14 DAY TRIAL // Representatives of Sony Music's Legacy recordings have announced that a series of old Johnny Cash songs that were thought to be “lost” will be included and released in a brand new album “Out Among the Stars” next year.
The 12 songs that will be featured on the album are said to have been recorded for Columbia Records in Nashville, Tennessee between 1981 and 1984, but the label chose not to release them. They ended up dropping Cash in 1986, thus leaving his recordings unheard.
Cash's son happened to find them in 2012 while cataloging his father's archive together with experts. It turns out that Johnny Cash and wife, June Carter Cash, had stashed the tapes along with just about everything else that came into their possession.
Son John Carter Cash said: “They never threw anything away. They kept everything in their lives. They had an archive that had everything in it from the original audio tapes from the 'Johnny Cash Show' to random things like a camel saddle, a gift from the prince of Saudi Arabia.”
So large was his posthumous collection, that it took his son and archivists this long to uncover the long-lost songs. The album includes 2 songs that were written by Johnny and 3 duets, two with his wife June Carter and one with Waylon Jennings.
These songs were written and recorded in a dark period for Cash, both professionally and personally, as country music was on the decline and going through major changes. Cash was already known for his dark and gritty style, while at the same time cultivating the image of an outlaw throughout his career, so it will be interesting to hear what Cash will sound like.
The blues singer died back 2003, and since his death, there's been a rejuvenation in interest over his music and persona. His posthumous album, “Out Among the Stars” will be out on March 25 next year.