Since 2017, the Bear’s Sonic Journals series has presented numerous concerts recorded by sound engineer (and LSD chemist) Owsley “Bear” Stanley.  The series has encompassed releases by The Allman Brothers Band, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Tim Buckley, and others; now, it’s turning its attention to an artist from a very different tradition who nonetheless found a place within the counterculture.  On September 24, The Owsley Stanley Foundation and Renew Records/BMG will release Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash at the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968, preserving The Man in Black’s concert at the San Francisco venue.  BMG will handle the physical 1CD and 2LP releases while Sony’s Legacy Recordings will handle all digital formats.

Cash took the stage at the Carousel mere days before the May 6, 1968 release of At Folsom Prison.  The year would also see the prolific artist release two compilation albums and record one studio set, The Holy Land.  The February 1969 release of At San Quentin would give Cash a second era-defining live LP; now, the Carousel Ballroom set can take its place alongside those two incendiary prison concerts.  Joined by The Tennessee Three – guitarist Luther Perkins, bassist Marshall Grant, and drummer W.S. Holland – and his new bride June Carter Cash, Johnny played a setlist that had key differences from Folsom and San Quentin.  They performed two compositions by his friend Bob Dylan (“One Too Many Mornings” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright”) and gems such as “The Ballad of Ira Hayes,” “Rock Island Line,” “Guess Things Happen That Way,” and “This Land Is Your Land.”

Naturally, Cash classics including “Ring of Fire,” “Big River,” and “I Walk the Line” were all part of the setlist, as was Johnny’s rollicking duet with June on “Jackson.”  Note that “Orange Blossom Special” is included on the CD and digital editions only, not on the 2LP vinyl set.

Johnny Cash at the Carousel Ballroom includes new essays by Johnny and June Carter Cash’s son John Carter Cash, Owsley Stanley’s son Starfinder Stanley, Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, and Widespread Panic’s Dave Schools.  The package boasts new artwork by Susan Archie as well as a replica of the original Carousel Ballroom poster by Steve Catron.   In the press release, Stanley opines, “When you hear this, you feel like you are on the stage with the band.”  Cash concurs, calling the concert “what I believe to be one of the most intimate and connected shows I have ever heard.”

“I’m Going to Memphis” is streaming now on all digital platforms including YouTube and Spotify. Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash at the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 arrives on September 24 from The Owsley Stanley Foundation, Renew Records/BMG, and Legacy Recordings.  You’ll find the track listing below.  Currently, only digital links are available but we will update with links for the physical releases once they go live.

Johnny Cash, Bear’s Sonic Journals: Johnny Cash at the Carousel Ballroom, April 24, 1968 (OSF/Renew/BMG/Legacy, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD)

1. Cocaine Blues
2. Long Black Veil
3. Orange Blossom Special (CD and Digital only)
4. Going to Memphis
5. The Ballad of Ira Hayes
6. Rock Island Line
7. Guess Things Happen That Way
8. One Too Many Mornings
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
10. Give My Love to Rose
11. Green, Green Grass of Home
12. Old Apache Squaw
13. Lorena
14. Forty Shades of Green
15. Bad News
16. Jackson
17. Tall Lover Man
18. June’s Song Introduction
19. Wildwood Flower
20. Foggy Mountain Top
21. This Land Is Your Land
22. Wabash Cannonball
23. Worried Man Blues
24. Long Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man
25. Ring of Fire
26. Big River
27. Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
28. I Walk the Line