Tag: Johnny Cash

New Video for Johnny Cash’s “Out Among the Stars”

Out Among the Stars
Previous posts have discussed Johnny Cash’s new album, Out Among the Stars, a collection of twelve previously unreleased tracks found by Cash’s son John Carter Cash. Johnny Cash recorded the songs on the new album during sessions in 1981 and 1984. Now, there is an animated lyrics video for the title track.

“Out Among the Stars” tells the story of a kid who robs a Texas liquor store. The robbery leads to a confrontation with police, and the boy’s father watches the news on television. Check it out.

What do you think of Johnny Cash’s “new” song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Johnny Cash Explains Why He Is Not Brave

    Johnny Cash interview

    PBS Digital Studios recently put together an animated version of a 1996 Johnny Cash interview for the Blank on Blank series. In the interview, Barney Hoskyns asks Cash questions like whether or not he could have been a preacher (“No.”). Cash also discusses his jaw pain and how he has to avoid painkillers, revealing all of it is something he just has to deal with: “I’m not brave at all.”

    Of course, he also talks about his music, explaining how some of his greatest songs are extensions of himself. He notes how he and an audience interact: “That’s what performance is about, is sharing and communicating.” Check out the interesting 6-minute video.

    The full audio of the interview is available for subscribers at RocksBackPages.com. Otherwise, if the video leaves you wanting more Cash, check out this recent post about his “new” album.

    What is your favorite part of the interview? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Brandon Flowers and Others Cover “New” Johnny Cash Songs

    French video series La Blogothèque has released a video of three performers covering tracks off of the upcoming Johnny Cash release, Out Among The Stars. As we previously reported, the new album puts together tracks that Cash recorded in 1981 and 1984, including one song that David Allan Coe had a hit with in 1985. This new video features Brandon Flowers (of the Killers), Father John Misty, and Local Natives each covering one song from the CD, performing isolated in the desert.

    First, Flowers performs “I Came to Believe.” Father John Misty plays “Baby Ride Easy,” which is a duet by Cash and June Carter Cash on the album. Finally, Local Natives gives their take on the title song from the album, “Out Among the Stars.” Check it out.

    If you want to hear a little more from the actual Johnny Cash album, here is another track that appears on the album. Johnny Cash joins Waylon Jennings singing the Hank Snow song, “I’m Movin’ On.”

    Out Among the Stars hits stores Tuesday, April 1. For those excited about the new album from Johnny Cash, there are more unreleased Cash recordings in the vaults.

    Will you get the new Johnny Cash album? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    A Road Trip With Rosanne Cash

    roseanne cash cbs sunday morning
    In a recent CBS Sunday Morning segment, reporter Anthony Mason interviewed singer Rosanne Cash during a trip in the South. Cash discussed the places in the southern states that inspired the songs on her new album, The River & The Thread.

    In the video segment below, Cash visits places like Robert Johnson’s grave, a location related to Emmett Till, and the bridge from Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe.” She also shows us the Arkansas boyhood home of her father, Johnny Cash. Check out the interesting story.

    What is your favorite location connected to music? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ira Hayes Won’t Answer Anymore

    Ira Hayes Iwo Jima On January 24, 1955, Ira Hamilton Hayes died from alcohol poisoning near where he lived in Sacaton, Arizona. Even if you do not recognize the name, you have seen a photo of Hayes, as the 22-year-old Pima Indian Marine appears in the famous historical photo by Joe Rosenthal of soldiers raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima in 1945 during World War II.

    The image was also used as a model for the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington National Cemetery, where Hayes is now buried. The war image and what happened to Hayes after the famous flag raising have since been immortalized in pop culture.

    Ira Hayes in Movies

    If you were not born during World War II but recognize the name of Ira Hayes, you may have seen the movie about Hayes directed by Delbert Mann and called The Outsider (1961). In that movie, Tony Curtis starred as the Native American Hayes. [September 2015 Update: Unfortunately, clips from The Outsider are no longer available on YouTube.]

    Adam Beach portrayed Hayes in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers (2006). The real Hayes played himself in the John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Here is a video of the flag-raising in the movie, even though you cannot single out Hayes in this clip.

    Ira Hayes in Song: “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”

    But most likely those of us in a certain generation recognize the name “Ira Hayes” because of a song.  Songwriter Peter La Farge, inspired by The Outsider film, wrote the song “The Ballad of Ira Hayes.”

    Johnny Cash then recorded the song and made it famous.

    Like many others, I first learned about Ira Hayes through the Cash song. My dad used to play an 8-track with the song on it, and he explained to me the story about Ira Hayes. While the song takes some liberties about Hayes, it captures the essence of his tragic life. Because of the photo, Hayes was hailed as a hero, but he wanted to live a normal life and did not consider himself a hero after seeing so many of his comrades killed.

    Hayes probably suffered from what we now know as post-traumatic stress syndrome.  He fell on hard times and turned to alcohol, resulting in his death.

    Cash’s version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” remains the most famous version of the song.  But other artists like Kris Kristofferson have covered the tune.

    Songwriter Townes Van Zandt captured the sadness in the song when he sang “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” as part of Solo Sessions, January 17, 1995.

    While one might complain that the song oversimplifies Ira Hayes by focusing on his downfall, the song remains as a fitting tribute to the man. It helps keep him in our memories, while also reminding us of some of the downsides of war and fame. RIP Corporal Hayes.

    Photo via public domain.

    What is your favorite version of “The Ballad of Ira Hayes”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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