Way back in 2016, a book of Johnny Cash’s poetry and other previously-unreleased writings was published. Edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, Forever Words: The Unknown Poems is an exciting treasure trove for fans of the Man in Black who thought they’d consumed it all.
Now, thanks to the good folks over at Legacy Recordings, those writings are coming to life with the release of Johnny Cash: Forever Words. This 16-track collection — which you can stream below — showcases these writings by linking them to music composed and performed by a collection of artists hand-picked by the Son in Black, John Carter Cash. Joining the party are John Mellencamp, the Jayhawks, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson, to name a few.
“Determining the artist for each song was truly a matter of the heart,” John Carter Cash said in a statement. “I picked the artists who are most connected with my father, who had a personal story that was connected with Dad. It became an exciting endeavor to go through these works, to put them together and present them to different people who could finish them in a way that I believed that Dad would have wanted.”
Johnny Cash: Forever Words was recorded primarily at the family’s Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, it was co-produced by John Carter Cash and Steve Berkowitz. and you can buy it here.
Johnny Cash: Forever Words Track List:
01. “Forever/I Still Miss Someone” – Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson
02. “To June This Morning” – Ruston Kelly and Kacey Musgraves
03. “Gold All Over the Ground” – Brad Paisley
04. “You Never Knew My Mind” – Chris Cornell
05. “The Captain’s Daughter” – Alison Krauss and Union Station
06. “Jellico Coal Man” – T Bone Burnett
07. “The Walking Wounded” – Rosanne Cash
08. “Them Double Blues” – John Mellencamp
09. “Body on Body” – Jewel
10. “I’ll Still Love You” – Elvis Costello
11. “June’s Sundown” – Carlene Carter
12. “He Bore It All” – Daily and Vincent
13. “Chinky Pin Hill” – I’m With Her
14. “Goin’, Goin’, Gone” – Robert Glasper featuring Ro James and Anu Sun
15. “What Would I Dreamer Do?” – The Jayhawks
16. “Spirit Rider” – Jamey Johnson
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