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The Fabulous Johnny Cash

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The Fabulous Johnny Cash
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 3, 1958
RecordedJuly 24–August 13, 1958
StudioBradley Studios (Nashville, Tennessee)
GenreCountry
Length28:28
LabelColumbia
ProducerDon Law
Johnny Cash chronology
Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!
(1957)
The Fabulous Johnny Cash
(1958)
Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
(1958)
Singles from The Fabulous Johnny Cash
  1. "Don't Take Your Guns to Town"
    Released: December 22, 1958
  2. "Frankie's Man, Johnny"
    Released: March 30, 1959
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
PopMattersfavorable[1]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]
Classic Rockfavorable[3]

The Fabulous Johnny Cash is the second studio album by American country singer Johnny Cash and his first to be released by Columbia Records. The album was released on November 3, 1958, not long after Cash's departure from Sun Records.

Content

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The album features five tracks written by Cash and backing vocal performances by The Jordanaires (who at this time were also regulars on Elvis Presley's recording sessions for RCA Records). Overall, even though the album is only 29 minutes in length, it is considered one of Cash's most cohesive pieces. This is largely because his sessions with Columbia were completed over a two-month period. That is greatly reduced when compared to the year by year sessions by Sun Records.[4]

Commercial performance

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The Fabulous Johnny Cash was a successful debut on Columbia for Cash as it sold over half a million copies during its initial release.[5] Although Billboard did not publish a chart for country albums in 1958, the album peaked at #19 on the Billboard Best Selling LP's chart.

Reissues

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The album was reissued in 2002 by Sony Music's Legacy imprint. The re-issue contains six bonus tracks and unedited versions of the songs. Legacy reissued the album on 180 gram vinyl for Record Store Day on November 23, 2012.[6]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Run Softly, Blue River"John R. CashAugust 8, 19582:22
2."Frankie's Man, Johnny"J. R. CashAugust 8, 19582:15
3."That's All Over"Dick GlasserAugust 8, 19581:52
4."The Troubadour"Cindy WalkerAugust 8, 19582:15
5."One More Ride"Bob NolanAugust 13, 19581:59
6."That's Enough"Dorothy CoatesAugust 13, 19582:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."I Still Miss Someone"
  • J. R. Cash
  • Roy Cash
August 13, 19582:34
2."Don't Take Your Guns to Town"J. R. CashAugust 13, 19583:03
3."I'd Rather Die Young"August 13, 19582:29
4."Pickin' Time"J. R. CashAugust 13, 19581:58
5."Shepherd of My Heart"Jenny Lou CarsonAugust 13, 19582:10
6."Suppertime"Ira StanphillJuly 24, 19582:50
2002 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
13."Oh, What a Dream" (Take 1)J. R. CashJuly 24, 19582:08
14."Mama's Baby"J. R. CashAugust 8, 19582:22
15."Fool's Hall of Fame"
  • Jerry Freeman
  • Danny Wolfe
August 8, 19582:10
16."I'll Remember You"J. R. CashJuly 24, 19582:07
17."Cold Shoulder"Helene HudginsAugust 13, 19581:55
18."Walking the Blues"
  • J. R. Cash
  • Robert Lunn
August 13, 19582:12

Personnel

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Musicians

Additional personnel

  • Al Quaglieri - Producer
  • Don Law - Producer
  • Billy Altman - Liner Notes
  • Don Hunstein - Photography
  • Seth Foster - Mastering
  • Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
  • Hal Adams - Cover Photo
  • Stacey Boyle - Tape Research
  • Kay Smith - Tape Research
  • Matt Kelly - Tape Research
  • Geoff Gillette - Sleeve Design
  • Steven Berkowitz - A&R
  • Darren Salmieri - A&R
  • Patti Matheny - A&R
  • Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
  • Nick Shaffran - Series Consultant

Charts

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Album - Billboard (United States)

Chart (1958) Peak
position
Best Selling LP's 19

Singles - Billboard (United States)

Year Single Chart Position
1959 "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" Country Singles 1
1959 "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" Pop Singles 32
1959 "Frankie's Man, Johnny" Country Singles 9
1959 "Frankie's Man, Johnny" Pop Singles 57

References

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  1. ^ "Johnny Cash: Ride This Train, PopMatters". 15 June 2002.
  2. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 145. ISBN 9780743201698.
  3. ^ "Buyer's guide: How to buy the best of Johnny Cash". 27 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Johnny Cash". adriandenning.co.uk. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "Johnny Cash".
  6. ^ "Johnny Cash - Fabulous Johnny Cash". johnnycashonline.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.