Old Golden Throat
Encyclopedia
Old Golden Throat is a compilation album
by country
singer Johnny Cash
, released in 1968 (see 1968 in music
) on Columbia Records
. The record is a collection of single
sides that, with two exceptions, had not yet appeared on an album (the exceptions being "Still in Town" and "Tennessee Flat Top Box
"). The mix spans recordings made almost a decade before its release and songs completed up to several months prior to it. Nine of the fourteen tracks had appeared on Billboard
's country singles chart (see below).
Two of the songs on the album - "I Got Stripes" and "Dark as a Dungeon" - had been performed by Cash at Folsom Prison and subsequently appeared on his famous At Folsom Prison
live album in May 1968. However, the versions included here were originally recorded and released in 1959 and 1963, respectively.
Because the tracks were taken from singles, the album was released only in monaural
.
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, released in 1968 (see 1968 in music
1968 in music
-Events:*January 4 – Guitarist Jimi Hendrix is jailed by Stockholm police, after trashing a hotel room during a drunken fist fight with bassist Noel Redding.*January 6 – Gibson Guitar Corporation patents its Gibson Flying V electric guitar design....
) on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. The record is a collection of single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
sides that, with two exceptions, had not yet appeared on an album (the exceptions being "Still in Town" and "Tennessee Flat Top Box
Tennessee Flat Top Box
"Tennessee Flat Top Box" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. It was released as a single in late 1961, reaching 11 on the Billboard country singles charts and 84 on the pop charts...
"). The mix spans recordings made almost a decade before its release and songs completed up to several months prior to it. Nine of the fourteen tracks had appeared on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's country singles chart (see below).
Two of the songs on the album - "I Got Stripes" and "Dark as a Dungeon" - had been performed by Cash at Folsom Prison and subsequently appeared on his famous At Folsom Prison
At Folsom Prison
At Folsom Prison is a live album by Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in May 1968. Since his 1955 song "Folsom Prison Blues", Cash had been interested in performing at a prison. His idea was put on hold until 1967, when personnel changes at Columbia Records put Bob Johnston in charge of...
live album in May 1968. However, the versions included here were originally recorded and released in 1959 and 1963, respectively.
Because the tracks were taken from singles, the album was released only in monaural
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
.
Track listing
- "I Got Stripes" (Cash, Charlie Williams) – 2:05
- Single A-side (June 1959)
- "A Certain Kinda Hurtin'" (Cash) – 2:03
- "Sons of Katie Elder" B-side (July 1965)
- "Little at a Time" (Cash, Gordon TerryGordon TerryGordon Terry was an adept American bluegrass and country music fiddler and guitarist. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Fiddlers Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
) – 1:57- "In The Jailhouse" B-side (May 1962)
- "All Over Again" (Cash) – 2:12
- Single A-side (September 1958)
- "Still in Town" (Harlan HowardHarlan HowardHarlan Perry Howard was a prolific American songwriter, principally in country music. In a career spanning six decades, Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists...
, Hank CochranHank CochranGarland Perry "Hank" Cochran was an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting during the 1960s, Cochran was a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others...
) – 2:36- "The Matador" B-side (September 1963)
- "Smiling Bill McCall" (Cash) – 2:07
- "Seasons of My Heart" B-side (March 1960)
- "The Wind Changes" (Cash) – 2:49
- "Red Velvet" B-side (September 1967)
- "The Sons of Katie Elder" (Ernie Sheldon, Elmer BernsteinElmer BernsteinElmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
) – 2:35- Single A-side (July 1965)
- "Dark as a DungeonDark as a Dungeon"Dark as a Dungeon" is a song written by singer-songwriter Merle Travis. It is a lament about the danger and drudgery of being a coal miner in an Appalachian shaft mine. It has become a rallying song among miners seeking improved working conditions....
" (Merle TravisMerle TravisMerle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
) – 2:29- "Understand Your Man" B-side (January 1964)
- "Tennessee Flat Top BoxTennessee Flat Top Box"Tennessee Flat Top Box" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Johnny Cash. It was released as a single in late 1961, reaching 11 on the Billboard country singles charts and 84 on the pop charts...
" (Cash) – 3:01- Single A-side (September 1961)
- "The Matador" (Cash, June Carter) – 2:48
- Single A-side (September 1963)
- "Send a Picture of Mother" (Cash) – 2:53
- "Busted" B-side (December 1962)
- "You Dreamer You" (Cash) – 1:49
- "Frankie's Man Johnny" B-side (March 1959)
- "Red Velvet" (Ian TysonIan TysonIan Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
) – 2:48- Single A-side (September 1967)
Personnel
- Johnny Cash - Vocals
- Luther PerkinsLuther PerkinsLuther Monroe Perkins was an American country music guitarist and a member of the Tennessee Three, the backup band for singer Johnny Cash. Perkins was an iconic figure in what would become known as rockabilly music...
, Jack ClementJack ClementJack Henderson Clement is an American singer, songwriter, and a record and film producer.Raised and educated in Memphis, Jack Clement was performing at an early age...
, Johnny WesternJohnny WesternJohnny Western is an American country singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
, Carl PerkinsCarl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, Norman BlakeNorman Blake (American musician)Norman Blake is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk and Country groups...
- Guitar - Bob JohnsonBob JohnsonBob Johnson may refer to:*Robert L. Johnson , founder of Black Entertainment Television*Bob Johnson , English guitarist*Bob Johnson *Dr. Bob Johnson aka Robert J. Johnson, U.S...
- Lute/Mandocello/Guitar - Marshall GrantMarshall GrantMarshall Garnett Grant was the upright bassist and electric bassist of singer Johnny Cash's original backing duo, the Tennessee Two, in which Grant and electric guitarist Luther Perkins played. The group became known as The Tennessee Three in 1960, with the addition of drummer W. S. Holland...
- Bass - Buddy Harman, W.S. Holland - Drums
- Don HelmsDon HelmsDon Helms was a steel guitarist best known as the steel guitar player of Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys group....
- Steel - Shot Jackson - Steel/Dobro
- Marvin Hughes, Floyd CramerFloyd CramerFloyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
, Bill PursellBill PursellBill Pursell is an American composer and former session pianist. He had a brief but successful career as a pop musician before continuing on as a session player....
- Piano - Charlie McCoyCharlie McCoyCharles "Charlie" Ray McCoy is an American musician noted for his harmonica playing. In his career, McCoy has backed several notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Astor, Elvis Presley and Ween. He has also recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records...
- Harmonica - Gordon TerryGordon TerryGordon Terry was an adept American bluegrass and country music fiddler and guitarist. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Fiddlers Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
- Fiddle - Maybelle CarterMaybelle Carter"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.-Biography:...
- Harpsichord - Karl Garvin, Bill McElhiney - Trumpet
- Lew DeWittLew DeWittLewis Calvin "Lew" DeWitt was an American country music singer and composer.For most of his career DeWitt sang tenor for The Statler Brothers...
- Whistle - The Anita Kerr SingersAnita KerrAnita Jean Grilli , known profesioanlly as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed successfully with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.-Nashville:Kerr was born in Memphis, Tennessee...
, The Carter Family, The Statler BrothersStatler BrothersThe Statler Brothers were an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen...
- Background Vocals
Charts
Singles - Billboard (North America)| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | "The Wind Changes" | Country Singles | 60 |
| 1965 | "The Sons of Katie Elder" | Country Singles | 10 |
| 1964 | "Dark as a Dungeon" | Country Singles | 49 |
| 1963 | "The Matador" | Country Singles | 2 |
| 1961 | "Tennessee Flat-Top Box" | Country Singles | 11 |
| 1960 | "Smiling Bill McCall" | Country Singles | 13 |
| 1959 | "You Dreamer You" | Country Singles | 13 |
| 1959 | "I Got Stripes" | Country Singles | 4 |
| 1958 | "All Over Again" | Country Singles | 4 |