''A Believer Sings the Truth'' is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

and 63rd overall album by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

. The tracks for the double-length album were all recorded in 1979. Cash was under contract to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, but the label was doubtful that a double-album of gospel songs was commercially viable. With the label's blessing, Cash was allowed to release it on his own on the Cachet label and as a radio special with added narration. His efforts paid off, as the album made it into the Country Top 50, peaking at #43. In 1982, Columbia reissued the album itself, and in 1984 an edited-down version titled ''I Believe'' appeared on Arrival Records (see below). Prior to 2012 the only CD release of tracks from the album occurred with two tracks appearing in the ''God'' portion of the 2004 box set ''

Love, God, Murder ''Love, God, Murder'' is a Johnny Cash compilation box set (and 84th overall release) released in 2000. It features three themed CDs of songs Cash chose from his catalog. ''Love'' features relationship songs, mostly written for June Carter Cash ...

'' (a set compiled by Cash soon before his death in 2003), and two more tracks appeared on 2007's ''Ultimate Gospel''. The complete contents of the album (plus a previously unreleased outtake) made their CD debut as Disk 1 of the 2012 release ''Bootleg Vol. IV: The Soul of Truth''. It is one of only a handful of Columbia-related albums not to be included in the 2012 box set release '' Johnny Cash: The Complete Columbia Album Collection''.

Track listing

Charts

Album - ''Billboard'' (United States)

I Believe

In 1984, ''I Believe'' was released on the Arrival Records label, featuring ten songs from ''A Believer Sings the Truth'' and four outtakes from the same sessions. Like its parent album, ''I Believe'' has not been released on CD.

Track listing

References

Johnny Cash albums 1979 albums Albums produced by Jack Clement Columbia Records albums Gospel albums by American artists {{1970s-country-album-stub