''Personal File'' is the 92nd album by American music icon

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 two CD set was released posthumously on May 23, 2006, by

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 20 ...

. ''Personal File'' contains 49 unreleased tracks on two CDs recorded between 1973 and 1982. Given that all tracks on the album were previously unreleased, ''Personal File'' is considered both a posthumous album and a compilation. Recovered from a vault of material housed at the

House of Cash The House of Cash was a museum in Hendersonville, Tennessee, owned by American musician Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash, and devoted to his life and work. With part of the building also used as their headquarters offices, the museum open ...

studios, ''Personal File'' includes "

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

hits, traditional folk and gospel tunes, new originals and favorite covers

– by

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. ...

Louvin Brothers The Louvin Brothers were an American musical duo composed of brothers Ira Louvin, Ira and Charlie Louvin (''né'' Loudermilk). The brothers are cousins to John D. Loudermilk, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member. The brothers wrote and p ...

Johnny Horton John LaGale Horton (April 30, 1925 – November 5, 1960) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Initially performing traditional country, Horton later performed rockabilly songs. He is best known for a series of history-inspired narrat ...

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

Rodney Crowell Rodney Crowell (born August 7, 1950) is an American musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music. Crowell has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album '' Diamonds & Dirt''. ...

, and

Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith. As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 album ...

. The album was compiled and produced by Gregg Geller with liner notes by

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...

. On most of the tracks, Cash performs alone, accompanying himself on guitar, and on many tracks Cash prefaces the song with remarks about its history and what it means to him. In 2007, Legacy released a sequel, ''More Songs from Johnny's Personal File'', featuring additional private recordings. The first album was reissued in 2011 by Legacy under the revised title ''Bootleg Vol. 1: Personal File'', which was followed by three more volumes of unreleased or rare recordings. (As of 2015, however, ''More Songs from Johnny's Personal File'' has yet to be reissued under this brand.)

Track listing

Personnel

* Johnny Cash - Vocals, Guitar, Producer

Additional personnel

* Vic Anesini – Mastering * Charlie Bragg – Engineer *

John Carter Cash John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970) is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. He is the only child of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and the grandson of Maybelle Carter. Biography For several years after his birth, his fathe ...

– Executive Producer * Gregg Geller – Producer, Compilation * John Jackson – Project Director *

– Liner Notes * Jim Marshall – Photography, Cover Photo * Randall Martin – Art Direction, Design * Rosa Menkes – Producer * Lou Robin – Executive Producer

Chart performance

Reviews

"Johnny Cash Treasure Chest on the Way"
- '' CMT''
"Johnny Cash's Vault Opens"
- ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

''
"Johnny Cash Gets Personal"
- ''Spin''

References

External links

Johnny Cash's Official Website

{{Authority control 2006 compilation albums Johnny Cash compilation albums Columbia Records compilation albums