LISTEN TO NEW TRACKS ON AMAZON.COM
Back in 2018, Legacy Recordings released Forever Words, a collection of new songs featuring previously unheard lyrics by Johnny Cash. The 16-track set offered new melodies and performances by a "Who's who" of artists including Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, Jewel, John Mellencamp, Brad Paisley, The Jayhawks, Robert Glasper, Cash's daughter Rosanne Cash, and his stepdaughter Carlene Carter. Now, Legacy is expanding the original album with a further 18 tracks (16 of which are previously unreleased) being rolled out on digital service providers on a bimonthly schedule, culminating in a full "second disc" of tracks.
The first of four waves in the series kicked off last Friday, October 23, with two new songs - "Big Hearted Girl" by Hard Working Americans and "I'm Comin' Honey" by Shawn Camp - and the previously-released "Brand New Pair of Shoes" by Ana Cristina Cash and "If You Love Me" by Elvis Costello & The Imposters, all featuring words by Johnny Cash. (Costello's "If You Love Me" appeared on his Record Store Day exclusive EP Purse in 2019, while "Brand New Pair of Shoes" from Johnny's daughter-in-law Ana Cristina Cash premiered earlier this year on her solo album Shine.)
Wave 2, hitting digital providers on December 11, adds five new performances to the Forever Words tunestack: "I've Been Around" by Marty Stuart, "Who's Gonna Grease My Skillet?" by John Popper, "California Poem" by Jamey Johnson (featuring Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush), "Little Patch of Grass" by Brandon Robert Young and Clare Bowen, and "The Dogs Are In The Woods" by John McEuen. Johnson appeared on the original Forever Words with "Spirit Rider."
The third wave will arrive on February 5, 2021 with an encore from Jewel: the new song "Does Anybody Out There Love Me?" The troubadour is joined by The Watkins Family Hour for "Autumn," Ira Dean on "Let It Be Tonight," and The Lumineers with "Pretty Pictures in My Mind."
Finally, the Forever Words expanded edition rollout will conclude on April 2, 2021 with another quintet of new songs: "Outta Site Tonite" by Ronnie Dunn and The Brad Paisley Band, "My Song" by Runaway Jane, "Dark and Bloody Ground" by Ruston Kelly, "The Third Degree" by Aaron Lewis, and "Tecumseh" by Bill Miller.
The original release of the album was accompanied by Forever Words: The Unknown Poems, a volume of The Man in Black's unpublished poetry and lyrics edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon. A number of the songs on Johnny Cash: Forever Words were culled from material published in the book while others were taken from other, still-unpublished sources. In the press release for the expanded edition, Johnny's son John Carter Cash states, "My father touched the world of music in ways still evolving. The original body of work in Forever Words held some of Dad's best unreleased writings, put to music by some of the most prolific artists alive today. But there was more: poetry and lyrics that no one had ever seen, whose depth demanded the continuance of the project. And, with true artists who found melody and beauty in these unseen words, the recordings continued. Looking back now, I feel Dad would be proud to know his voice and spirit carry on here, in these Forever Words."
The first drop from the expanded version is out now from Legacy Recordings on Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K., Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever you get your digital music. The original album is still out on CD, vinyl, and digital services. Look for the next drop on December 11!
Johnny Cash: Forever Words (Legacy, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- Forever/I Still Miss Someone - Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson
- To June This Morning - Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves
- Gold All Over the Ground - Brad Paisley
- You Never Knew My Mind - Chris Cornell
- The Captain's Daughter - Alison Krauss and Union Station
- Jellico Coal Man - T. Bone Burnett
- The Walking Wounded - Rosanne Cash
- Them Double Blues - John Mellencamp
- Body on Body - Jewel
- I'll Still Love You - Elvis Costello
- June's Sundown - Carlene Carter
- He Bore It All - Daily and Vincent
- Chinky Pin Hill - I'm With Her
- Goin', Goin', Gone - Robert Glasper featuring Ro James and Anu Sun
- What Would I Dreamer Do? - The Jayhawks
- Spirit Rider - Jamey Johnson
Forever Words: Expanded Edition includes the original album (above) plus:
October 23, 2020
- Big Hearted Girl - Hard Working Americans
- I'm Comin' Honey - Shawn Camp
- Brand New Pair of Shoes - Ana Cristina Cash
- If You Love Me - Elvis Costello & The Imposters
December 11, 2020
- I've Been Around - Marty Stuart
- Who's Gonna Grease My Skillet? - John Popper
- California Poem - Jamey Johnson (Featuring Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush)
- Little Patch of Grass - Brandon Robert Young and Clare Bowen
- The Dogs Are in the Woods - John McEuen
February 5, 2021
- Does Anybody Out There Love Me? - Jewel
- Autumn - The Watkins Family Hour
- Let it be Tonight - Ira Dean
- Pretty Pictures in My Mind - The Lumineers
April 2, 2021
- Outta Site Tonite - Ronnie Dunn and The Brad Paisley Band
- My Song - Runaway June
- Dark and Bloody Ground - Ruston Kelly
- The Third Degree - Aaron Lewis
- Tecumseh - Bill Miller
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Very very cool.
Does that mean that by April 2021 all providers will have the album with all 34 tracks? Or is this "catch or it or miss it" on a release by release basis?
Hi Jim. To my knowledge, once the rollouts are through, the complete set should be available in perpetuity at all DSPs.
I wonder if there will be a Volume 2 CD out in December with these 18 tracks...if yes, what they should do is like what BMG did with the deluxe Dido...a slipcase with the original disc and Volume 2 in a separate digipack together...if you have volume 1 already, you can sell it...me, I have the original CD signed by Carlene Carter, met her on the last Outlaw Country Cruise and she was telling her friend Elizabeth Cook how cool the disc is... they were sitting at the same table at an autograph session...so I would take an unsigned original and sell it...same thing with the Dido, signed copies were sold initially, then this deluxe came out with 2 digipacks, so I sold the unsigned original CD...
I think technically two more of these are no longer 'previously unreleased'.
A 45 with Ruston Kelly “Dark and Bloody Ground” & The Lumineers "Pretty Pictures in My Mind" was just issued as part of the latest Third Man Vault release.