Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
and 78th overall album by
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
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 ...
, released on Laserlight Digital in 1991 (see
1991 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1991.
Specific locations
* 1991 in British music
* 1991 in Norwegian music
Specific genres
* 1991 in country music
* 1991 in heavy metal music
* 1991 in hip hop music
* ...
), in-between Cash's contracts with
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
and American Recordings.
Four tracks do not feature Cash but instead feature vocals by his wife,
June Carter Cash
June Carter Cash (born Valerie June Carter; June 23, 1929 – May 15, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter and dancer. A five-time Grammy award-winner, she was a member of the Carter Family and the second wife of singer Johnny Cash. Prior ...
and the
Carter Family
Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...
. This was the last Johnny Cash release within his lifetime to feature
Carter Family
Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. ...
, who had been a staple of his live show and studio recordings since the early 1960s. The sisters would not participate in his upcoming work for American Recordings; nor would June Carter Cash, though a 2000 private release, ''
Return to the Promised Land
''Return to the Promised Land'' is a gospel music soundtrack and 80th overall album by United States, American country music, country singer Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash. The album was released in 2000 as the soundtrack to the 45-min ...
'', would feature her alongside her husband.
Due to this album not having any connection to the Columbia, Mercury or American labels, it is one of the more uncommon Johnny Cash releases and as of 2015 has yet to appear in any box sets or compilations.
Background and content
Most tracks had been previously recorded by Cash for one (or more) of this three prior Columbia Christmas albums, most notably '' Classic Christmas'', though the album also includes several tracks unique to this collection such as a version of
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook.
Born in Imperial Russi ...
's " White Christmas" featured in the 15-track edition. "Silent Night" is performed on all each of Cash's four canonical Christmas albums. "Figgy Pudding" is an arrangement of the standard "
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is an English Christmas carol, listed as numbers 230 and 9681 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The famous version of the carol is from the English West Country
The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is ...
" with comedic interjections by June Carter Cash, reminiscent of her country-comedy work of the 1950s and 1960s before joining with Johnny Cash.
Reissue
The album was reissued with " White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" removed. In subsequent reissues these songs were replaced by live performances "
Ring Of Fire
The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring o ...
" and "
I Walk The Line
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. ...
" despite neither song having anything to do with Christmas. The liner notes do not clarify when the performances took place.
Personnel
* Johnny Cash – Vocals, Guitar
* June Carter – Vocals
* Carter Family – Vocals
* Jack Hale Jr. & His Nashville All-Star Band & Singers – Vocals, Instruments. Hale is also credited as arranger on all of the traditional Christmas songs
Track listing
15-track version
13-track version
2006 reissue
#"
Silent Night
"Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...
"
#"
It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear", is an 1849 poem and Christmas carol written by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. In 1850, Sears' lyrics were set ...
What Child is This
"What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song, in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular ...
?"
#"
Joy To The World
"Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. The carol was written in 1719 by the English minister and hymnwriter Isaac Watts, and its lyrics are an interpretation of Psalm 98 celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, the carol is usua ...
"
#"
Ring Of Fire
The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a region around much of the rim of the Pacific Ocean where many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. The Ring o ...
"
#"
O Christmas Tree
"" (; "O fir tree", English: O Christmas Tree) is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song which was unrelated to Christmas, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree.
History
The modern lyrics were written in 1824 ...
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection ''Hymns and Sacred Poems''. The carol, based on , tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it f ...
"
#"
O Come All Ye Faithful
"O Come, All Ye Faithful" (originally written in Latin as "") is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (composer and organist), John Reading (1645–1692), John IV ...
"
#"
I Walk The Line
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. ...
"
#"Figgy Pudding"
#"
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a Christmas carol. Based on an 1868 text written by Phillips Brooks, the carol is popular on both sides of the Atlantic, but to different tunes: in The United States, to "St. Louis" by Brooks' collaborator, Lewis R ...
"
#"
The First Noel
"The First Nowell", also known as "The First Noel (or Noël)", is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.