John Cash

When Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash passed, they left behind what John Carter Cash, their son and Johnny Cash: Forever Words co-producer, describes as a "monstrous amassment" of things, including a treasure trove of undiscovered material that includes Johnny Cash's handwritten letters, poems and documents, penned across the entirety of his life.

It's a statement of Johnny Cash's longevity that the eight albums collected here – each one a concept collection devoted to American historical themes – were considered worthy and viable commercial releases back when, and that most were very successful. This four-CD set assembles Ride This Train, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bitter Tears, Ballads of the True West, Mean as Hell! (Johnny Cash Sings Ballads from the True West), America: A 200 Year Salute in Story and Song, From Sea to Shining Sea, and The Rambler, all in one place. They fit together as a body of work, and he put a lot of heart into all of these songs individually…

Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. With his deep, resonant baritone and spare percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound. Cash didn't sound like Nashville, nor did he sound like honky tonk or rock & roll. He created his own subgenre, falling halfway between the blunt emotional honesty of folk, the rebelliousness of rock & roll, and the world-weariness of country. Cash's career coincided with the birth of rock & roll, and his rebellious attitude and simple, direct musical attack shared a lot of similarities with rock. However, there was a deep sense of history – as he would later illustrate with his series of historical albums – that kept him forever tied with country. And he was one of country music's biggest stars of the '50s and '60s, scoring well over 100 hit singles…

Rosanne Cash left Nashville in the early 90's. The first album she recorded in New York with John Leventhal, The Wheel, celebrates 30 years with an exclusive 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition that features a 2023 Remastered version of the original album and an additional 11 tracks from the 1993 Live from Austin City Limits and Live from The Columbia House Records Radio Hour sessions, making their digital debut. Rosanne says of the album, "It’s satisfying and sweet to re-introduce The Wheel in this thirtieth anniversary year. I can’t look back at that time and separate the music from Love. What was true then has become more true and more alive every day since. We listen to this record now, and wish we had mixed the vocal a little louder on this track, or had a different guitar sound on that track, but honestly, it’s perfect for its time and place. I have a friend who doesn’t believe that artists evolve, but that there are only different stages and expressions. I’m not sure about that, but in either case, I’m so grateful for The Wheel. It turns out I can’t orchestrate the movement of the stars. They do that all on their own."