Rockabilly Blues

Last updated
Rockabilly Blues
JohnnyCashRockabillyBlues.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 22, 1980
StudioQuadrafonic Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre Country, country rock [1]
Length32:48
LanguageEnglish
Label Columbia
Producer
Johnny Cash chronology
A Believer Sings the Truth
(1979)
Rockabilly Blues
(1980)
Classic Christmas
(1980)
Singles from Rockabilly Blues
  1. "Cold Lonesome Morning"
    Released: August 1980
  2. "The Last Time"
    Released: November 1980
  3. "Without Love"
    Released: January 1981

Rockabilly Blues is an album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1980. Highlights include "Cold Lonesome Morning," which had some minor chart success (No. 53 in the country charts), "Without Love," by his son-in-law, Nick Lowe, and a cover of the witty "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over." The first two of the aforementioned songs were the only singles from the album, though "Without Love" hardly enjoyed any chart success, peaking at No. 78. "The Twentieth Century is Almost Over" was re-recorded five years later by Cash and Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album entitled Highwayman , though it was, in essence, a duet with Nelson.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Billboard (unrated) [2]
Robert Christgau B− [3]

Robert Christgau deemed Rockabilly Blues "an honorable country album with some pretty good songs on it." [3] The Globe and Mail concluded that the album "has more to do with traditional country music than it does hot country-rock." [4] The Boston Globe opined that "best of all is Cash's long awaited discovery of John Prine ('The 20th Century Is Almost Over')." [5]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Cold Lonesome Morning" J.R. Cash Earl Poole Ball 3:21
2."Without Love" Nick Lowe Nick Lowe2:26
3."W-O-M-A-N"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball3:21
4."The Cowboy Who Started the Fight" Billy Joe Shaver Earl Poole Ball3:46
5."The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over" Steve Goodman, John Prine Earl Poole Ball3:38
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
6."Rockabilly Blues (Texas 1955)"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball3:18
7."The Last Time" Kris Kristofferson Earl Poole Ball3:12
8."She's a Go-er"J.R. CashEarl Poole Ball2:28
9."It Ain't Nothing New Babe"Billy Joe Shaver Jack Clement 4:02
10."One Way Rider" (with June Carter Cash) Rodney Crowell Jack Clement3:16

Personnel

Production

Chart performance

Album

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Canadian RPM Country Albums23

Singles

YearSinglePeak positions
US Country CAN Country
1980"Cold Lonesome Morning"5374
"The Last Time"85
1981"Without Love"7868

Related Research Articles

<i>My Kind of Country</i> (Reba McEntire album) 1984 studio album by Reba McEntire

My Kind of Country is the eighth studio album by American country music singer Reba McEntire, released October 15, 1984. It was her second studio album for MCA Records. My Kind of Country peaked at No. 13 on Billboard's Country Music Albums chart. Two tracks from the album rose to No. 1 on the Country Singles chart: "How Blue" and "Somebody Should Leave".

<i>Home Free</i> (Dan Fogelberg album) 1972 studio album by Dan Fogelberg

Home Free is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1972. Upon its original release, Home Free had lukewarm success, but following a later reissue, it was certified platinum by the RIAA for certified sales of 1,000,000 copies.

<i>Phoenix</i> (Dan Fogelberg album) 1979 studio album by Dan Fogelberg

Phoenix is the sixth album by American singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg, released in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Clement</span> American singer-songwriter and record producer (1934–2013)

Jack Henderson Clement was an American singer, songwriter, as well as a record and film producer.

<i>Elvis Country (Im 10,000 Years Old)</i> 1971 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis Country is the 13th studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records in January 1971. Recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, it reached number 12 on the Billboard 200. It peaked at number six in the United Kingdom, selling over one million copies worldwide. It was certified Gold on December 1, 1977, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Roses in the Snow</i> 1980 studio album by Emmylou Harris

Roses in the Snow is the seventh studio album by country music artist Emmylou Harris, released in 1980. While Harris' previous release, 1979's Blue Kentucky Girl, featured traditional, straight-ahead country, Roses in the Snow found Harris performing bluegrass-inspired music, with material by Flatt and Scruggs, Paul Simon, The Carter Family, and Johnny Cash. Cash, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, The Whites, Ricky Skaggs, Willie Nelson and Tony Rice made guest appearances. "Wayfaring Stranger" was released as the first single in 1980 and went to #7 on the Billboard Country charts. The second single, a remake of a Simon & Garfunkel song, "The Boxer", reached #13. Backing musicians included Albert Lee and Jerry Douglas.

<i>The Mystery of Life</i> 1991 studio album by Johnny Cash

The Mystery of Life is the 77th album by country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1991, and his last for Mercury Records. The songs featured are culled from both recent sessions and from leftovers from Cash's first Mercury session in 1986 for the album Johnny Cash is Coming to Town.

<i>Silver</i> (Johnny Cash album) 1979 studio album by Johnny Cash

Silver is the 25th anniversary studio album by American country singer Johnny Cash and his 62nd album overall, released on Columbia Records in 1979. It peaked at #28 on the Billboard albums chart. "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" peaked at #2 on the singles chart; the two other singles, "Bull Rider" and "I'll Say It's True", had reached #66 and #42, respectively. Recordings of "Cocaine Blues" had previously appeared on At Folsom Prison and Now, There Was a Song!, under the title "Transfusion Blues" on the latter. The album was produced by Brian Ahern, who controversially introduced digital elements into the songs to the disapproval of some listeners. This is the last album that featured bassist Marshall Grant, longtime Cash collaborator in Tennessee Two. He departed from Cash's band the following year.

<i>Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series</i> 1988 studio album by Johnny Cash

Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series is the 74th album by the American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Mercury Records in 1988. It consists entirely of re-recordings of songs already associated with Cash from his Sun and Columbia days. The album has been both criticized and praised because of the use of several modern production techniques, including synthesizers, in an attempt to update and modernize Cash's earlier songs.

<i>One Piece at a Time</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Johnny Cash

One Piece at a Time is the 54th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released in 1976 on Columbia Records. "One Piece at a Time," which was a #1 hit, is a humorous tale of an auto worker on the Detroit assembly line who puts together a car out of parts he swipes from the plant. "Sold Out of Flag Poles" also charted as a single, reaching #29 on the country singles charts. "Committed to Parkview", a Cash original, would be re-recorded in 1985 by Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, collectively known as The Highwaymen, on their first album, Highwayman; it is one of the few country songs sung from the perspective of a patient at a mental hospital.

<i>The Survivors</i> (album) 1982 live album by Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis

The Survivors is a live album by country/rockabilly musicians Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1982 on Columbia Records.

<i>The Legend</i> (Johnny Cash box set) 2005 box set by Johnny Cash

The Legend is a box set by country singer Johnny Cash, released in 2005 on Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It is one of the few multi-disc sets that contain songs recorded throughout Cash's entire career, from 1955 to 2003. Over four CDs, most of Cash's biggest hits are covered, in addition to numerous traditional compositions Cash recorded versions of, and several collaborations with other known artists, including Rosanne Cash, U2 and Bob Dylan. In keeping with Cash's persona as the Man in Black, the data surface of the discs is black. In 2006, the set won the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. It was certified Gold on January 11, 2006, by the RIAA.

<i>Powerglide</i> (album) 1972 studio album by New Riders of the Purple Sage

Powerglide is the second album by the American band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The music is a psychedelic hybrid of country rock, and includes guest musicians Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead, along with noted session player Nicky Hopkins. The album contains six original tunes by the band, plus covers such as "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Hello Mary Lou", and "Willie and the Hand Jive".

<i>Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love</i> Album by James Talley

Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got a Lot of Love is the debut album by the country singer-songwriter James Talley. It was recorded in 1973 at Hound's Ear Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.

<i>Tryin Like the Devil</i> 1976 studio album by James Talley

Tryin' Like The Devil is the second album by the country singer-songwriter James Talley. It was recorded at Jack Clement Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.

<i>If Only My Heart Had a Voice</i> 1993 studio album by Kenny Rogers

If Only My Heart Had a Voice is the twenty-fifth studio album by country music superstar Kenny Rogers. It was Rogers' first album released on the Giant Records label. However, Rogers had been signed with its parent company, WEA, since 1989. The album was Rogers' first since 1976 not to chart. The album includes the singles "Missing You", "Ol' Red" and "Wanderin' Man".

<i>Wont Be Blue Anymore</i> 1985 studio album by Dan Seals

Won't Be Blue Anymore is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Dan Seals. It was his most successful studio album; the only one to reach No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. The album featured some of Seals most popular songs, including "Bop" and "Meet Me in Montana", a duet with Marie Osmond. These and the third single, "Everything That Glitters ", all reached No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. "Bop" was a major crossover hit, peaking at No. 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The compact disc format of this album was released on the album's initial release. It has been out-of-print for more than 20 years and is highly collectible.

<i>Killer Country</i> 1980 studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis

Killer Country is a studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Elektra Records in 1980. The album peaked at No. 35 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trey Hensley</span> US singer/songwriter

Trey Aaron Hensley is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Hensley made his first public appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at age 11 with Marty Stuart and Earl Scruggs. Hensley moved to Nashville in 2013 and formed a duo with dobro player Rob Ickes. Hensley and Ickes released the GRAMMY-nominated album Before the Sun Goes Down (2015) on Compass Records label, The Country Blues (2016), and World Full of Blues (2019).

"Without Love" is a song by Nick Lowe from his 1979 studio album Labour of Lust.

References

  1. 1 2 "Rockabilly Blues Review by Michael McCall". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. "Review: Johnny Cash – Rockabilly Blues" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 85, no. 40. 4 October 1980. p. 110. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved 30 May 2020 via American Radio History.
  3. 1 2 "Johnny Cash". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. McGrath, Paul (15 Nov 1980). "Rockabilly Blues Johnny Cash". The Globe and Mail. p. F6.
  5. Flanagan, Bill (21 Jan 1981). "Rockabilly Blues". News. The Boston Globe. p. 1.