Album of unreleased Johnny Cash recordings, Songwriter, due this summer

A posthumous collection of previously unreleased Johnny Cash recordings is on the way. On June 28 Mercury Nashville/UMe will release Songwriter, which is centered around demos that Cash made in 1993 while he was between contracts, and just before he connected with Rick Rubin for his acclaimed 1994 album American Recordings.

John Carter Cash, son of Johnny and June Carter Cash, organized the project which was co-produced by David “Fergie” Ferguson. The two invited a number of musicians to help flesh out the tracks, including guitarist Marty Stuart and the late bassist Dave Roe, along with drummer Pete Abbott. The album also features contributions from the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Vince Gill, Waylon Jennings, Ana Cristina Cash, Matt Combs, Mike Rojas, Russ Pahl, Sam Bacco, Kerry Marx, and Harry Stinson. “Well Alright” is the first song to be released, and you can hear it below.

“Dad’s advice with anything, whether it was life or making music, was always ‘follow your heart,” said John Carter in a statement.

“He was always my hero and I just felt like the luckiest guy in the world to get to record him,” added Fergie.

Johnny Cash’s Live at Folsom Prison is featured on our list of the 150 Best Albums of the 1960s.

Johnny Cash Songwriter tracklist:

1. Hello Out There
2. Spotlight
3. Drive On
4. I Love You Tonite
5. Have You Ever Been to Little Rock?
6. Well Alright
7. She Sang Sweet Baby James
8. Poor Valley Girl
9. Soldier Boy
10. Sing It Pretty Sue
11. Like A Soldier