gospel Songs by Pop Singers 3: Ready, Walk, Great

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    Merle Haggard, The Impressionist

    Merle Haggard Impersonation

    We all know Merle Haggard was a great talented songwriter and singer. But a clip from The Glen Campbell Show also shows his impressionist talents.  He was pretty good at copying the voices of some other country music greats.

    In this video, Haggard impersonates several great country singers.  He does his version of Marty Robbins, Hank Snow, Buck Owens, and Johnny Cash.

    Also in this segment, Buck Owens and Johnny Cash show up to join in the fun. Check it out.

    See our previous post on Johnny Cash’s impersonation of Elvis Presley.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • How Merle Haggard Almost Gave “Today I Started Loving You Again” to Marty Robbins
  • Enjoy the History of Country Music with Cocaine & Rhinestones Podcast
  • Johnny Cash’s Concerts at San Quentin
  • Willie and Merle Are “Missing Ol’ Johnny Cash”
  • The First Farm Aid
  • Brandon Flowers and Others Cover “New” Johnny Cash Songs

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)




    Johnny Cash Imitating Elvis

    Cash Presley

    In this video, Johnny Cash shows that he could have had another career as an Elvis impersonator. The clip is apparently from 1959 when Cash was 27 years old and touring as an opening act for Elvis Presley.

    Before his performance of “Heartbreak Hotel,” Cash clarifies that he is not impersonating Elvis directly. He explains it is “an impersonation of a rock and roll singer impersonating Elvis is what this really is.”

    Perhaps he wanted to add the extra layer of making fun of an impersonator rather than Elvis to somewhat insulate himself from making fun of his former colleague at Sun Records. In fact, the two men admired each other, and Elvis Presley even introduced Cash’s future wife June Carter to the wonder of Johnny Cash’s music.

    Who is your favorite Elvis impersonator? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • Chuck Jackson Was There Before Elvis: “Any Day Now”

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