Tennessee Flat Top Box
Encyclopedia
"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 song's name refers to a steel stringed acoustic guitar
.
" would secretly leave home and pawn
jewelry for money to make the trip to hear him play.
recorded a cover version
of "Tennessee Flat Top Box" in 1987 on her album King's Record Shop
. Released in November 1987 as that album's third single, it was also the third of four consecutive number-one country hits from that album, peaking in February 1988. Randy Scruggs
played the acoustic guitar
solos on it.
Rosanne Cash recorded the song at the suggestion of her then-husband and fellow country singer, Rodney Crowell
. When she recorded the song, she was unaware that her father wrote it, and assumed that it was in the public domain
. Johnny later told Rosanne that her success with the song was "one of [his] greatest fulfillments." The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll cited Rosanne's cover as a "healing of her strained relationship with her dad."
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...
. It was released as a 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...
in late 1961, reaching 11 on the 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...
country singles charts and 84 on the pop charts. The song's name refers to a steel stringed acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
.
Content
The song is a story of a little boy aspiring to be a country singer, who starts his career at a local cabaret in a South Texas border town. He has no physical abilities, only his ability to play the guitar, which he loves so much that making money is secondary to him. He becomes so popular that girls "from there to AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
" would secretly leave home and pawn
Pawn
Pawn may refer to:* Pawn , the weakest and most numerous piece in the game* Pawn, another name for a pledge in certain jurisdictions ** Pawnshop/pawnbroker* Pawn , an embeddable programming language...
jewelry for money to make the trip to hear him play.
Chart performance
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 84 |
Rosanne Cash version
Cash's daughter Rosanne CashRosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of the late country music singer Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Liberto Cash Distin....
recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Tennessee Flat Top Box" in 1987 on her album King's Record Shop
King's Record Shop
Although it was not Rosanne Cash's highest charting album at #6, King's Record Shop had the most singles topping the country charts. No fewer than four of its tracks placed #1 on the Billboard country singles chart...
. Released in November 1987 as that album's third single, it was also the third of four consecutive number-one country hits from that album, peaking in February 1988. Randy Scruggs
Randy Scruggs
Randy Scruggs is a music producer, songwriter and guitarist. He had his first recording at the age of 13...
played the acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
solos on it.
Rosanne Cash recorded the song at the suggestion of her then-husband and fellow country singer, Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is a Grammy Award-winning musician, known primarily for his work as a singer and songwriter in country music....
. When she recorded the song, she was unaware that her father wrote it, and assumed that it was in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
. Johnny later told Rosanne that her success with the song was "one of [his] greatest fulfillments." The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll cited Rosanne's cover as a "healing of her strained relationship with her dad."
Chart performance
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |