America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song

Last updated
America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song
JohnnyCashAmerica.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 7, 1972
RecordedJuly 1970
Studio Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre
Length32:57
Label Columbia
Producer Larry Butler
Johnny Cash chronology
A Thing Called Love
(1972)
America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song
(1972)
The Johnny Cash Family Christmas
(1972)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song is a concept album and the 40th overall album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1972 (see 1972 in music). As its title suggests, it comprises a number of tracks dedicated to the topic of American history, like several of Cash's other Americana albums. The record is a mix of songs and narration, in which Cash attempts to describe elements of the country's past, including famous personalities like Paul Revere or Big Foot. America also includes re-recordings of "Mr. Garfield", "The Road to Kaintuck", "Lorena," "Remember the Alamo" and "The Big Battle, songs previously released as singles or on albums dating back to 1959. Most of the tracks on the album were written by Cash, with some exceptions, including a rendition of the well-known song "The Battle of New Orleans" and a reading of Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. The album was included on the Bear Family box set Come Along and Ride This Train .

Contents

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Opening Dialogue"Johnny Cash0:23
2."Paul Revere"Johnny Cash, Glenn D. Tubb 2:17
3."Begin West Movement" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:26
4."The Road to Kaintuck"Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash 1:21
5."To the Shining Mountains" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:48
6."The Battle of New Orleans" Jimmie Driftwood 2:21
7."Southwestward" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:37
8."Remember the Alamo" Jane Bowers 2:26
9."Opening the West" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:56
10."Lorena"Charles Williams1:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Gettysburg Address" Abraham Lincoln 2:38
2."The West" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:57
3."Big Foot"Johnny Cash3:02
4."Like a Young Colt" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:38
5."Mister Garfield" Ramblin' Jack Elliott 3:53
6."A Proud Land" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:24
7."The Big Battle"Johnny Cash3:05
8."On Wheels and Wings" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:30
9."Come Take a Trip in My Airship"Johnny Cash1:05
10."Reaching for the Stars" (Dialogue)Johnny Cash0:42
11."These Are My People"Johnny Cash2:38

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Album - Billboard (United States)

YearChartPosition
1972Country Albums3
1972Pop Albums176

References

  1. America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song at AllMusic
  2. Berger, Arion (2004). "Johnny Cash". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide . Simon and Schuster. pp.  145–49. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.